No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Tips

It's time for one of our favorite fall activities - pumpkin decorating! The kids love picking their own pumpkins at our local patch, and then we all have fun creating masterpieces together. Over the years, we've accumulated quite a few decorating ideas that don't require sharp tools or carving skills, and here are a few of our favorites.

Paint

We've been known to decorate pumpkins with regular and metallic spray paint, fabric paint and acrylic paint. But our new favorite is chalkboard paint. My kids love drawing new designs or writing each other messages on their painted pumpkins every day.

Sewing Supplies

Buttons, rickrack and fabric no longer sit idle in my sewing basket. Instead, we use glue to apply the sewing supplies and create monograms, bats and patterns like checks or tic tac toe.

Kid Craft Supplies

If you're like us, you have a box of pipe cleaners, googly eyes, ribbon, washi tape, tissue paper, string and felt stored somewhere in your house. Grab that box and a hot glue gun to create pumpkin aliens, silly characters or self portraits.

Junk

Loose screws and nails, tacks and old keys are easy to poke into or glue onto your pumpkins. This year, we even decoupaged pumpkins with dried corn husks, leaves and old newspaper.

Our pumpkins are already decorated and arranged on our front steps, patio and kitchen table. What fun no-carve decorating ideas will you try this year as you have fun together as a family?