Carved Jack-O-Lanterns with candles are the perfect decoration for Halloween night.  As you know, if you carve them too soon, they spoil faster. So why not decorate your pumpkins without carving so you can use them indoors or out all month long.

I like to welcome guests with a friendly Halloween display on my steps, but I could certainly display them on a mantle or as a tablescape as well.

First, I choose pumpkins in a variety of sizes and shapes, and I always try to find ones with the stems still intact.

Next, I make sure to wash the dirt off and dry thoroughly.

Now I had to think about how to decorate my pumpkins…I decided to drip paint down the sides for a spooky haunted house look and I used a small paint brush to fill around the stem.

Or if you’re feeling really creative, “throw” the paint!

After the paint dried I arranged them on my steps. (My paint was still tacky, so I protected the steps with paper plates.)

I added a few smaller pumpkins and squash and I have used these little wood crows for many decorating projects. They were probably 49¢ each at Goodwill.

Votive candles will illuminate the display at night. Remember, NEVER leave candles unattended!

To camouflage the paper plates, I tucked in real leaves or you could also use silk ones too.

No one else on the block will have pumpkins dripping with goo so I know my display is unique!

It was raining when I took the photos so I know the display will hold up until October 31!  Happy Halloween!

Email me at askmerri@goodwillsew.com or post a comment on our Facebook page.

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