Who says the Halloween decorations have to be all about ghosts and witches?  The kids?

Well, parents can claim their corner of in fall decorating by doing more with pumpkins than sawing them into eviscerated, snaggle-toothed goblins, especially since pumpkins stay around for Thanksgiving also. The color and shape of pumpkins convey the richness of the harvest season. More, they come in so many varieties, shapes and sizes, information technology'south easy to add together interest to a centerpiece, counter or room adornment using pumpkins as a base of operations and embellishing them with natural elements like flowers or branches. So salvage some of the season's pumpkins for some of these fabulous fall decorating ideas.

Before You Become out the Big Pocketknife . . .

Recollect about how long you desire your decoration to concluding. Once cut, pumpkins last only a few days earlier succumbing starting to dehydrate and become moldy. Using commercially available "Pumpkin Fresh" or a diluted bleach solution can extend the pumpkin'due south life to ten -14 days. If your middle is assault the cut pumpkin décor, don't cutting until the day of the political party. Arts and crafts supply stores accept white, orange and black "craft pumpkins" that tin can be carved too. While not as sumptuous, these Styrofoam alternatives fit into lots of decorating schemes.

United nations-cut Pumpkin Floral Centerpieces

A simple way to showcase the pumpkin is to put it in the eye of the table. While it won't depict much attention plain, a few frills plow information technology into a stunner. The pumpkin's shine surface complements the more detailed lines of fall flowers similar mums, dahlias or poms.

But who says the flowers have to go IN the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin in the middle of a floral autumn wreath instead to enrich the table and impart the harvest experience. Flanked by tall candles in deep purples, the centerpiece helps make the ambiance both royal and relaxing.

Flower PumpkinsAnother way to enhance a pumpkin without robbing it of its natural character is to detect some small-scale chrysanthemums and remove the stems. Equally seen in Improve Homes and Gardens, use a glue gun to affix the flowers to the pumpkin, resulting in a lovely globe of rich fall colors. Because flowers provide so much complexity, there is no need to add anything elaborate around the base of this centerpiece. Simply identify it on a wooden cutting board or pewter platter.

Want to make certain guests tin encounter each other over the center of tabular array and pass the food easily? Mix softball sized pumpkins and the smallest gourds in a shallow metal or wooden tray. Fill the gaps with fall flowers and pine cones. Pillar candles at each end add some height to the display without blocking the view across the table.

Decorators prize natural resource in the fall and encourage homeowners to add metallic gold and silver accents to their tables. Some take intendance of this by spray painting smooth and nubbly pumpkins and gourds, and placing a variety of these together on a clear glass plate every bit a collection.

There are lots of ways to keep pumpkins intact while using them in your fall decorating plans. Complemented past a bouquet of fall flowers, held past a stemmed cake plate in white or pewter and kept company past smaller gourds, the intact pumpkin brings autumn indoors.

Pumpkin equally Vase

Pumpkin VaseThe squat pumpkin makes a surprisingly sophisticated vase. With the top and contents removed, the pumpkin holds water for upward to vii days. Decorators besides put flower cream, dirt and even a plastic container inside to hold and nourish flowers. The pull a fast one on is to get enough flowers to balance the heft of the gourd. Crowd roses, lilies, poms and more into the pumpkin's opening. Colors analogous with a typical orangish pumpkin are off-white, yellowish and green.

Mix things up, too, past considering a white pumpkin this twelvemonth, sometimes called a fairytale pumpkin. Flowers in yellows, peaches and shades of orange, accented with sprigs of hypercium berries complement the white pumpkin shell beautifully. If you lot use a cut pumpkin, consider coating the cutting edges in Vaseline to extend freshness. Remember: craft stores carry white foam pumpkins. Festooned with natural flowers, guests will never know the pumpkin came from a factory rather than a farm.

Pumpkins don't need to be twenty pounders to qualify every bit vases either. The modest grapefruit sized pumpkins and fifty-fifty the tiny gourds can concur dry grasses, votive candles and taller candles. They also add interest to the centerpiece by holding the flowers while the big pumpkin remains uncut between them. Consider, too mixing a bud vase with a candle and a pocket-size pumpkin on a pedestal. Combinations like these reflect the rich variety of textures available in fall. Bank check out Martha Stewart's version past clicking on the image.

Pumpkin Options for that Harvest Experience

Side by side fourth dimension you're in the grocery store looking for the obligatory jack-o-lanterns for the kids, intermission a moment to appreciate the beauty of the common pumpkin. Its buttery smooth surface and even lines could round out a Halloween or autumn theme in your home. For $6 to $15, you're ownership an unusual, seasonally appropriate decoration. And yous won't even have to observe a place to store it afterwards.