When you’re planning a fall wedding or Halloween party, decorations are going to be at the top of your to-do list. But when you want a more elegant, festive look rather than the usual spooky and creepy décor, how do you achieve it?
Go with traditional pumpkins — but add a twist with our fun pumpkin decorating ideas!
Make it a masquerade!
How to create this look:
• Slice of the bottom of the pumpkin. Clean out seeds and flesh using a spatula.
• Place a costume mask over the pumpkin and mark on the pumpkin where the eyes are.
• Cut eye holes using a pumpkin-carving tool.
• Put the mask back on the pumpkin, lining up the eye holes in the mask and the pumpkin.
• Light it up! Use a battery-operated votive, candle or small holiday lights inside the pumpkin.
Let the light shine through!
How to create this look:
• Slice of the bottom of the pumpkin. Clean out seeds and flesh using a spatula.
• Use a cordless drill and bit to drill one-inch or smaller holes all over the pumpkin, turning off the drill before removing it from the hole.
• Light it up! Use a battery-operated votive, candle or small holiday lights inside the pumpkin.
Here are a couple of tips for modern pumpkin carving:
• Instead of cutting a circle around the pumpkin stem, lifting off the top and then reaching in to clean the pumpkin, slice the bottom of the pumpkin off going straight across. It is easier to clean from the bottom (use a spatula) and gives the candle a flat surface to sit on.
• Depending on the surface, you may want to place the candle on a small trivet or candleholder.
• Use battery-operated votive candles from gift shops or small holiday light strands to illuminate your pumpkin.
Put it all together!
Arrange your creatively decorated pumpkins together with candles, gourds, mums in a variety of colors and other fall-theme items. (And if you can arrange for a little black cat, more power to you!)
Enjoy decorating!
