Been there, done that. When it comes to carving pumpkins, I’ve tried it all – spooky castles, wicked witches, and everything in between.

So, when it came to those two perfect pumpkins I picked out at the local farm with help from my four-year-old niece, we focused on polka dots – her new favorite obsession. Stickers in hand, we decorated one pumpkin with multi-size round stickers, then spray-painted the surface black. For the second, we cut off the top, scooped out the seeds, and used a drill to make holes all over.

Materials:

Two pumpkins
Black spray paint
Circular stickers
Drill and 3/4-inch bit
Knife and spoon (to prep pumpkin #2)
One tea light candle

Directions:

1. Wipe down both pumpkins to rid surfaces of any dirt.
2. Start with pumpkin #1. Add stickers as shown above and douse in black spray paint (one coat is all it needs).
3. Once dry, peel stickers off pumpkin #1 and revel in your polka-dotted finished product.
4. For pumpkin #2, cut off top and remove seeds.
5. Drill holes where desired.
6. Add the lit tea light candle, replace top, and display.

By Emily Gibbons of LuckyLittleLove.com, Staff Writer

Have a favorite pumpkin DIY? Share it in the comments below or tweet us @ruelala. 

Not a Member and like The (Style) Guide? You’ll love Rue La La. Join now.

Carving pumpkins is a favorite pastime of mine. But when it comes to the upcoming spooky holiday, I was looking for more than just the typical Jack-o’-lantern (but with, of course, the bonus of baked-and-salted pumpkin seeds). Cue this easy-as-pumpkin-pie DIY project.  Perfect for your next ghostly gathering, just cut off the top, hollow out the insides, then display your favorite autumn beverage (chilled apple cider?) or fill with the season’s favorite flower – mums!

Materials:
1 pumpkin
Potted mums (or your favorite bevy)
A serrated knife
A spoon

Directions
1. Cut into the pumpkin to remove top.
2. Using a spoon, scoop out seeds and hollow out.
3. Place potted mums in pumpkin planter or add ice and favorite beverages.

By Emily Gibbons of LuckyLittleLove.com, Staff Writer

What other not-so-typical décor ideas have you used a hollow pumpkin for? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @ruelala.

Not a Member and like The (Style) Guide? You’ll love Rue La La. Join now.

Photo credits: bugaboo, mini, mr & me, Under the Table and Dreaming, and  Happy Mundane

I’d never dream of advising you to forgo the season’s requisite candy corns and pumpkin micro-brews, but I, for one, plan to add a few new recipes and unexpected decor upgrades to my fall favorites list this year.

Rather than embark on an overambitious carving endeavor (last year, I tried to carve an octopus swallowing a tall ship), I’m opting to put my fashion knowledge into play and accessorize this, well, red-headed cousin of squash, with some of the season’s “it” trends.

Decoupage
Big in decorative home accents, this technique is the art of applying paper cutouts and then coating with several layers of finish. Use tissue paper, newspaper, magazine cutouts, and liberal amounts of Modge Podge to create your own en vogue pumpkin, as seen in Country Living.

Studding
This hot trend isn’t just for shoes and handbags. Paint your pumpkin a solid white or black base then embellish it with silver thumb tacks to give it some of that “grit and glamour” look.

Colorblocking
How seriously rad do these colorblocked neon, grey, and white pumpkins look? I’ve never wanted to accessorize a fruit with a pair of heels… until now (and yes, pumpkin is a fruit!).

First decoupage pumpkin didn’t turn out well? Before you do anything hasty, remember there are lots of super-tasty recipes for both the seeds and the pumpkin itself. Obvious go-to’s would be pumpkin pie and baked seeds for snacking, but these pumpkin dumpling and pumpkin seed smoothie recipes are healthy and unexpected takes that I can’t wait to try out.

By Grace Romanowsky, Staff Writer

Do you have a unique way to decorate fall’s favorite fruit? Share it in the comments below or tweet us @ruelala.

Not a Member and like The (Style) Guide? You’ll love Rue La La. Join now.