How to Decorate a Pumpkin Without Carving It: No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Carving pumpkins is one of the oldest and most loved fall activities. No matter how old you are, carving a pumpkin is a fantastic way to get into the Halloween spirit and use your creativity. But there are a lot of ways to decorate a pumpkin other than just carving it.

I absolutely love crafting. There is something so relaxing about losing myself in a project, letting my creative side take over until I have something beautiful, or funny looking, in the end. But whatever the final product looks like, it is always fun. So, when it comes to fall, theming my DIY projects to the season is a must.

I have recently picked up my crocheting again after a long pause, and my next project is a sweater with a huge orange pumpkin on the front. I think it would be an adorable addition to my fall wardrobe. It also makes me feel very good and accomplished when I finish I huge project like that.

Another activity I plan to do this fall is to decorate a pumpkin. It’s not only fun but great decoration for the front of my house. Putting a jack-o-lantern out front on Halloween is essential to scaring off all the spirits… and trick or treaters.

But there are more ways to decorate a pumpkin than with a knife! And they can be just as much fun, if not more.

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Why Decorate a Pumpkin Without Carving?

There are so many different reasons someone might not want to carve up a pumpkin. Some include:

1. You have a young child
   • When decorating pumpkins with young kids, they can’t actually use a knife, so the adult tends to carve the entire thing as the kid watches
   • Using materials other than a knife allows yonng children to participate more in the project and makes them prouder of the work that they make
2. You want the pumpkin to last longer
   • Pumpkins are real, obviously. So they will rot, no matter how much hair spray you put on it, or any other DIY to keep the pumpkin longer.
   • So, if you are decorating pumpkins earlier than the day of Halloween, or you just want your creation to last longer than a day, decorating with other materials is a great idea
   • This will make your pumpkin last infinitly longer than cutting it hopen
3. Avoid the mess
   • Carving pumpkins is a very messy activity. Pulling all the seeds and pumpkin guts out is a necessary yet very messy task
   • So, choosing to decorate pumpkins without that mess is always a plus
4. Try something different
   • Everyone and their mom has carved pumpkins, it is iconic to the Halloween season. You have probably carved your fair share of pumpkins in your life time
   • So, if you want to try comething different, or have something unique on your porch that your neigbors will be jealous of, try docorating your pumpkin without a knife

What Supplies do you Need?

Alright, you have decided to do it and try something different with this year’s pumpkin. What now? It is time to collect your supplies. When it is time for me to decorate a pumpkin, I tend to go into the craft store with little to no idea what I want to do. I go with an open heart and a lot of creativity. There are a lot of places you can go to find supplies to decorate a pumpkin. Here are a few:

• Michael’s
• Joanne’s Fabric Store
• Party City
• Target

You will also need a pumpkin, obviously. That is the most important part of this entire process. Here are some places to look for a pumpkin:

• Pumpkin Patch
• Grocery Store
• Craft Store (Decorate a foam pumpkin)
• Party City (foam pumpkin)

Okay, you are at the store, what do you need to buy? This is entirely up to what your plan is for the pumpkin, but I am going to make a list of general supplies that I pick up when I decide to decorate a pumpkin:

• Acrylic paint and paint brushes
• Construction paper
• Glue
• Yarn
• Stencils
• Googly eyes
• Tinsil
• Glow-in-the-dark paint
• Glitter
• Stickers
• Plastic gem stones
• Fabric
• Silk flowers/fake fall leaves
• Fake spider webs and plastic spiders
• Pom Poms

Some stores, like Target, even have premade kits with everything you need to create an adorably decorated pumpkin. They have kits that can transform a pumpkin into a cat or a dragon in a few easy steps. Therefore, these would make great kits for young kids as they come with instructions and all the materials needed.

You might also have some materials in your own home. You don’t have to buy a ton of craft supplies to make this fun. Use clothes you have around the house, permanent markers, or old scratch paper.

There is no limit to creativity, and that is especially true here. You want to turn your pumpkin upside down and cover it with eyeballs. Do it. You want to paint a classic jack-o-lantern face on the very top of the pumpkin. Do it. There are no bad ideas when it comes to DIY projects. What I mean is, “there are no mistakes, just happy accidents.” Thanks, Bob Ross for that life lesson.

What are some Ideas for Non-Carve Pumpkins?

1. Bat
   • Use construction paper to make the wings, and paint to transform the pumpkin into an adorable black bat.
2. Ghost
   • Use some fabric, or an old pillow case, cut two holes, and cover the pumpkin. This one is so easy yet so adorable. Also, for a fun touch, add some glow-in-the-dark paint under the eye holes so they glow in the dark on Halloween night.
3. Spider
   • Grab some pipe cleaners, and make 8 fuzzy little spider legs for your pumpkin. Then, add a ton of googly eyes to the face for a creepy spider.
4. Animal Prints
   • Super easy and super chic! Get some black paint and draw some stripes or spots on your pumpkin. If you want some extra cuteness, add a face to transform your pumpkin into a tiger or a cheetah
5. Monster
   • With this idea, the pumpkin decorator has complete creative control over the creeation and making of the monster. Do whatever you want. Tear up every color of paper and glue it on your pumpkin, use all the paint colors you own, add as many googly eyes as you can fit. There is no wrong way to make a monster!
6. Glow-in-the-Dark Design
   • Grab your glow-in-the-dark paint and a paintbrush and get to work. This can be a beautifully intricate design, a woven spiderweb, or something simple like shapes. The fun thing about this idea is during the daylight, it will look like a normal pumpkin, maybe a little green from the paint. But once nighttime falls, the pumpkin will glow with the design you created.
7. House Plant
   • For all my plant parents out there, turn your pumpkin into a houseplant. Make the pumpkin the “pot” and use fabric or paper to create leaves to glue on top. Get creative and make a whole army of house plants to sit on your front porch.
8. Octopus
   • Paint your pumpkin whatever color you want, and use fabric or paper to add eight long legs coming off the bottom of this pumpkin. Of course your octopus needs a face, so add one using paint or googly eyes.
   • This one is fun to display. Rig some rop to the top of your porch, or a hanging plant stand, and tie your pumpkin up, so the legs are displayed proudly. Or, put the pumpkin on the edge of a step, so the legs can hang down to the step below.
9. Witch
   • Do you have an extra witch’s hat laying around? Grab some yarn to make a head of hair, and throw the witches hat on top. Create a spooky or friendly face with paint or construction paper. Add a broom next to your pumpkin creation to create a perfect autumnal display by your front door.
10. Snowman
    • This non-carve pumpkin design requires three pumpkins, and is a little out of season. but it is still so cute, if you want something really different this Halloween. Stack three pumpkins on top of eachother, paint them white, and add in some details like coal buttons. Now for the props. Grab a carrot, or make one out of paper, a scarf, a couple stick arms, and a top hat and you have yourself the best lookin Christmas and Halloween mash-up. Almost as good as The Nightmare Before Christmas.

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The possibilities are endless when you are decorating a pumpkin without carving it. I think there are more possibilities than creating jack-o-lanterns! However, if you are struggling to come up with ideas for your creations, Pinterest is a huge help. There are so many creative people on that platform with 100s of ideas, all for the taking. Or let your imagination run wild and see what you come up with because you might surprise yourself.

No matter what your reasoning is, using these non-carving pumpkin decorating ideas is a lot of fun, and a great way to switch up your usual Halloween tradition.

However, I do really love some roasted pumpkin seeds. So, I might have to break down and carve a jack-o-lantern as well this year.