Three more days ’til Halloween and you’ve put off doing anything creative with those pumpkins you picked up a week or so ago. Sure, you meant to, but the carving, the mess, the clean up … and besides, it’s too late now, right? Of course not. You have ample time to turn those seasonal sidekicks into anything from ooh-and-aah porch decor to an elegant centerpiece. And it doesn’t have to mean digging into the innards.
An entire deco-culture has sprung up around pumpkins, and this is one ornamental you could transform after the holiday into pumpkin pie, pumpkin seed snacks or even a pumpkin martini.
Think outside the grinning jack o’ lantern box and imagine the possibilities with simple materials that range from spray paint to rick rack. Paint pens, corn husks, thumb tacks, puffy paint, burlap ribbon, nailhead trim, glitter and, oh my gosh, washi tape make almost any idea do-able. (Washi tape, a decorative masking tape, originated in Japan and has become enormously popular with crafters.)
The transformation can be as easy as a can of matte black spray paint and silver scrapbooking letters that say “boo.” Add a few matching stars and a silver ribbon on the stem, and you’ve got a dramatic greeter at the doorway.
Or, create flowing swirls with rhinestone baubles from the craft sections of local stores. You can do the same in a beefier way with nailhead trim or even thumbtacks.
If you love the look of flickering hurricanes lining a front path, Southern Living suggests putting a fall spin on them by using oversize heirloom pumpkins in various shades of orange and green as bases. You’ll need glass hurricane vases, pillar candles, a pencil and carving knife. Start by tracing a circle around the top of the pumpkin stem that’s the same size (or a bit lager) than the diameter of your glass vase. Next, with a knife hollow out a shallow spot at the top of your pumpkin for the vase base to fit in and remain steady. Just set your vase with the candle in the cavity you created.
Combine flowers and pumpkins for a autumnal focal point for holiday dining tables or buffets. Carving out the inside of a pumpkin to use as a “flower vase” is common, but here’s a different, quick alternative from bhg.com: Simply use a power drill — or even a large nail and hammer — to pre-drill holes in a pumpkin in any pattern you desire. Cut autumn blossoms to size and insert the stems into the holes. The moisture will feed them; the display will keep for days.
Decoupage project
A leafy centerpiece pumpkin would make a lovely Thanksgiving decoration. Select autumn leaves, place them between paper towels and flatten them under a book for five days or more. Then brush decoupage glue on a white pumpkin (purchase a white one, or paint one) and arrange the leaves on the surface. Cut small slits along the edges of the leaves as you go so they’ll fit the pumpkin contours. To finish, coat the decorated pumpkin with decoupage glue.
Ideas are endless, but the fall holidays are not. Happy decorating, and Happy All Hallows’ Eve.
PUMPKIN MARTINI
Serves 1
Total time: 5 minutes
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons vodka
2 tablespoons half and half
1 tablespoon canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
(Source: realsimple.com)
SWEET AND SALTY PUMPKIN SEEDS
Serves 8
Hands on time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds (from 2 medium pumpkins), rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
(Source: realsimple.com)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.