Have a happy Halloween without have to scoop out pumpkin guts.
Not everyone knows how to carve out gorgeous designs with their favorite fall gourds. And frankly, some people just shouldn't be wielding a knife at all, let alone those dinky pumpkin carving kits you get at the grocery store.
Instead, you can still get creative and yield beautiful results without having to bust out the cutlery -- whether you're impressing party guests or just decorating for rambunctious trick-or-treaters.
"Broken Glass" Pumpkin
Materials:
A pumpkin
White or any light-colored paint (optional, but yields better results)
A paint brush or sponge
Iridescent cellophane
Scissors
Mod Podge
Step One:
Give your pumpkin a generous coat of paint. You might opt to forgo this step if you want, but just remember that your cellophane might not look as striking at the end.
Apply two coats if necessary.
Step Two:
Cut "shards" of your cellophane. Make your pieces as large or small as you like -- there are no wrong shapes here. Cut as many triangles, diamonds or trapezoids as you think you may need to cover your whole pumpkin. As long as they look like "broken glass," you're doing it right.
Step Three:
Once your paint is dry, spread thin layers of Mod Podge in the center of each of your cellophane "shards" and stick them to your pumpkin. You don't need to seal the edges -- you want it to look jagged.
Cover the whole pumpkin, and you're done.
Geometric Pumpkin
Materials:
A pumpkin
Painter's tape
Paint, in as many colors as you wish
Paint brushes or sponges
Step One:
Apply your painter's tape to your pumpkin in any geometric design that you wish. We chose a simple chevron design.
Step Two:
Paint your pumpkin with as many colors that you like. You might like minimal color, or you can try lots of shades to cover your pumpkin -- depending on your design.
Apply two coats if necessary.
Step Three:
Once your paint is dry, take off the painter's tape. You might need to clean up the edges if the paint bled a little under the tape. Take a straight-edges brush or sponge and go over each edge carefully.
Allow to dry and you have a simple, easy painted pumpkin.
Bejeweled Spider Pumpkin
Materials:
A pumpkin
"Vanilla" colored paint, or any color that you prefer
Multi-sized jewels
Hot glue
Paint brush or sponge
Step One:
Apply a generous coat of paint to your pumpkin. We chose a nice "vanilla" color, but you can opt for any fall color if you're going for a natural motif -- or try a bright neon for something more unexpected.
Step Two:
Once your paint is dry, use your hot glue to start creating your spider. Start my making a rectangle of larger sized jewels in the center.
Step Three:
Then, trace the outside of the abdomen with small jewels. Fill it in as you see fit -- using both small and medium jewels to make an interesting design.
Step Four:
Now, it's time to make the legs. Create two longer legs, slightly bent, at the top of the spider, near the head. Then, create four, straighter and shorter legs toward the middle of the body. Last, create two legs that are the same length as the top legs at the bottom of the spider.
Step Five:
Create a stylish web for your spider by making a dotted line curving from your spider's head to the top of your pumpkin.
Now you're ready to set your no-carve creations on the stoop and welcome trick-or-treaters!
