When you think of fall decorations that involve pumpkins, your mind probably goes straight to jack-o-lanterns, right? If you think beyond Halloween haunts and candlelit carvings, there's still a wealth of ways to turn those festive gourds into do-it-yourself autumn crafts that transform, just like fall foliage, into a pop of color for the autumn season.
As the autumnal equinox approaches, you may not be quite ready to work out what Thanksgiving decorations to use for your dining room table, but throughout September and the start of the autumn season, you can target an easy color palette to carry through November: think fall colors. There are lots of ways you can use pumpkins in any fall centerpiece. You can turn them into vases filled with fall-colored flowers. Carving out a smaller pumpkin for a simple glass votive allows you to add a red, yellow, green, brown, or orange candle for accent, or to add your favorite scent of the fall season to your room (we see you pumpkin spice).
Always a best option is decorating on a budget by collecting pine cones and falling leaves from your yard, or maybe add the last of your summer flowers to your pumpkin bowl. If you want to keep it fresh to last well into the fall season, you can decorate around the outside or with a free-standing pillar candle. Surround pumpkins with a harvest collection from the growing season, like gourds, corn, or squash. If you are blessed with a creative knack, you can always paint your pumpkins, or simply add a well-placed bow or tie it with ribbon.
Better yet, you can do some combination of all these ideas from September through November. Whatever direction you take, with pumpkins at the center, you'll give your table a distinct fall feel.
Take the idea of the jack-o-lantern and de-spook-ify it. Grab a few pumpkins, a drill, and a couple candles, and you've got a lovely fall lantern. You can create designs that are distinct, but not strictly for Halloween. Enjoy these little circles of light as an early autumn outdoor appeal to your remaining warm evenings outside as the equinox approaches.
These homemade autumn decorations will look great on your front porch, along your walkway, or lighting up your dining room as additional decorations for the autumn season.
Some people look at those cute miniature pumpkins and immediately see opportunities for DIY fall crafts, including adding tea lights for a touch o' twinkle. If you want your clever creations to last all the way until the winter solstice, you can cheat and use artificial pumpkins for the same effect with long-lasting results.
Also, LED tea lights work well for these, so you can place a little light safely in windows or on a nightstand.
Adorning your front door with a wreath announces to the neighborhood that you are ready for shorter days and cooler nights to arrive. Add some pumpkins and simply repurpose an old wreath.
If you prefer to keep your fall festival indoors, you can adorn your mantel, or just the inside of the front door, with paper fall foliage for a distinct fall-themed decoration your family can enjoy.
Skip the black cats and spiders and create these cuddly crafts to adorn your home. Strategically connect a few pumpkins of different sizes to design a teddy bear or turtle. That's a fall decoration easy for anyone to love. But if you want to design a creature that will scream and ooze 'haunted' for your Halloween, you can unleash a zombie or space alien using the same technique.
Pumpkins are one of the most iconic symbols of autumn and immediately bring a sense of the season to any scene. Getting crafty with the popular orange vegetable can quickly bring some extra cheer to your home.
Don't forget — you can always make use of the seeds and insides for eating, so pour a mug of spiced cider and stretch those pumpkin investments even further!