To Carve or Not To Carve – Pumpkin Decorating Tips

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin
Pumpkins are as unique as the people who carve them. With so many sizes, shapes and types of pumpkins, the choices are endless. It’s always fun to take a trip to your local pumpkin farm and enjoy the charm of the season. Check out our earlier blog for tips on picking the perfect pumpkin for your Halloween creation. You may want to consider different types of pumpkins, or other gourds to add a twist to your décor.

Pumpkins & gourds come in all shapes, varieties and colours

Have Your Tools Ready
Find an area with lots of room. Lay down garbage bags or newspapers for easy cleanup afterwards. Have a plan and make sure you have everything you need, whether it’s paint and pins, stencils and stickers, or carving tools and scoops close at hand.

Prepping Your Pumpkin
Before you begin, wipe down the outside with a diluted bleach, or a vinegar and water solution. Removing dirt, mold and microbes prevents it from rotting. If you’re carving your pumpkin the next step is to make your opening. A neat trick is to open pumpkins from the bottom. By doing this, you keep the nice shape of the pumpkin, including the stem, and it makes it easier to add your candle in the base. As a bonus, most of the seeds and goop settle at the bottom, so by creating the opening here, it makes cleaning much easier.

Scooping out the inside is easier when you cut from the bottom

Let’s Get Decorating
The ideas are endless – so we’ve picked our top five.

Carved Pumpkin
There’s just something about the traditional carved pumpkin. The carving, the scooping, the creating. And whether you’re a stencil lover or a freehand aficionado, there’s no limit to the possible ideas. Check out this complete guide to pumpkin carving ideas.

The classic carved pumpkin

3D Pumpkins
Acorns, sunflower seeds, dried leaves, or even candy corn – all you need is some imagination and a little hot glue to turn your pumpkin into a masterpiece, like the nature animals from Good Housekeeping. Or the candy corn hedgehog from BHG. Looking for more inspiration? Pinterest takes this a step further with owls, lions, even puffer fish!

Thanks to Good Housekeeping, Pinterest and BHG for these ideas

Painted Pumpkins
A great alternative to carving, painted pumpkins are great ways to decorate for the holidays. Be sure to thoroughly clean and dry your pumpkin, then let the shape of the pumpkin inspire your design. You can spray paint, or brush paint your creation, and if you have enough time, add a sealer. Whether it’s your favourite movie character, or your favourite home décor, here are a plethora of painted pumpkins for inspiration.

Painted pumpkins from Sunset Magazine and Glaminati for inspiration

Fairy Garden
You enjoyed Pickering’s Fairy Tours so much you wanted to share it at home. Creating a Fairy Garden Pumpkin can be a piece of cake, or pumpkin, with these easy tips.

Adventure In A Box shows how to make these Fairy Garden pumpkins

Double Duty Pumpkins
Jack O’Lantern and a treat bowl all in one, affectionately known as the Snack-O-Lantern! Simply clean and carve the pumpkin as you normally would do, but make the mouth double-extra-large!

Shout out to The Food Network for this Snack-O-Lantern

There’s no denying that the good old Jack-o’-Lantern remains the king of fall decorating and deserves a special place by your front door. From funny to scary to cute, there are plenty of twists to traditional pumpkin carving. Let your imagination run wild and have a wickedly good Halloween!

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