This year we’re ditching traditional pumpkin carving in favour of something faff-free
We’ve carved some very questionable creepy eyes and wonky teeth in our time, so this year we’re ditching traditional pumpkin carving in favour of some faff-free, longer-lasting alternatives. Because there’s only so much pumpkin soup a girl can have in one week.
Care to join us on our quest? Gather your ghoulfriends, put on some bewitching tunes and get your witch-craft on with these no-carve pumpkin ideas.
Yarn Pumpkin
A glue-free craft is a craft we can get on board with! These yarn pumpkins are easy to create and make for beautiful centrepieces or Halloween shelf décor.
Simply wrap orange yarn around your hands multiple times until you reach the end of the thread.
Cut a separate piece of yarn approximately 10 inches long to wrap around the middle of your bundle. Thread it through the gap in the bundle where your hand is then bring the two ends together, securing with a double knot.
Cut a green or brown pipe cleaner for the stem and place it on top of your bundle, looping it underneath the knot.
Fold the pipe cleaner in half then twist the ends together to create a thick stem. You can also use green/brown yarn instead if you don’t have pipe cleaners.
Why not hang them on a little string garland.
Stuck for ideas on how to display your gourd-geous creations? Why not hang them on a little string garland. If you’ve got it, haunt it!
Clay Pumpkin
We can’t promise it’ll be anything like that romantic scene in Ghost, mostly because Patrick Swayze won’t be there but we can promise it’ll be fun, at least and 10 times easier and iconic in its own way.
Using air dry clay, take a rolling pin or something cylindrical to flatten it out.
With slightly wet hands, knead into a pumpkin-shaped ball. Once you’re pleased with your pumpkin shape, now’s the time to add in all the ridges and grooves to make it look like the real deal.
Using a pencil, a skewer, a blunt knife edge or any other handy sculpting utensils you have in your kitchen, score your clay with vertical lines from top to bottom. Once you’re happy with the texture, you can add some detail to the top for the stem.
Form a little indent at the top of your pumpkin using your fingers. Roll out a tiny piece of clay into a cone shape for the stalk and pinch it onto the top of your pumpkin to secure.
Leave to dry for 48 hours before painting. It’s as easy as bibbidi bobbidi boo.
Toilet Roll Pumpkin
You’ll never look at your toilet roll in the same way once you’ve seen it in all its Halloween glad rags.
Simply unravel the sheets of tissue and roll them back up to create some texture. Then wrap and fold a fabric of your choice around the roll, tucking into the top as you go. You may need to trim any excess fabric beforehand to get a neater finish.
Repeat until you’ve completely covered the roll and finish with a twig, branch or cinnamon stick placed in the top for the stem. And you’re done. Crappy Halloween, indeed!
Painted Pumpkin
Your creative genius knows no bounds when it comes to painting ‘kins. The limit does not exist.
You can buy an eerie looking ghost pumpkin or paint one white if you want a blank canvas to work with. Alternatively, you can’t go far wrong with a classic spooky face or a black cat motif.
From paint splatters and creepy neon shades to spider webs and glitter-dipped stems – you can go as simple or as innovative as you like.
