42 Pumpkin Decorating Ideas Anyone Can Master (Seriously)

Welcome guests with these low-key pumpkins. Paint or stencil your name or house number on each for a simple but elegant take on a front porch display.

Get the tutorial at Julie Blanner.

Turn your pumpkin it into a pretty vase that makes a stunning autumn centerpiece.

Get the tutorial at Sugar & Cloth.

This collage pumpkin is adorable. If you use a faux pumpkin, you can display it every year. Bonus: Using black and white photos will give it a chic vintage vibe.

Get the tutorial at Sugar and Charm.

Pastel pumpkins with real succulents nestled inside? Sign us up!

Get the tutorial at Best Friends for Frosting.

This gilded pumpkin is super moody and fun. The project is a little on the messier side, but it's worth it for the final design.

Get the tutorial at The Navage Patch.

A confetti pumpkin = instant party. It's much easier than trying to paint perfect circles. All you need is a plastic pumpkin, confetti, and Mod Podge.

Get the tutorial at The Crafted Life.

These friendly little ghost pumpkins definitely won't spook any passersby, but they will make anyone who looks at them smile. How could you not?

Get the tutorial at The Crafted Life.

Recreate the perfect night sky with a black painted pumpkin and a handful of gold and silver star stickers. This pumpkin look is ideal for those who prefer to stay away from gory Halloween decor.

Get the tutorial at Oh So Beautiful Paper.

Who doesn't love sprinkles? This charming pumpkin, painted white and adorned with real sprinkles, makes a fun and unexpected accent for your autumn table display.

Get the tutorial at Best Friends for Frosting.

Take your fave china pattern to your pumpkins. All you need is a stencil and paint marker to recreate every detail.

Get the tutorial at Craftberry Bush.

These pumpkins go with any color scheme or season and look lovely on your porch, end table, or as a centerpiece.

Get the tutorial at Sugar and Charm.

After coating your gourd in a new bright hue, add some texture with fresh seasonal blooms. Autumn favorites such as chrysanthemums, dahlias, and ranunculus make it particularly stunning.

Get the tutorial at Good Housekeeping.

How cute are these pumpkin ice cream cones? Plus, food as decor is always fun!

Get the tutorial at Sugar and Charm.

For a Halloween dinner party, get creative with your name cards. These pretty painted pumpkins and pumpkin vases are sure to impress any guest.

Get the tutorial at Tell, Love, and Party.

Scraps of calico fabric and decoupage create these pretty country-chic pumpkins. Use faux pumpkins and keep them forever, or decorate a real one to enjoy this year.

Get the tutorial at Country Living.

These pumpkins favor glam over gore. By using a plastic pumpkin from the craft store, you can break these chic decor pieces out for years to come.

Get the tutorial at Sugar & Cloth.

Make mini gourds look good enough to eat by painting on some vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry frosting—complete with rainbow sprinkles, of course.

Get the tutorial at Studio DIY.

Cheesy puns aren't just for Valentine's Day cards. These cheeky messages will win over even the grimmest trick-or-treater. Laughs are better than scares anyway, right?

Get the tutorial at Studio DIY.

Vibrant decor chalk paint and adhesive stencils yield some pretty groovy pumpkins in this DIY.

Get the tutorial at Handmade Charlotte.

Spell out spooky messages by painting over stickers and then peeling them away. If you run out of messages, spray paint one of your pumpkins to look like candy corn instead.

Get the tutorial at Woman's Day.

Instead of painting on your design, try going around it with the help of stencils. The final product? Pretty orange designs surrounded by whatever color you choose. We love the black on these.

Get the tutorial at Woman's Day.

For a super chic Halloween display, skip the orange and opt for white pumpkins. Use the template to trace a bug specimen or sketch out a creepy silhouette of your own.

Get the tutorial at Country Living.

These intricate motifs are less painstaking than they look. Use stencils for neater (and faster) painting, right down to the fine lines.

Get the tutorial at Good Housekeeping.

You can write out a new spooky message every day with the help of a versatile coat of chalkboard paint. Better yet, you can display a countdown until Halloween or a menu if you're throwing a dinner party.

Get the tutorial at Country Living.

Strategically scratch off a coat of spray paint to reverse the classic color combination. You can even turn them into vases and place flowers in them.

Get the tutorial at Good Housekeeping

Here's some motivation to finally declutter your bookshelf. A floor-to-ceiling display definitely wows more than a pile of old paperbacks.

Get the tutorial at Country Living.

As a seasonal alternative, display your house number on a pumpkin and place it outside your front door. You can even show hometown pride by painting your state on one, with a star marking your city.

Get the tutorial from Country Living.

Give your pumpkins a gothic look by dressing them in lace. It eerily mimics a spider web in an unexpected way, or perhaps vines.

Get the tutorial at Country Living.

Get a textured finish courtesy of trendy chalk paint. These mini pumpkins can do double duty at the center of a Thanksgiving table, too.

Get the tutorial at The Casual Craftlete.

These cacti pumpkins are there for you when you're missing summer hard. Plus, they're perfect for people who love bright colors.

Get the tutorial at Aww Sam.