26 Creative DIY Pumpkin Decor Ideas

Last updated on May 5, 2024

These creative DIY pumpkin decor ideas will have you decorating your home for the season without using the real veggies. Read on!

I love pumpkin decorating for the fall season as much as everyone. But there’s one thing nagging me. It’s the waste of pumpkins (the vegetable) that goes into making all these decorations. That can’t be eco-friendly or reasonable at all, can it? So I’m all for the alternatives.

And it makes such wonderful decor props, you won’t go back if you try just a couple of these ideas. Having made my own DIY rustic wooden pumpkins (see below), I’ve picked up a few more crafts that I want to try myself and show them to you.

How to Make Wooden Pumpkins

I used reclaimed wood for my pumpkins to help emphasize the rustic look. For this project, I chose tongue and groove boards because I thought the space between the boards would look more like ridges on a pumpkin. Of course, you don’t have to use reclaimed wood and could use plywood or wood planks from the local home improvement store.

The first step was to glue the wood together. I used wood glue then clamped the pieces together and put weights on top to ensure the boards stay flat. Let the glue dry for 24 hours.

Next, draw the shape of the pumpkin you want. You can get a lot of ideas from the Internet by just Googling pumpkin clip art. Start by sketching the shape with a pencil then when you have the shape you want to trace over the lines with a Sharpie pen. My husband is handy with the saw so I had him cut out the shape with a jigsaw. One of these days I need to learn how to do this.

I stained both sides of the pumpkin so it can be reversible where one side is stained and the other side is painted.

After the stain dries, paint over one side with orange chalk paint. I used the 4 oz. size of Annie Sloan’s Barcelona Orange. It was the perfect shade of pumpkin orange!

Once the paint dries take light grit sandpaper (I used 220 grit) and scuff up the edges and random areas on the flat surface. Use a light sweeping motion down the front where the pumpkin ridges would be. You’ll notice the orange getting lighter in some areas and removed completely in other areas. The variation in coloring makes it look more realistic.

Decorate with leaves, raffia, burlap, etc. Be creative! Incorporate the pumpkins into your indoor fall display too.

Here are more pumpkin decor ideas (not only from wood).

DIY Fabric Pumpkins

These pumpkin decorations are sure fun to make and they don’t require you to waste real veggies too. You can make these from scrap fabric you have around (or get fabric of your liking for the purpose of this project), and fiber stuffing, some twine too. Intrigued? See through the video tutorial!

DIY Pumpkin Stems

Are you the one who cares a lot about your crafts to look realistic? You’ll love this idea for pumpkin stems. These will enable you to make any of your designs look like the real thing. It’s a surprisingly easy idea too! You’ll be making the stems from a simple rope.

No-Sew Fabric Pumpkins

Making pumpkins from fabric is a popular idea, no-sew projects are even more so. Indeed, it’s an easy idea to use any kind of fabric you want to make beautiful pumpkin decorations. Again, you’re not using real plants. It’s simple and fun.

This video tutorial will show you how to make decorations with burlap. It supercharges your decor with rustic fall vibes!

Crochet Pumpkin Pillows

crochet pumpkins — Source: sleepsociety.com.au

A crochet pumpkin pillow is an easy pattern to make and will soon be your must-have pillow in Fall. Alternatively, you can sew them from your favorite fabric and stuff them with filling. These accent pillows make great fall-themed decor for the living room and bedroom. And you can use them as actual pillows!

Dollar Tree DIY Pumpkins

Dollar Tree gives you an amazing shortcut when it comes to DIY decor crafts. So you can turn basic props into wonderful decor for all your seasonal needs. Love how these turn out? Check out the full video tutorial and you can make the same thing at home!

DIY Book Pumpkin

This is the most unique decor piece, hands down. Turning an old book into something like this is just brilliant. You will definitely get all the ooh’s and ah’s from your guests with this on the table. And only some cutting, gluing, and a touch of paint is required to make it.

DIY Paper Pumpkins

If paper crafts pique your interest, you just have to create these little fellas. Simple and cute – that’s how we describe this project idea. And there are so many uses for it in your seasonal decor.

DIY Wood Pumpkin

wooden — Tutorial: www.beyondthepicket-fence.com

Pieces of old barn wood and some reclaimed wood pieces can make your autumn a beautiful one. What you are going to do is trace a pumpkin on your barn wood, and use a jigsaw to cut out the piece. The rest involves some painting and hammering.

DIY Pallet Pumpkins

It may seem like there is nothing to do with an old pallet, which makes it seem like wasted wood, but do not fret because autumn is giving you a chance to re-use your pallet. The idea behind this decoration is for you to recycle and make a rustic-like pumpkin out of your pallet. You do not need too much time to get this done, and it will end up looking great.

4×4 Pumpkins

4×4 wood blocks are perhaps some of the easiest pieces of wood to use for crafts. You do not have to waste too much time cutting since all you have to do for some projects is sand and paint. These pumpkins are pretty easy to do, though you will need to find some branches to finish the job.

Pallet Wood Pumpkins

One circular saw and a number of pallet wood pieces is all you really need to make beautiful pumpkins for your home. The pieces are going to be relatively thick, so the pumpkins are going to end up being large decorations, which should make them durable. Be sure to have fun with the color because homemade pumpkins should have a touch of magic.

Reclaimed Wood Pumpkins

You just need reclaimed 1/4 plywood pieces to get this job complete that shouldn’t take too long. You will need some rustic wood finish to make the finished pumpkin decorations look their best, but this should definitely wow your neighbors. Best of all, you get to reuse salvaged wood, and it can last for years.

Shabby Chic Pumpkins

Sometimes a DIY-selfer wants to get a little more creative than usual. Every piece does not have to look handmade, especially when you can easily make something sleek and chic. All you need is a few pieces of food and some patience to make these pumpkins.

Rustic Wooden Pumpkins

The idea here is to pull apart an old pallet you have laying around, and use some of your trusted DIY tools like a jigsaw to create the perfect autumn-inspired decoration. You are going to need some twigs to finish the job, but it should not take too long, and it should look great in the living room.

Pumpkin Centerpiece

A DIY-selfer likes to put a little bit of him or herself into the holiday decorations. There is no better time to do that than now. Autumn means pumpkins, and you can make simple wood blocks into creative pumpkins this season.

DIY Recycled Pumpkin

All you really need is a few pieces of scrap lumber and a jigsaw to create a pretty cute pumpkin decoration. You are going to have to sand the wood so that you can apply your paint, but this should not take too long to get done.

DIY Scrap Wood Pumpkin

All those scrap wood pieces you might have thrown away will serve you well for this little project. You are going to need 2x4x7 blocks of wood and some scrap paper to make these interesting autumn-inspired decorations for your home or to gift to friends.

Painted Wood Pumpkins

Not many would deny the fact that rustic is trending at the moment, which explains the pairing between autumn and the rustic look in this project. The pumpkin project only uses wood scraps, so you are being as green as possible. All you need to start is three 2×6 wood scrap pieces.

Wood Pumpkin Cut Out

Making one piece board wood pumpkins is not that hard since all you need is some plywood and common DIY tools, such as a table saw. You are going to want to add a stand because this pumpkin is going to be a sizable one like any good pumpkin should be.

DIY Wood Pumpkin Blocks

Sometimes the best finishing touch for a decoration is a few inspirational or quirky words written on a beautiful backdrop. You can do this without spending much if you have a few thin scrap wood pieces around along with some paint. Go ahead and get crafty and creative without spending much.

DIY Wood Halloween Pumpkins

Halloween pumpkins do not have to be carved from real pumpkins, especially if you have a few blocks of scrap wood around. All you need is some sandpaper, paint, and an active imagination to make scrap wood blocks come to life this autumn.

Cute Pumpkins

Scrap wood is everywhere, especially in the home of a DIY-enthusiast like you. This also means it hurts to see good wood go to waste, so why not get some tools and carve out pumpkins out of scrap wood? It’s a fun project, and you can get it done in no time.

DIY Colored Pumpkin

Autumn has very recognizable colors that you can use to decorate anything, including some of your scrap wood pieces. All you have to do is get a few of these pieces and some basic tools to make autumn-themed blocks to decorate your porch.

Pumpkin Patch

Okay, everyone does not have pallets, but these are easy to get. All you need is a paint brush, saw, and some paint among other common tools to get this project off the ground. You do not have to worry about decorating your home with real pumpkins.

Wood Slice Pumpkins

The idea that pumpkins don’t have to be real vegetables is one of our favorites. This way we break out of the box that using real pumpkins puts us and decorate our home a lot more creatively. Check out how to make them from wood slices.

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