10 Creative Pumpkin Carving Ideas

It’s that time of year again! The time when I’m content to light a pumpkin spice candle and call myself festive…while, conversely, my kids are anxious to, almost daily, pick out yet another perfect pumpkin to carve. (Translation: for me to carve.) I can only carve a triangles for eyes and nose so often before things start getting pretty monotonous around here.

So. Here are some fabulously creative pumpkin carving ideas. Whether you’re carving one or many, I’m sure you’ll find something to inspire your next carved creation:

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Stacked Pumpkin Message

Roadwork messages are a fun way to add spook to your porch without being over-the-top scary. I love the simplicity of these, although the lettering will take some patience.

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Bring Fall’s falling leaves theme to your front porch with these leaf-carved pumpkins. What a lovely merger of two fun-but-usually-separate aspects of the season!

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Monograms are everywhere – on towels, umbrella holders, napkins, pillows. Why not claim your porch’s pumpkins in the same way? I love the various fonts of these initials.

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Carve pumpkins with cookie cutters

Use cookie cutters for fast, easy pumpkin carving…and picture-perfect results! These moon-and-stars pumpkins are appropriate throughout the Fall season, not just for Halloween night.

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Got a thing for intricate textiles…and have loads of time on your hands? Then these lace-carved pumpkins are perfect for you. I love the romantic detailed shadows they cast.

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Pumpkins carved with a drill

Pumpkin carving doesn’t always have to be a near-death experience, what with wielding a large knife unpredictably through a thick vegetable shell. Try drilling with various sized drill bits in fun, festive patterns for a quick and easy version of the tradition.

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Halloween decoration we love

If you have lots of pumpkins sitting around waiting for their Halloween makeover, consider carving a few spooky faces and the rest in simple designs and patterns, like stripes, polka dots, swirls. With a variety of pumpkin sizes, shapes, and colors, this eclectic idea makes for a fun vignette.

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Forget about emphasizing the pumpkin itself…why don’t you turn it into a mouse motel instead? Best of all: this one doesn’t require emptying out the pumpkin glop from inside. Bonus.

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Pair a simple festive silhouette carving, like this one of a black cat, with another carving of your address. The different colored pumpkins add visual interest to this simple yet delightful duo.

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For those who may be short on time but still want to celebrate the season, try this easy three-step carve job. 1) Hollow out pumpkin. 2) Cut eyes. 3) Stick in carrot for nose. Viola! Instant outdoor décor.

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.