Over 40 {No Carve} Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

You are going to love these No Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas for Halloween. If you are ready to add a little bit of no-carve creativity and fun to your Halloween traditions, then you’ll want to check out this post with over 30 pumpkin decorating ideas from Halloween our school event…

No Carve Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

These ideas all came from our school-wide Halloween event that was held last year. Families were asked to participate in a pumpkin decorating contest. As I was carrying our pumpkin into the hallway, I was blown away by everyone’s creativity.

Of course, I took several photos to share. Unfortunately, there won’t be tutorials or links to share on how to decorate these pumpkins – only inspiration and ideas for you to check out. I’m sure you’ll be able to run with the ideas and come up with your own pumpkin masterpiece.

If you are looking for Halloween Craft Ideas for your kids then you have come to the right place. I love Halloween, and I love sharing ideas. You might like my Painted BOO Pumpkin Idea, Olaf Goeas Trick-Or-Treating, or My Black Cat Painted Pumpkin

Tips and tricks for working with painted pumpkins…

• Wash and dry pumpkins
• Using oil-based paints will help the paint stick longer – most spray paints are oil-based
• You can use a sealant after painting
• Glues that work well are hot glue (used by adults). For kids, Fabri-Tac glue works well. It is really tacky and dries quickly. Another glue alternative is large glue dots or double-sided sticky glue. They are both extremely sticky
• Don’t forget to protect your surface with a disposable plastic tarp or newspaper
• Glitter paint can be used to add a touch of sparkle. Use it over the base paint

Ideas for 3-D Decorations

• Foam Insulation Sealant – this product sprays out a foam that hardens almost immediately. You can spray it onto a surface like a pumpkin and then paint it, or spray it onto something that you can peel off later and paint
• Modeling Clay – This can be molded to the pumpkin, let harden, and paint. Glue if necessary

Let’s get started on these cute pumpkin ideas…

Update – I am always adding to this post. When I see new pumpkins I take pictures – no matter how weird I look to other people. So, don’t forget to check back each year for more and more no-carve pumpkin ideas to check out.

I have just recently updated this post to add 10 more pumpkin ideas from a contest at our Orthodontist from October ’22. I had to take photos and share them with you.

Here are the latest non-painted pumpkin ideas:

Winifred Sanderson – Love this pumpkin idea. It looks like skin-toned paint was used and makeup was painted after. A red curly wig was used for the hair

Another idea from Hocus Pocus – A Spellbook Pumpkin. I’m not positive, but the decorative pieces can be modeling clay or air-dry clay. I’ll leave a link to Amazon for something that might work at the bottom of the post

This is an adorable Scarecrow Pumpkin. It looks like felt, burlap, flannel shirt, straw hat, straw, paint and buttons were used

Humpty Dumpty Pumpkin Idea – It looks like a magician hat, a cummerbund, red ribbon, googly eyes, fabric, and paint were all used for this pumpkin

Pineapple pumpkin idea – It looks like paint, sunglasses, and paper were used on this pumpkin. I see something metal in the leaves, but I have no idea what that is

Cupcake Monster pumpkin idea. I suppose the cupcake wrapper could be folded cardboard. I’m not 100% sure what material it is. Spider web material, spiders, bugs, and fun eyeball headband were all used for decorating the pumpkin

Stranger Things Pumpkin Idea – It’s painted white, marker was used for the letters of the alphabet, Christmas lights, and Stranger Things decor

Little Shop of Horrors Pumpkin Idea – Wow! It looks like a trip to the floral section of Hobby Lobby or Michael’s Crafts store, a terra cotta pot, a sideways pumpkin painted black and green, and maybe modeling clay for the lips and teeth were all used on this iconic pumpkin

To save from attempting to lift the pumpkin on a pedestal, I think it would be just as cool resting in the clay pot

The Genie from Aladdin Pumpkin Idea – Black yarn, yellow yarn, spider web material, modeling clay, paint, and a plastic oil lamp

Minion with Braces pumpkin idea – It looks like wooden shoes, felt, foil, mason jar lids, paint, buttons, and for the hair pip cleaner

An ice cream cone pumpkin idea – It looks like a plastic terra cotta pot was painted for the cone, the pumpkin has paint, pipe cleaners, a painted styrofoam ball cherry, and spider web material

Ice Cream Cone Pumpkin Idea – Burlap, that might be spray foam sealant around the bottom and for the whipped cream, pipe cleaner sprinkles, and a mini pumpkin cherry

Witch Cauldron Pumpkin Idea – This one says Hocus Pocus, but you could leave that off if you just wanted to do a plain old witch. Pom-Poms, eyeballs, and do you think the silver balls are styrofoam? I’m not sure.

Alright, that ends my latest additions.

Below, Check out 30 more pumpkin ideas, and come back next year for more ideas!

Sonic The Hedgehog Painted Pumpkin 

Unicorn Pumpkin

Witch Pumpkin and Broom

Puffer Fish Pumpkin – This looks like it’s decorated with Hershey’s kisses, fortune cookies, rolos, and green candies

Mickey Mouse Pumpkin – This would take some artistry from someone who likes to paint

Fox Pumpkin and Mice – It looks like felt was used to decorate the pumpkin and the mice were made from pom-poms

Crayon Pumpkin with Silhouette – I have seen these on Pinterest. I believe that crayons are placed on top of the pumpkin and a hair dryer is used to melt the crayons causing the wax to run down the pumpkin

Ariel Pumpkin – Blue paint to represent the ocean, glitter, beads and a crown

Pikachu Pumpkin – I believe that these were foam pumpkins that you can buy at most craft stores

My Little Pony Pumpkin – Painted with yarn and card stock or craft foam paper

Cheeseburger Pumpkin with monster fingers glued to the sides of the pumpkin – I believe the pumpkin is painted and seeds are glued to the top, and craft felt or foam and brown pom-poms are glued to the sides to represent cheese, lettuce, beef, and tomato

Candy Apple Pumpkin – Painted green and dark brown. While the paint is wet, sprinkles are added and a wooden dowel inserted in the middle

Don’t Let the Children Drive the Bus – A book by Mo Williams – Painted Pumpkin. Styofoam head and paper towel roll neck

This pumpkin is painted light blue with paper plate wings, paper towel tube neck, and styrofoam ball head. Paper eyes and beak were added as well as a prop for the bus

Little Old Lady Pumpkin – Fiber Fill for hair, rollers, hair band, glasses, foil eyebrows, painted mouth and paper eyes

Owl Pumpkin – Felt cutouts glued onto pumpkin

Haunted Popcorn Pumpkin – black and white stripes, with cobwebs, popcorn and decorations

Dumbo Painted Pumpkin – painted with paper ears, and felt hat

Nemo Painted Pumpkin with glitter paper fins

Dinosaur Hatching Painted Pumpkin – with a dinosaur toy disassembled and then glued to the pumpkin

Popcorn Bowl Painted Pumpkin – with popcorn glued to the top

Haunted Fairy House Pumpkin

Forky (or Sporky) Painted Pumpkin – playdough mouth and eyebrow, googly eyes, pipe cleaner arms

Harry Potter Painted Pumpkin – with scarf as a prop

Little Princess Girl Pumpkin

Rapunzel Painted Pumpkin

with beads, ribbon, wig and tutu

Dunkin’ Donut Pumpkins

Mini pumpkins painted with sprinkles

Cactus Painted Pumpkin – toothpicks, flower and clay pot help set the stage for this fun pumpkin

Edwina the Dinosaur Painted Pumpkin – with craft foam

Cousin It – Yarn or even a mop would work for this pumpkin with glasses and a hat

Dog Painted Pumpkin – I don’t know what material the ears are made from. Shredded paper is added for fur

Cinderella Painted Pumpkin – Another Cinderella pumpkin was also entered into the contest. They added a toy carriage and plastic horses which won the little girls over. I have to give them credit for thinking that one through.

This pumpkin was made with metallic spray paint, pearl jewelry beads, silver pipe cleaner, and gold-colored paint

Technically this pumpkin is a butternut squash, but still so clever! This is Dog Man. He is a children’s book character. It looks like felt was stuffed and glued for the ears. The hat looks like it is blue fabric wrapped around an object and glued.

Caramel Apple Painted Pumpkin – This is painted with sprinkles, placed in tissue paper with a wooden dowel inserted in the middle

My top Amazon Picks for these fun Pumpkin Ideas

(affiliate links)

Great Stuff 157911 Insulati...Shop on Amazon200pcs 20colors, Pipe Clean...Shop on AmazonPolymer Clay 50 Colors, Mod...Shop on AmazonPolymer Clay 50 Colors, Mod...Shop on Amazon42pcs Felt Fabric Sheet 4"x...Shop on Amazon20 Acrylic Yarn Skeins - 43...Shop on Amazon20 Acrylic Yarn Skeins - 43...Shop on Amazon48PCS EVA Foam Sheets 1mm T...Shop on Amazon48PCS EVA Foam Sheets 1mm T...Shop on AmazonThe HC Akro Mils LIA10000E3...Shop on AmazonNatural Burlap Table Runner...Shop on AmazonBeacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craf...Shop on Amazon

That’s it, everyone. I hope you found some inspiration from the photos.

If you need further instructions, you can probably find similar pumpkins on Pinterest that will help you achieve the pumpkin you want.

Happy Halloween!