10 Incredibly Simple Pumpkin Carving Alternatives

Everyone loves a good pumpkin display during the Halloween season. But not everyone is ready to tackle arts-and-crafts projects that require using a sharp knife. Luckily, no one has to be left out of the pumpkin decorating fun this year.

These 10 pumpkin carving alternatives make it easy for everyone, big or small, to have a spooky good time decorating pumpkins for Halloween. Even better — most of these options require items that you probably already have at home.

Pick your favorite alternative to pumpkin carving and have a pumpkin decorating party!

1. Paint Your Pumpkin

Painting pumpkins is a classic pumpkin carving alternative for a reason. It’s easy, and your design options are limitless. You might opt to purchase light-hued or white pumpkins to make a simple backdrop, or simply paint your pumpkins white to create a blank canvas the night before you plan to decorate them.

2. Decorate with Stickers

Stickers are another surprisingly versatile option for decorating your pumpkins. You can choose to use those googly eyes and create a traditional jack-o’-lantern face, or you could use pretty, glittery stickers in other shapes to make more abstract patterns.

3. Sprinkle Some Glitter

All you need is a little paste, which you can apply as a pattern or all over your pumpkin, and a bit of glitter in your favorite fall hue, and you have a pretty, glittery Halloween decoration that doesn’t even require a candle to shimmer. If you’d like to reuse these decorations year after year, choose artificial pumpkins for this option — and consider doing this project outside, to help contain the spread of glitter through your home.

4. Mummify with Cheesecloth

Raid the kitchen for a fun way to create a pumpkin with some personality! Cheesecloth is gauze-life material primarily used in cheese making; however, it’s a perfect way to mummify your pumpkin!

Wrap your pumpkins with cheesecloth to look like little orange mummies. Use a marker to add eyes to your mummy faces, and you’ve created a front porch display your neighbors will love.

5. Doilies as Decorations

Get a delicate, lacy look when you decorate your pumpkins using paper doilies. Doilies, typically made out of paper or fabric, display an intricate and symmetrical design! You can cut them into shapes and paste or pin the doilies to your pumpkin, or use overlapping doilies to entirely cover the pumpkin in pretty paper wrapping.

6. Add a Message with Markers

These do-it-all art tools can be used to create an amazing array of pumpkin faces. Or mix and match all your favorite marker colors to write special themed messages like “BOO!” or “Happy Halloween!” to greet trick-or-treaters.

7. Push Pins into Your Pumpkin

Use decorative push pins (aka thumbtacks) to create a pretty pattern on your pumpkins. Best of all, when the holiday is over, you can reuse the push pins for everyday desk duties.

8. Wrap Your Pumpkin in Yarn

Yarn is a terrific option for decorating Halloween pumpkins. You can use it with push pins to create pretty string art, wrap your pumpkins in it to create colorful displays, or simply glue yarn designs onto pumpkins, no knife required.

9. Add Buttons with Glue

All those buttons you’ve saved but never needed? Here’s the chance to use them to make adorable, button-faced jack-o’-lanterns. Glue the buttons to the pumpkin, or pin them to it so you can return them to your sewing kit after the holiday.

10. Potato Head Accessories

Surprisingly easy and lots of fun! Use the accessories that come with the iconic toy to create Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin Heads this Halloween.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Nicole G

Nicole is our Content Strategist. She enjoys long walks to Taco Bell, rollerblading into the sunset, and eating Reese’s Cups for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Find her writing about iPhone cases, holiday card messaging and even music festival tips!