81 Creative No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas to Win Halloween
These fun, easy ideas are great for decorating contests at school, at work or even at home.
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Carving pumpkins isn’t all fun and games. You seriously need to know what you’re doing to get great results. But if you’re not savvy with a knife, we have the perfect no-carve pumpkin decorating ideas that focus less on slicing and dicing and more on creating your own Halloween masterpiece with simple arts and crafts.
Our ideas are creative enough for any decor contest and simple enough for kids to follow. All you need to do is grab your pumpkins and use your imagination to execute these unique designs. Some include pumpkin faces, a few require a bit of painting and others really only ask that you choose cool adornments (see: masks, glitter and studs) to bring your gourd displays to life.
Need more inspiration for your Halloween pumpkins? Check out more ideas:
Free Pumpkin Carving Stencils | Cool Pumpkin Carving Ideas | Easy and Fun Halloween Crafts
Metalic Magic
After selecting the perfect pumpkin, you'll want to wipe it down to remove any possible dirt or debris. Next, use copper craft paint and old brushes to paint a "drip line" on a gourd or pumpkin. A loose squiggly line around the circumference will do the trick, then fill in the space with the rest of the paint. Remember to create peaks to really get that dripping effect.
Dried Flowers and Leaves
For a fun spin on florals, try out dried flowers on your pumpkins. Lay them out first on a surface around the same size as the space you want to cover on the pumpkin. Then, arrange the flowers and leaves in a symmetrical folk-style pattern. Starting with a small area, paint a thin layer of Mod Podge where you want to attach the first pressed flower. Press the flower onto the spot and gently brush a thin layer of glue on top to stick the flower onto the pumpkin. Repeat, if necessary, so the flower stays flat. To create more dimension, add in a few 3D flowers, which you can attach to the pumpkin with a hot glue gun.
Feather Pumpkin
Okay, so technically, we carved this design into a pumpkin. But skip the detailing and opt for a vibrant faux feather, and just glue it in place. We recommend orange on a green gourd to make it look like it's lit up.
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Unicorn Pumpkin
This cute unicorn pumpkin is easy to create and is super adorable. Attach a small horn to the top of your pumpkin and paint on eyelashes and blush.
Floral Pumpkin Pots
This one requires a little bit of cutting, but is pretty straightforward. Puncture a hole into the top of your mini pumpkins and fill the top with your favorite flowers.
Witch's Hat Topped Pumpkin
If you're looking to go for a more subtle but spirited pumpkin, just top it with a festive hat. These are secured with pins.
Elvis Pumpkin
Your guests can greet the King at your Halloween party. All you have to do is glue on some hair and sunglasses. If you want to go a step further, create a collar out of glitter paper.
Pineapple Pumpkin
For an innovative design, transform your pumpkin into a fruit. Paint your gourd a vibrant yellow and top it with various colors of green felt cutouts to make the leafy top.
Fabric Pumpkins
These vibrant pumpkins are wrapped with fabric to create a draped look. Pick the colors and patterns to coordinate with the rest of your decor.
Cow Pumpkin
This adorable cow face will liven up any porch or Halloween display. Simply turn your pumpkin on its side, paint a white stripe down the middle and decorate with buttons and felt to create eyes, a snout and ears.
Galaxy Pumpkin
Take your painted pumpkin a bit further with this galaxy inspired artwork. Fill a black pumpkin with blotches of pink, blue and gold paint to create this look.
Skeleton Pumpkin
This spooky little guy is sure to keep the monsters at bay. Stack a couple of pumpkins on top of each other after removing the stem from the bottom one. Spray paint both white and paint on black circles and ovals to create a skeleton face and bones.
Masked Pumpkins
Get your pumpkins ready for a spooktacular masquerade ball. Simply place these assorted masks around the circumference of any pumpkin and use straight pins to hold them in place. You'll end up with a gourd gang ready for its Halloween close up.
Cupcake Liner Pumpkins
Cupcake liners are good for more than just baking. When you layer a few dozen on the pumpkins of your choice, you can create a unique texture that will truly upgrade your spooky decor.
Vampire Pumpkin
For a creepy twist on your typical stoop pumpkin, try decking it out with plastic vampire fangs. To complete the look, add in some round paper doilies. You can glue the teeth if you really don't feel like carving.
Washi Tape Pumpkins
If you happen to have a bruised pumpkin or are looking to elevate a dull plastic pumpkin, look no further than washi tape to solve your problems. All you'll need to do is wrap the patterned tape around the pumpkin, filling all gaps and spaces, and seal it with a layer of mod podge.
Classic Stripes
Amp up a cobweb-covered mantel with a pumpkin decked out in black-and-white stripes. Pull the look together with candlesticks and string lights — with skulls, of course.
Hometown Pumpkin
Put your hometown pride on full display with this creative pumpkin design. Begin by printing a decal of your state's shape. After you apply it to your pumpkin, cover it in two coats of acrylic paint. (Keep in mind that it takes about 30 minutes for each coat to dry.) Finally, remove the decal once your pumpkin is dry.
Studded Pumpkins
Wow party guests with these trendy studded pumpkins. Use hot glue to apply the gold studs or purchase ones with prongs that can easily be pushed into your pumpkins.
Nature Animals
Say hello to our little friends! Gather acorns, sunflower seeds, dried leaves, toothpicks, and some nuts. Then, hot glue 'em on your pumpkins to create each of these adorable animals.
Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience. From 2015 to 2019, she held various editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, including as health editor, covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and dreams of the day Northwestern will go back to the Rose Bowl.
Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping, where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.
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