Pumpkin Ideas

Things you can use to decorate pumpkins:

• Paint
• Markers
• Crayons
• Spray Paint
• Ribbon
• Rhinestones

Pumpkin Place Setting

Turn small pumpkins into place settings. Right the name of your dinner guest on the pumpkin and place it at the table where you want your guest to sit. You can also decorate them with the things listed above. Another way you can make them is to write the guests name on a thick piece of paper and then cut a small horizontal slit on the top of the pumpkin and slide the paper into it. 

Pumpkin Vase

Cut the top off a tall skinny pumpkin. Take out the seeds and pulp and discard. Arrange a bouquet of real of fake flowers into the center of the pumpkin. Top it off by tying a decorative ribbon around the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Candle Holder

Cut the top off a small pumpkin. Take out the seeds and pulp and discard. Place a small votive candle into the pumpkin. You can make the pumpkin candle holder more decorative by carving a face or other design on the front of the pumpkin.

Gift Baskets

Cut the top off a big pumpkin. Remove the seeds and pulp and discard. Line the pumpkin with a plastic bag, a piece of parchment paper or foil to protect the goodies you are going to put inside the pumpkin. Fill the pumpkin with Halloween treats. You could also decorate your pumpkin with ribbon, markers, paint, spray paint or rhinestones before you fill it with your treats.  

Party Favors

Cut the lid off the top of a small pumpkin and set the lid aside. Take out the pumpkin seeds and stringy pulp and discard. Fill some small Halloween treats in a plastic bag and seal it. Place the bag inside the pumpkin and then place the lid back on. You can personal the party favors by writing names on the pumpkins and decorating them with with paint, ribbons or markers.  

Photo: Pumpkin Gift Basket

Cut the top off the pumpkin and stick the engagement ring down into the center of it. Ask her to help you carve the pumpkin. When she goes to clean out the seeds and pulp she'll get a big surprise! 

To protect the ring, you may want to wrap it in Saran wrap before you put it in the pumpkin. 

Photo: 1 ctw. Diamond Engagement Ring

It's easy to create a candy buffet table with pumpkins. Instead of using glass jars for the candy, use pumpkins instead. Cut the tops off a few different sized pumpkins. Take out the seeds and pulp and discard. Line the inside of the pumpkins with paper bags, parchment paper or foil to protect the treats you are going to fill them with. Fill the pumpkins with Halloween candy. You can carve the pumpkins or decorate them before you fill them with treats. Place the pumpkins on the table covered with a black tablecloth. You'll need a few cellophane bags and candy scoopers too. You can decorate the table with things like confetti, a pumpkin vase centerpiece, plastic spiders and cobwebs. 

Photo: Candy Corn

Use pumpkins for Halloween games! There are so many games you can play with both big and small pumpkins. Here are a few fun pumpkin games.

• Pumpkin Carving Contest

• Pumpkin smashing contest - Who knew that smashing a pumpkin with a bat could be so much fun!

• Pumpkin Slip-n-Slide - Break out the Slip-n-Slide and cover it with the juice, seeds and stringy pulp from pumpkins. It's just as slippery as if you used water...but much more messier. Loads of fun!

• Pumpkin seed spitting contest - See who can spit a pumpkin seed the farthest or how many seeds you can spit into a pumpkin.

• Pumpkin Rolling Relay Race

• Pumpkin Bean Bag Toss 

• Pumpkin Hunt - Played like an Easter egg hunt but you hunt for small pumpkins instead of eggs.

• Pumpkin Golf - The object is to hit a golf ball into a pumpkin.

• Pumpkin Ring Toss - The object is toss round plastic rings around the stem of the pumpkin. 

• Pumpkin Bowling - Played with plastic bowling pins (or empty 2 liter coke bottles) and small sized pumpkins. The object, just like in bowling, is to get a strike by knocking over all the pins with the pumpkin. Award points for strikes and spares. Be sure to poke 2 finger holes and 1 thumb hole in the pumpkin so you can throw it as you would a bowling ball.

Cut the lids of different sized pumpkins. Remove the seeds and pulp and discard. You can fill the pumpkins with dips, salads, soups and snacks. They make dinner and buffet tables look so festive. The pumpkin burger in the photo is a fun pumpkin idea for a Halloween BBQ.