9 Unique DIY Pumpkin Decor & Jack-O-Lantern Ideas For Halloween

1. Burlap bag pumpkin

This project by Stacy Davis involves making handmade Halloween decorations using burlap to create jack-o-lanterns. She used orange burlap, painted green accents, and crafted the pumpkin's face with masking tape and black craft paint.

The process involved assembling the pieces with hot glue, adding stuffing for shape, and creating a drawstring stem. This project took around 18 minutes and the result is a cute and cost-effective Halloween decoration.

2. Junk pumpkins

Next, @JagCagDesign shows us how to make unique and rustic junk jack-o-lantern decorations for fall using faux pumpkins and old hardware.

The creator paints the pumpkins with textured craft paint and then adds a creative face using various pieces of salvaged "junk" like old drawer pulls, metal stars, and screws, attached with Sugru moldable glue.

The process includes optional steps like distressing the paint, adding extra elements to the design, and even turning one pumpkin into a scarecrow with additional embellishments. The result is a collection of charming and distinctive jack-o-lanterns perfect for Halloween décor.

3. Pill bottle pumpkin

This pumpkin craft project by Paula Skulina involves upcycling a medicine bottle into a charming jack-o-lantern decoration for Halloween.

She removes the label, cleans the bottle, adds a jack-o-lantern face using either a cutting machine or electrical tape, attaches a pumpkin or gourd stem using E6000 glue, and decorates the top with leaves and curled tendrils made from bind wire or treated twine.

The finished jack-o-lantern can be used to create a Halloween vignette, adding a festive touch to home decor.

4. Scrap wood pumpkins

This project by Build It Thrifty involves crafting wooden jack-o-lantern decorations using scrap wood.

The process includes cutting 2x10 and 2x8 boards to specified lengths, creating angled cuts for the pumpkin shape, drilling holes for the stem using a 5/8 boring bit, spray painting the pumpkins black, and adding dry brushed white chalk paint for a desired color scheme.

1x4 boards are attached as bases using wood screws and wood glue, and wooden dowels are inserted as stems. Faces are sketched and painted on the pumpkins, then distressed with sandpaper. The result is a set of reusable Halloween decor items that are simple and fun to make.

5. Hydro-dipped pumpkins

Next, Wreaths of Joy shows us how to hydro-dip real pumpkins with colorful spray paint to create unique and vibrant colors. The hydro-dipped pumpkins are intended to enhance floral arrangements and stand out.

Various color combinations of spray paint, including orange, black, white, teal, and aqua, are used to achieve different effects on the pumpkins. The resulting colorful pumpkins are then meant to be used as bases for designing floral arrangements.

6. Pumpkin planters

Alicia W shares how to create festive pumpkin planters for Halloween and the fall season. Plastic pumpkin pails are transformed into planters with rebar rods for support.

Steps include purchasing pumpkins, placing rebar rods in pots, cutting off handles, drilling holes in the bottoms of pumpkins, sliding pumpkins onto rebar, filling with soil, planting flowers like mums, and arranging the pumpkins in alternating directions.

The result is a spooky and fun porch decoration that can transition from fall to Halloween. The tutorial emphasizes the simplicity and affordability of the project, making it a great way to enhance porch decor for the season.

7. Paper clay jack-o-lanterns

This project by Bryan's Workshop involves creating paper clay jack-o-lanterns as Halloween decorations. The process includes making paper clay using a recipe involving unscented toilet paper, wood glue, and joint compound. The clay is molded around an armature, which can be made from various materials.

Adding wire or string for hanging is recommended before applying the clay. Once the clay is dry, it's painted with a mixture of wood glue and paint, and then decorated with faces drawn using a paint marker and outlined with black hot glue.

The jack-o-lanterns are sealed with poly for outdoor use. The result is a set of handcrafted Halloween decorations that can be hung or displayed outdoors.

8. Jack-o-lantern topiary

Rob & Courtney M guide you through creating a Halloween pumpkin topiary to decorate your porch. Using hollow plastic pumpkins, a PVC pipe, drill, and other tools, you'll carve faces onto the pumpkins, stack them on the pipe, and plant mums in a planter around the base.

The guide offers detailed steps for creating the pumpkin faces, cutting the PVC pipe, assembling the stack, and planting the mums. Optional fairy lights can be added inside the pumpkins for nighttime visibility. The result is a charming and festive Halloween pumpkin topiary that adds a touch of magic to your front yard.

9. Concrete pumpkins

As summer transitions to fall, this DIY project by Diana Wearing involves making concrete pumpkins using plastic treat pumpkins as molds. The hypertufa-concrete mix consists of peat moss, perlite, and cement, with added color for a non-gray finish.

After mixing the ingredients to a thick consistency, the mixture is poured into the pumpkin molds, with railroad spikes inserted for stems. Once dried, the plastic molds are removed, revealing concrete pumpkins that can be used as decorations from Halloween through Thanksgiving.

DIY pumpkin decor & jack-o-lantern crafts

Which of these projects impressed you the most? Let us know in the comments below. We hope this collection of DIY ideas has got you ready to welcome trick-or-treaters and guests with spookiness and style. Happy crafting!