5 ways to decorate with pumpkins this fall
Pumpkins are the go to decoration when it comes to fall and Thanksgiving. If you’re a little tired of the traditional pumpkin décor I want to encourage and inspire you to try something new!
Pumpkins are a great accessory as they can be used in so many ways to draw interest. Because they come in so many different sizes, colors, and some with different texture, they can be used in a lot of different ways. These easily available and affordable pieces of décor can be used in every home and still have an individual impact based on how they are presented- how cool is that! You can opt for real pumpkins, fake, or do a mixture of both. If you end up using one of the DIY’s I discuss below and love it I would highly recommend purchasing some fake reusable pumpkins to replicate the design you chose so you have them to fall back on for years to come.
Now, lets get into the good stuff!
1. Modge Podge Them
Maybe it’s just me but I feel like modge-podge has lost its significance recently and we need to bring it back! You can put so many things on a pumpkin that make it a total standout piece! I have seen news paper, pretty napkins, small loose fake floral petals - literally anything that is relatively thin and bendable would work great! This gives you the freedom to do some really crafty work without having to paint, draw or get overly technical. This stuff is so simple to use! I love that you can see it when you are working but it dries clear and is essentially the glue. A one-size fits all!
To give this a go all you’ll need are some scissors, a paint or foam brush and the paper/pattern of your choice. Once you have an idea of how you want your pattern or items laid out on the pumpkin you can start brushing the modge-podge all over. I would give it a generous coat at the end. Once its dry, enjoy a beautiful new addition to the home!
2. Paint a Pattern
If you love to paint then you are going to love this and have probably seen it all over Pinterest! Painting pumpkins really leaves the whole look in your hands. You can play into the color of the pumpkins you chose by picking analogous colors, where your painting will still draw interest but is a bit more muted. This would mean picking colors that are different but similar or within the same color family as the pumpkin. On the other hand you could choose to use complementary colors which means you will use colors sitting on the opposite side of the color of your pumpkin. This means if you have a standard orange pumpkin you would choose colors like blues, greens, and purples.
While I LOVE the look of the painted florals you could go bohemian and use a stencil or you could keep it simple with some line work. All you’ll need is a vision, some acrylic paint and some brushes!
3. Make a Vase or Candle Holder
Maybe your a little tired of just having pumpkins sitting out everywhere, I don’t blame you. Instead of just having them staged how about we get a little tactical and use them! Because pumpkins are so durable, and carve-able, we can get a little spicy… If we cut the top of the pumpkin and clean it out well you can pop a vase inside and use it to hold a fresh floral bouquet or delicious fall three wick candle. It would also be beautiful, and so fall of you, to do a bouquet of dried florals, where you may not even have to clean it out super well. Another idea would be to drill some holes throughout the top, skipping the cutting and gutting of the pumpkin, and simply sticking in some faux florals or dried stems. As I keep saying, the options are endless my friends!
4. Pumpkin Arch & Wreath
I love a good decorative arch. Whether it be balloons for a celebration or some pine for Christmas, give me an arch and I will walk through it! Then I thought, how fun would a baby pumpkin arch be for the fall?! To keep it light and reusable some cheaper faux pumpkins would probably come in handy. Whether you choose to create an arch with some PVC pipe, pool noodles, or something a bit smaller and simpler like a curtain rod, the same overall technique will be used!
If you want a permanent arch I would get the hot glue gun and start layering on all the different pumpkins as you go. If there are any gaps you could fill them in with some faux leaves, pinecones or tiny pine nuts - some of which could even come from outside! (An awesome way to get the kids involved!)
For a pumpkin wreath it would be a very similar technique with the glue and any round base you have on hand or find in the store. Of course craft stores carry different wreath bases if you’re in need. Then you would figure out the layout you’re looking for and get to gluing. If there were any gaps in the wreath I would recommend using some fall foliage! Think sun flowers and other florals with bigger petals that carry those deep fall tones.
5. Pretty Pumpkin Stack
This one is fun and perfect for the sides of a fireplace, the entrance of a doorway, the sides of an opening to a brilliant room in your home, or aside a hall tree. Basically, this would look beautiful anywhere in your home! This idea reminds me a bit of a three tier wedding cake. There are a lot of little turns I think this project could take so let yourself have a lot of fun with this one!
You will build it out like a snowman with the largest pumpkin on the bottom and they progressively get smaller. You could use all the same color or you could do different tones. I would probably use fake pumpkins for the ease and weight of them, but if you did opt for real pumpkins you could use skewers to help hold them in place! Once they are stacked the fun decorating begins! You can keep it simple and elegant by adding in touches of flowers within each layer. You could poke in little pearls and make small flowers out of them. Or if you wanted to go more country you could add in some ribbon or burlap.
This one is super fun because the base of the idea can be the same across the board but the actual execution in decorating will lead to totally different results.
While these are only 5 simple and fun ideas you can run with there are many awesome ways you can get creative with pumpkins this year! The most important part of it all is that the themes of the pumpkins match your home, bring you joy, and that you had some fun in the process of decorating your home for the season!
