Easy No Carve Pumpkins

Today I’m sharing two of the easiest no carve pumpkins. See how to decorate pumpkins with a variety of natural elements and let you imagination go wild.

This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure page for more information.

Every year I admire all the no carve pumpkins in magazines and Pinterest, especially the ones that look like animals. What’s not to love when you see a pumpkin cow, pig, hedgehog, raccoon, fox, dog and yes owls.

Easy No Carve Pumpkins

My supplies for these pumpkin are from foraging outdoors, my craft stash and the kitchen pantry. I suggest gathering a large variety of natural elements. It’s hard to know what combinations of colors, shapes and textures you’re going to like best.

Before starting I washed the pumpkins in the kitchen sink with dish soap. I’m not sure if it really makes any difference in how long the pumpkins will last, but it’s nice to have a clean surface to work on. If you’re going to display your pumpkins indoors you’ll probably want them to be free of dirt anyway.

Here’s a list of what I’m using to create a great horned owl and a flower pumpkin.

Supplies

• fresh pumpkins (you can use faux pumpkins as well)
• pine cones
• brown leaves
• pistachio shells
• pecan husks
• anise stars
• small dried flowers
• glue gun and glue sticks
• raffia (optional)

Your best friend for this project is a good hot glue gun which makes assembling no carve designs fast and easy. Click here for a glue gun similar to mine. See my favorite glue sticks here.

Silicone finger protectors are handy too, click here for the ones I use.  Don’t forget to protect your work surface with paper bags or cardboard.

I suggest playing around with different arrangements on your work surface, until you get the combination you like best. I was about head out to the store for sunflower seeds for the owls eyes, then I tried turning the pistachio shells over with anise stars on top. It works!

Small brown magnolia leaves become the eye brows and the small pine cones are the eye tuffs. To create the owl’s beak and the talons I’m using pieces of dried pecan husks. See so easy!

On the smaller pumpkin I using more of the pistachio shells to create five petal flowers. To create the centers I using dried hill flowers with the stems removed. (I found these at Michael’s.)

Space the flowers as you wish, and finish off the pumpkin with a few strands of raffia for a bow. How’s that for easy no carve pumpkins!

I ended up not using the mini pinecones, acorns, and oak leaves, but I can always use those for other projects. I’m thinking the mini pine cones will make a really cute hedgehog. 😉

Styling No Carve Pumpkins

Right now I’m enjoying these pumpkins sitting on the kitchen table with fresh flowers. I think the grand littles are going to love them too.

If you’re planning fall outdoor entertaining, these no carve pumpkins will make a cute centerpiece. Just add fresh mums or dried arrangements and you’re good to go. You can also display them on your porch to welcome guest.

Note: Check the bottoms of the pumpkins frequently to make sure they are not starting to rot. I like using small felt pads like these to keep them off the surface of my table. You can also place them on a trivet or plate to protect your table tops.

You’re invited to follow Thistle Key Lane on Pinterest, where the boards are up to date with ideas you can use right now!

I hope you’re enjoying this fall season. I’m looking forward to a week in the 70s, which will be such a welcome change. It’s putting me in the mood for more fall projects and baking.

If you’re looking for more ideas to decorate pumpkins check out my post How To Make A Black Cat Pumpkin.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you’ll enjoy creating some easy no carve pumpkins too.

Cheers!

©2023 Easy No Carve Pumpkins post first appeared on Thistle Key Lane.