59 Bewitching Country Pumpkin Carving Ideas for Your Halloween Decor
No matter your skill level there is a pumpkin here that will strike your fancy.
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Halloween 2024 is almost here and it's time to get all your fall decor set up! Whether you go full out on the front porch or mantel, we know you will want to incorporate many pumpkin ideas in the mix. Maybe this year you are feeling a cozy cabin vibe or want to fill the house with pumpkin planters, but for the editors at Country Living, conjuring up easy pumpkin carving ideas tops our list.
So, pull out the carving tools, brush up on our pumpkin carving tips, and prep your pumpkins to help prevent it from rotting because it's time to dive into this list of spooky, charming, and clever ideas.
We've gathered so many great pumpkin carving designs that we feel certain that there's something here that will strike your fancy. There are ideas for novices, like a pumpkin apple barrel, as well as ideas for those with years of pumpkin carving experience, like a wood burning stove pumpkin and a jigsaw puzzle pumpkin. Try building a fanciful pumpkin fairy house that the kids will certainly love or explore pumpkin face ideas beyond the classic jack-o-lantern. Hunting for ideas on the scary side? Our skeleton hand jack-o'-lanterns will be right up your alley.
Be sure to get the whole family involved! After all, a fun twist on a classic Halloween craft that the kids made is sure to delight trick-or-treaters while making the little ones proud to see their wares so prominently displayed. J
Finally, if you decide to skip the carving knife, we've still got plenty of ideas for you. From pumpkin painting ideas to haunted mason jars, we have so many DIY Halloween decorating ideas to explore
And don't forget to make ALL the fall desserts, soups, and yummy pumpkin recipes you can!
Night Sky Pumpkins
Head to the hardware store to get the material needed to make these pumpkins. Carving the bat and moon pumpkins is optional (if it were me, I would skip it).
To make:
Star Pumpkins: Hollow out a pumpkin. Freehand star shapes with a pencil, then carve over the outlines. Illuminate with battery-operated tea candles.
Moon and Bat Pumpkins: Draw a bat and crescent moon outline on pumpkins with a pencil. Next, fill in the outline with nails, using carbon steel nails for the bats and silver flathead nails for the moon.
Etched Plaid Pumpkins
Bring some country charm to your porch and your pumpkins by etching them with a classic plaid pattern. If you want to get super clever, coordinate the colors to match your front door and toss a matching blanket on a nearby bench or porch swing. Find the full tutorial below!
RELATED: See How We Created The DIY Plaid Pumpkins, Step-by-Step
Apothecary Jar Pumpkins
Requiring little carving and just a few bought items (corks and labels) these simple pumpkins (well, honeynut squash) mimic vintage apothecary jars. Display them on a shelf or buffet alongside real apothecary jars and autumn foliage.
To make: Remove the stem from the squash and use a pumpkin carving tool to hollow out a hole. Insert a wine or champagne cork into the hole. Use flat finish Mod Podge to attach vintage apothecary labels (you can also print out copies from the internet) to the squash.
Pumpkin Fairy House
Kids will spend countless hours playing with this cute little gourd cottage and visiting with the fairies and gnomes that are sure to move in.
Painted Faux-Bois Pumpkin
Adding acrylic paint to the un-etched parts of a faux-bois (the artistic imitation of wood) pumpkin helps the colors pop and highlights the wood pattern.
TO MAKE: Lightly sketch a faux-bois pattern on a pumpkin with a pencil (for a similar look, use this template). Use a linoleum carving tool to etch out the pattern. Once complete, paint un-etched part of the pumpkin with brown acrylic paint. If you get any paint in the etched grain, you can remove it with the carving tool once dry.
Night Sky Pumpkins
Three different night sky scenes; a Stained Glass Harvest Moon, Crescent Corn Moon, and Drilled Stars and Constellations, will light up your front porch or party table with seasonally appropriate motifs.
TO MAKE:
Harvest Moon: Cut a hole in the bottom of a medium heirloom pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Cut a round opening in the front of the pumpkin. Cut a piece of white vellum paper that is just larger than the hole and draw the craters of the moon on it with a gray paint pen. Insert the vellum in the pumpkin, and center it over the opening so that the design faces out; attach it with straight pins. Attach a few lengths of twine around the opening with hot glue. Wrap a bundle of dry wheat or grass with twine, and attach to the pumpkin with hot glue.
Crescent Corn Moon: Cut out a crescent moon shape from a piece of cardboard. Remove the kernels from a few ears of flint corn, and attach to the crescent with hot glue. Glue a piece of colorful twine around the edge of the moon to cover up the cardboard. Glue a loop of twine to the back of the cardboard, and loop around the stem of a pumpkin to hang.
Stars and Constellations: Cut a hole in the bottom of a medium heirloom pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Lightly draw constellation shapes with a pencil. Using an awl or electric drill with a small bit, drill main points along the constellations. Thread orange waxed twine between the points with a large-eye sewing needle. Use a large and medium drill bit to create single stars and a linoleum carving tool to create starbursts.
Mason Jar Pumpkin
This ode to the iconic Ball Mason jar features a seasonally appropriate "Boo" logo and escaping "fireflies" that are lit up with battery operated string lights.
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of the gourd and scoop out pulp and seeds. Tape transfer paper onto the surface, followed by our downloadable jar sketch. Trace design using a pencil; remove papers. Using an X-Acto knife, follow the transferred image to chisel the outline of the jar onto the pumpkin, then use a linoleum cutter to gently shave the surrounding area as shown. For fireflies, cut several holes with a small clay hole cutter, then illuminate with battery-operated lights.
Honeycomb Pumpkin
Incorporating pumpkin carving and painting, think outside the box with this honeycomb design.The unique look will impress your guests and bring all the bees to your yard!
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of a medium-size orange pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Draw a honeycomb pattern on the front, and use a linoleum carving tool to etch out the design. Cut out a few of the combs and paint the remaining combs with yellow craft paint. Lean a honey dipper against its side.
Pumpkin Candy Dispenser
Skip the store-bought candy bowl and opt for a creative DIY dispenser instead. You only have to carve one large opening and then complete the craft with items (a container and rope) that you probably already have on hand!
TO MAKE: Trace the bottom of a wide glass cylinder or food storage container onto the front of a medium-size pumpkin. Cut out around tracing, then scoop out the pulp and seeds. Insert the container, making the hole slightly bigger if necessary. Attach a piece of thick rope around the opening with hot glue.
Bean Bag Toss Pumpkins
This stack of carved pumpkins can also be a DIY backyard game!. The whole gang will have a blast playing bean bag toss at your Halloween celebration.
TO MAKE: Cut a large hole in the bottom of one large and one medium pumpkin; scoop out the pulp and seeds. Trace our face template on the pumpkins, scaling up or down as necessary. Cut out the faces, and then stack the medium pumpkin on top of the large one, using skewers to help hold them in place. To play, toss beanbags into your gourds' mouths, awarding 10 points for the bottom and 20 for the top.
Pumpkin Marquee
Guide trick-or-treaters to your front door with this bright and cheery pumpkin marquee. The skies the limit when it comes to what sentiment you carve on the front of your pumpkin - try your family name, "BOO", or house number.
TO MAKE: Cut a large hole in the bottom of an oblong pumpkin; scoop out pulp and seeds. Carve desired word or phrase—think BOO, WELCOME, or your last name—or download our FAIR template and trace on the long side of the pumpkin, scaling up or down as necessary. Chisel out letters and border. Remove the bulbs from a strand of globe string lights. Cut holes along the border of the chiseled area for the light sockets; insert sockets then bulbs. Plug in lights and prepare to amaze your trick-or-treaters.
Wood-Burning Stove Pumpkin
No cabin is complete without a wood burning stove and this stove pumpkin is full of a roaring fire made of stick and battery operated tea lights.
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of an extra-large pumpkin, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Trace the stove door template on the pumpkin, scaling up or down as necessary. Chisel out the outline, and use a knife to cut out the windowpanes. Paint the pumpkin (excluding chiseled section) black. Fill with sticks longer than the hole, and top with battery-operated tea lights. Remove the stems from four small pumpkins, and paint pumpkins black; place stove pumpkin on top. Rest a piece of solid, expandable drain pipe over the stem; attach pipe to the wall or ceiling to help it stay upright.
Hen and Chicks Pumpkins
Celebrate your feathered friends with this sweet, simple duo. If you have chickens already then you will have most of the supplies on hand, you might just have to make a quick trip around the yard for a few sticks to make their feet.
TO MAKE:
Hen Pumpkin: Cut a hole in the bottom of a large pumpkin, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Trace the hen template. Use a knife to cut out the body and a pencil to lightly trace the comb. Paint comb with red acrylic paint. Tie together several strands of raffia and hot-glue in place to create the tail. Insert a piece of white chicken wire behind the hen's body, then adhere twigs with hot-glue to create legs and feet.
Chicks Pumpkin: Trace the chick template onto a smaller whole pumpkin. Use a potter's needle to indent the outline, then chisel out using a potter's ribbon tool. Insert a black pushpin for the eye; adhere twigs with hot-glue for the feet.
Jigsaw Pumpkin
First the kids will have so much fun crafting this pumpkin then will spend hours solving it!
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of a pumpkin, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Trace the jigsaw puzzle template on the pumpkin, scaling up or down as necessary. Use a knife to cut out the puzzle pieces. Use craft paint to paint the puzzle pieces. Challenge kids to complete the puzzle for candy prizes.
Vintage Pumpkin Truck
You've been to the pumpkin patch and now you're ready to display your haul! Create a home for all those mini pumpkins and replicate grandpas truck: that 1959 Ford F15o!
TO MAKE: Turn an oblong pumpkin on its side, then trace the truck template. Use a potter's needle tool to indent the outline. Chisel out the truck's window and outline using a small potter's ribbon tool, then paint truck desired color using acrylic paint. Stain three mini wooden craft sticks with wood stain; cut off rounded ends (reserving two) and cut one in half. Use hot-glue to attach the sticks on truck bed (trimming as needed) to create the railing and rounded ends to create bumpers. Hot-glue buttons for wheels. Attach a toy trailer and fill with mini pumpkins.
Sunflower Pumpkin Stacks
Transform stacks of pumpkins into mile-high sunflowers with the help of hot glue, twine, and skewers.
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the bottom of two to three pumpkins, and scoop out pulp and seeds. Trace the sunflower petal and leaf templates onto pumpkins. Use a knife to cut out the petals and leaves. Starting in the center of the sunflower, use hot-glue to attach different colors of twine in a spiral pattern. For the stalk, attach green twine in a tight zigzag pattern with hot-glue. Remove the stem from the bottom pumpkin(s); stack as shown. (No wilting sunflowers here! Use wooden skewers to secure your stack.)
TIP: When scooping, carve from the bottom so the pretty stems stay intact. It also makes lighting candles easier; simply light and place your pumpkin on top.
Cross-Stitch Pumpkins
Add homespun charm to your decor with our tepee and campfire cross-stitched pumpkins. Use Funkins so that you can display your handy work year after year.
TO MAKE: Download and print our cross-stitch patterns. (Adjust pattern size as needed.) Tape onto artificial, carvable pumpkins. Punch through the pattern's cross-stitch points with an awl. Use a jab saw to cut an opening in the bottom of both pumpkins large enough for your hand to work inside. Cross-stitch using a tapestry needle and yarn. For tepee support poles and campfire logs, adhere twigs with hot-glue.
Pumpkin Barrel
This pumpkin barrel is perfect for showing off your apple picking haul or filling with candy so that trick-or-treaters can help themselves.
TO MAKE: Cut off the top quarter of an extra-large pumpkin; scoop out pulp and seeds. Hot-glue three strips of ribbon around outside of pumpkin. Stuff pumpkin three-fourths full with Poly-Fil. Insert burlap fabric into the opening and fold over outside of pumpkin; hold in place with upholstery tacks. Fill with apples or desired items.
Big Dipper Pumpkin
A twinkling twist on typical carved decor.
TO MAKE: Cut a hole in the back of a large pumpkin and scoop out pulp and seeds. Coat the surface with chalkboard spray-paint and let dry; season as instructed. Use white stick chalk to mark the Big Dipper, then drill through the points with a medium drill bit. Insert a battery-operated string of lights in the constellation points. Use white chalk to connect points, and draw additional stars on pumpkin.
Skeleton Hand Jack-o'-Lantern
These carvings look as if they're reaching from beyond the grave.
TO MAKE: Select a pair of pumpkins to form each arm-hand combo. Determine which gourd will serve as the arm (usually the taller one) and trim its stem so the other pumpkin can rest securely on top. Carve a hole in the bottoms of both, scoop out the pulp, and return the cut pieces.
Print our skeletal hand template and arm template, and resize them on a copier, scaling the images to fit your pumpkins. Cut out the outlined shapes from the templates to form stencils. Affix the arm stencil to the bottom pumpkin with masking tape. Trace on the design with a felt-tip pen. Repeat the process on the other pumpkin, using the hand template. Remove stencils, then carefully carve along the drawn lines with an X-Acto knife. Affix a battery-operated votive candle in the base of each pumpkin with adhesive putty.
Charlyne Mattox is the Food and Crafts director with over 20 years recipe development, recipe editing, and crafting experience. Prior to starting at Country Living in 2014, she worked in the crafts department at Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Kids before attending cooking school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. She was nominated for a James Beard media award while a senior editor at Real Simple magazine and authored a cookbook Cooking with Seeds.
When not in the kitchen she loves to garden, focusing on growing flowers and kitchen herbs (of course), watering her 25 house plants, and knitting scarfs or hats she will never be able to wear in the always hot and steamy Alabama.
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