Beautiful No Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Do you love pumpkins but hate the mess? No carve pumpkin decorating ideas are a great way to add some glamour and bling to Halloween without the hassle and mess of carving.

One of the great things about decorating a pumpkin without carving is that it lasts longer. You can spend hours creating your masterpiece and within a week all your hard work is rotting. If you decorate a whole pumpkin without carving, it can last up to a month. That means you can have your decorations for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. You can also decorate an artificial pumpkin or gourd and re-use your decorations year after year.

On this page you will find many no carve pumpkin decorating options including metallic, glitter, bejewelled and gilded pumpkins as well as shabby chic pumpkins decorated with black buttons and organza ribbon. You can also use Spellbinders and vinyl to create beautiful designs.

Happy Decorating and Happy Halloween!

Image: By Wonderlane, used under CC 2.0 via Flickr

1. Decorated pumpkins last longer. As mentioned above a decorated pumpkin will last a lot longer than a carved one. This because the inside is protected and not exposed to the bacteria that cause rotting. Of course, an artificial gourd will last even longer.
2. No carve decorating projects are affordable. If you can devote a little of your time to Halloween decorating then you'll find you'll save money. Ready-made fancy pumpkins such as those found at major retailers can be very expensive.
3. Creating your own sparkly patio decorations and table centerpieces is fun. You can't describe the feeling of pride and accomplishment when you see your finished project.
4. Great ideas for small children. If you don't want your kids to be around sharp knives or other carving instruments, then some of these projects may be the thing. Of course some of these, especially those with small objects or the need of a glue gun, will require your supervision as well.

The first thing you need is a pumpkin. If you like the idea of decorating once and then re-using your decorations next year then a faux pumpkin is just the thing for you. There are many different sizes available so think about how you plan to use your decorations and decide which sizes suit your needs.

Glitter is fun! I love the way it shimmers and catches the light. Glitter is a great way to add some sparkle to your doorstep, mantle or centrepiece. Whether you are using a plastic, foam, porcelain or real pumpkin or gourds, these sparkly projects will light up the room.One of the great things about this technique is that you can either choose glitter colours that work with the natural colour of the pumpkin, as with the Martha Stewart glitter project below, or you can change the colour entirely as done with the rainbow glitter project.

There are so many options when it comes to creating a glitter pumpkin. In addition to all the colors available, you can decide whether you want to achieve an opaque look by adding a second coat of glitter or you can just apply one coat and let some of the natural color from your pumpkin show through. If you choose this look then it's best to choose colors of glitter that will compliment orange.

One of the easiest ways to decorate a pumpkin without carving is to use spray paint. Whether you are decorating an army of metallic pumpkins or just creating a few accent pieces to use with other decorations, metallic spray painted pumpkins are eye-catching and gorgeous. They make beautiful centerpieces that can be used for both a Halloween party and for Thanksgiving dinner.

Image: Silver Pumpkins by Wonderlane , used under CC 2.0

This spray paint is available in three metallic colours: Gold, Chrome and Bronze. If you're not interested in metallic colors, this spray paint also comes in Bonnet Blue, Cinnamon, Clear Gloss, Espresso, Flat Black, Flat White, Forever Blue, Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Orange, Hot Pink, Hunter Green, Iris, Leaf Green, Ocean Blue and Red Pepper.

A pumpkin or gourd decorated with gold or silver leaf becomes a work of art and is well worth the time and effort. Because this technique does take some time to do I would suggest investing in a faux pumpkin for this project. You'll be sure to get many compliments on your craftmanship and will no doubt want to keep your piece of art around for many Halloweens to come.The links below show gold and silver leaf techniques and give some ideas about what to do with your decorated pumpkins.

This video shows you how to apply gold and silver leaf to any household item. You can apply the principles to pumpkin decorating creating beautiful no carve designs.

Create gorgeous patterns and designs on your pumpkin using adhesive vinyl and a Spellbinders die cutting machine and templates. Once you have cut your vinyl into your desired shapes, simply affix to your pumpkin and spray with glitter spray paint. Once the spray paint is dry you can peel off the adhesive vinyl to reveal your design.

You will need a die cutting machine to do the above no carve pumpkin decorating design. The Spellbinder Grand Calibur die cutting machine is one of the best on the market.

If you'd like to recreate the look from the above tutorial then the classic diamonds and floral Spellbinders die kits will help you achieve the look. No matter what shapes you decide upon you will need adhesive vinyl for this project. This ten foot roll will come in handy and will last for several projects.

Rhinestones are a great way to add some sparkle to your Halloween. Rhinestones come in so many great shapes and colours that really, the sky is the limit when it comes to no carve decorating possibilities. All you need is a glue gun, some paint and your bling. Just be sure to buy flat backed rhinestones as this will make your pumpkin decorating job much easier (rounded rhinestones will stick out too much and have a tendency to get knocked and fall off).You can buy large rhinestones and create your own pattern (such as seen in the picture below) or there are two great projects:

Image: Bejeweled Pumpkin by Frykitty, used under CC 2.0

Spray your pumpkin white or black and use a glue gun to affix your clear flat back rhinestones into the shape of a web. Use metallic spray paint to color one or more spiders and attach with your glue gun. You could even have a trail of metallic spiders leading up to your pumpkin or as decorations along your mantel or tabletop.

This is such a clever concept. I suggest using an artificial pumpkin for this project because although it is easy to make, it will take some time and you will want to be able to re-use this pumpkin year after year. The video suggests writing 'Boo' but you could also use the buttons to make a bat, spider or other Halloween imagery.

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