Pumpkin Decor that Works from Halloween to Thanksgiving

It's that time of year when we see pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colors adorning front porches and hearths. On Halloween night, many a pumpkin will be aglow with a cute or scary Jack O'Lantern smile. But there are so many more ways to decorate pumpkins than just carving them or painting them.

A few fresh ways to decorate pumpkins -- and decorate with them -- are below. The wonderful thing about decorating pumpkins in these unusual ways is that they last and last, and look perfectly seasonal all the way through Thanksgiving.

Glitter Them
Spray on glitter spray on the top, or wipe with thinned white glue and sprinkle with glitter. I saw some fantastic glitter in harvest colors at the hobby store -- golds, bronzes, and coppers -- but clear glitter in the "mica" (small round circles) style looks fabulous, too -- almost like frost.

Snow-Top
Fake snow paint, found year-round in the paint section of hobby stores, can be applied to stem and top of any pumpkin to give it that "frost on the pumpkin" look! Add a few berries to the snow and you have a decoration that can go all the way to Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah!

Grubby Them
The "primitive" or colonial look is all the rage this season. Get in on the trend this way: Take three strips of cheesecloth that are coffee-dyed (just dunk in a cup of leftover coffee!) and lay them criss-cross like an asterisk. Set the pumpkin on the center of the strips, then pull them up (six ends to pull up) and tie with a piece of raffia at the stem.

Give Them A Halo...
A bunch of sweet Annie is perfect for your primitive decorating, but a candle ring of fall flowers or berries looks great, too. Just pop a candle ring over the stem and you're done!

Set Them On A "Nest"
Swirl a big handful of raffia into a nest shape and place the pumpkin on it...looks great in 3's.

Stack Them
A short stem is no barrier to decorating your pumpkin. In fact, stack these pumpkins into a tower! You can use graduated sizes, perch a smaller pumpkin atop a tall one, or keep them all the same size and shape. "Designer" pumpkins look especially wonderful stacked -- their varigated stripes truly catch the eye. Place a berry candlering under the bottom pumpkin, and a bit of lace inbetween. Beautiful!

Jeweled Sparkly Pumpkins
Using either white craft glue or the new glue made to foam, stick flat-backed plastic jewels on your pumpkin either freehand or in a pattern. Concentrate the jewels on the top portion for a big impact. Don't use hot glue on pumpkins if you want to put your pumpkin outside -- the change in temperatures might make the jewels fall off.

Veiled Pumpkin
Netting is extremely inexpensive and comes in many colors. Buy a yard or two and cut large circles out of it. Place your pumpkin in the center of the circle and gather the netting at the stem. Tie with a silky or wired ribbon! For extra oomph, get some of the leftover flat-backed plastic jewels and glue them to the netting here and there. White and gold netting make your pumpkins look airy -- black, dark brown, and orange netting give an earthy harvest look.

Winning Ways with Plain Pumpkins
Placed in flower boxes or atop flowerpots, plain pumpkins add a festive harvest touch to your porch or yard!

Pumpkins As Vases
Your Thanksgiving decorating will look harvest-fresh if you remove the tops of your pumpkins, scrape out the seeds, fill with water and use as vases for real flowers. The small pie pumpkins are especially suited for this use.

Good luck with your pumpkin decorating!