Pumpkin Carving Ideas

Thomas J. Story

Sneaky jack-o'-lantern carving

Show off a traditional Halloween message in a highly unusual way. Jackie Ortega, owner of San Francisco's Craft Gym, says this project is easy to pull off once you know the secret.

More: Get this sneaky jack-o'-lantern secret

Josè Mandojana

Free pumpkin stencil

Artist Nikki McClure shares instructions for creating this unique jack-o'-lantern for Halloween.

Get the free stencil and how-to.

Thomas J. Story

Floating pumpkins

Foam pumpkins are thin enough to carve with a craft knife and light enough to hang with thin wire.

How to: Make floating pumpkins

Rob D. Brodman

Pumpkin house numbers

Pumpkin house numbers are a surprising twist on the traditional jack-o'-lantern.

More: How to carve pumpkin house numbers

Thomas J. Story

Black cat o'lanterns

Create a spooky trio of glossy black cats to watch over trick-or-treaters at your door. All you need are a few pumpkins in feline shapes ― long or pear-shaped for the body, small and round for the face.

More: How to make black cat o'lanterns

Halloween globes

Invert a glass globe that normally goes over an electric ceiling light fixture, tuck a tea light inside, and you've got a glowing Halloween lantern.

Choose a globe that fits over the porch light and you can greet trick-or-treaters in an orange glow.

Get the how-to: Make globe lanterns

Glowing globes

String your Halloween lanterns along your entry for a proper greeting to the neighborhood goblins.

Thomas J. Story

Beautiful, leafy pumpkins

Encircle a few pumpkins with slender carvings to add a subtle glow to your front porch.

How to: Carve elegant pumpkins

Photo by Thomas J. Story; design by Birte Walter

Glowing vines

A Sunset favorite: meandering patterns add a whimsical storybook appeal to your arrangement.

Photo by Thomas J. Story; design by Birte Walter

Harlequin leaves

Repeat a single leaf shape for a quilted look on hollow pumpkins. (Tip: long, thin grooves at a 45° angle work best.)

Photo by Thomas J. Story; design by Birte Walter

Silhouettes

Create a centerpiece-worthy embossed effect with no candle or seed scooping required. Arrange multiple silhouetted pumpkins along the center of an outdoor table. We added stones and leaves to complete the setting.

James Carrier

Party pumpkins

Tiny pumpkins ― or any small gourds ― can be colored in minutes with acrylic paints or permanent markers. The secret to their jewel-like sparkle is a finishing glaze applied after the paint or ink has thoroughly dried.

More: How to paint party pumpkins

Norm Plate

Halloween in a pot

To decorate your patio or porch this month, try plants instead of plastic pumpkins or gossamer ghosts. Combine black foliage with orange blooms in pots of similar hues like ebony and persimmon.

More: The spooky plants we chose

13 fun Halloween decorating ideas

Sneaky jack-o'-lantern carving

Free pumpkin stencil

Floating pumpkins

Pumpkin house numbers

Black cat o'lanterns

Halloween globes

Glowing globes

Beautiful, leafy pumpkins

Glowing vines

Harlequin leaves

Silhouettes

Party pumpkins

Halloween in a pot