31 Days of Our Best Pumpkins

Look who's peeking out from behind the woodland brush! It's a pair of woodland animals, etched and set aglow on a couple of pumpkins.

The night sky offers endless inspiration, all year round. This autumn, bedeck a pumpkin with glimmering stars that have been drilled and etched to form constellations.

This classic decorative style, in iconic blue and white colors, is beautiful on more than wallpaper and porcelain bowls. To decorate pristine white pumpkins, adhesive laser-cut stencils will help you achieve beautifully fine bird and flora patterns as if you handpainted them yourself.

This princess of a pumpkin is made to be precious and preserved for years to come. We bedecked a craft pumpkin with indulgent little touches: ribbons of crushed velvet snugly fitted to wrap the ridges, topped with a mound of flat-back pearls, and leafy rhinestone appliqués. Oh, and the stem? Gilded in gold.

The fairy gardens of spring and summer need an autumnal makeover. Here, we conjured up the perfect little haunted house for your tiny visitors bedecked with twisty branches, sponge mushrooms, and a magical teeny-tiny door.

Drilling makes quick work of pumpkin-carving. And when piled atop one another, they seemingly pour out from the fireplace of a witch's house.

Eek! It's overrun with critters. In this "cheesy" pumpkin, a variety of drill bits create holes of different sizes. The result is a glowing, move-in-ready home for a family of skittering mice.

Butterflies of summer, begone. A glowing moth is etched onto the blank canvas of this autumnal pumpkin.

This works like magic: touch the pumpkin and the handprint left behind changes from one color to another before your eyes. Our secret? A pigmented ingredient that's mixed with binder and painted onto the surface.

A decorated pumpkin was never so easily achieved: take a few ornamental appliqués (we like these tendrils with rich accents and autumnal colors) and pin them into place.

What's Halloween without a little bit of magic? You can magically transform a pumpkin into your own Cinderella-inspired carriage faster than you can say, "Bibbidi bobbidi boo!" 

Plain pumpkins can be decked out in strands of silver, gold, and rose toned sequins. A single glimmering strand can easily be molded into cursive letters to spell out a saying, including an invitation to "trick or treat."

Autumn is all about color — from changing leaves to Halloween costumes. To make these surprisingly bright pumpkins, we cut out leaves from a printable template and layers of bright tissue.

Give your pumpkins an autumnal shine. We used gilding sheets — in a metallic copper color — to mimic the feel of falling leaves.

Ready to rock? First, raid your local hardware store for these odds and ends with shine and sharp edges. Thoughtfully placed nails, brads, wire, spikes, and safety pins become glinting mohawks and piercings.

A whirly-swirly pattern is easy to achieve on small size pumpkins. The secret ingredient? A bottle of nail polish in your favorite color.

Jack-o'-lanterns were never meant to be perfect. We pass over perfectly-shaped specimens in the patch for quirks of nature, those with cracks and unusual shading. This version is more sinister and spooky.

The harvest season offers a bounty of inspiration. Why stop at pumpkins? At the farmers' market, look for produce that might work as facial features: parsnips, cabbage leaves, carrots, and other legumes and vegetables.

Materials:

• Hot glue
• Legumes and vegetables
• Wooden skewers
• Toothpicks
• T-pins and straight pins
• Pumpkin

Steps:

1. Plan out the faces you want to create. Keep in mind that as items dry and wither, the results will change—and perhaps become even more interesting. Bur-oak acorns, from $8 for 12, drieddecor.com

2. Use hot glue to adhere small hard details, like white beans, and to attach a tangle of Spanish-moss hair. Secure heavier vegetables with wooden skewers, and lighter vegetables with toothpicks. T-pins prevent leaves from blowing away; straight pins work for thin, lightweight items.

A shadow looms over the house, come Halloween-time. For a truly ghoulish vibe, go for specimens with a naturally greenish tint, including the knobby Hubbard variety.

Who said Halloween had to be horrifying? (Although, we do love a good spook!) These white pumpkins get a pretty petaled upgrade, perfect as a centerpiece all season long. 

A pumpkin can be painted any number of ways. For one, we chose pink! Channel your varsity days with this pink monogrammed design, glittered in gold on top.

A pumpkin isn't simply decorative — it can be dual purpose too. On Halloween, entice your visting ghouls and goblins (of all ages) to grab a handful of sweets from this carved candy display.