Get Into The Spooky Spirit With These 5 Halloween Pumpkin Ideas

The humble pumpkin has become an iconic symbol of Halloween due to the practice of carving jack o' lanterns, and at Spotlight we have so many ways for you to bring this beautiful squash into your home this October. From cute Halloween crafts to scary Halloween pumpkin carving designs, our Halloween pumpkin ideas are sure to get you into a wholesome Halloween mood at home!

Quick Links

1. Ready Made Pumpkin Halloween Costumes
2. Make Your Own Pumpkin Outfit And Accessories
3. Form Your Halloween Pumpkin Crafts
4. How To Carve A Halloween Pumpkin
5. Create Halloween Pumpkin Designs Without Carving

1. Ready Made Pumpkin Halloween Costumes

If you want a quick and easy solution to your costume woes, then our ready-made pumpkin Halloween costumes are just the thing you need. From a simple pumpkin tabard to a terrifying pumpkin ghoul costume, we have pumpkin Halloween costumes to suit your level of scary.

Both our adult costumes and kids' costumes can be shopped for in-store or delivered straight to your front door at your convenience. So browse the collection and find the perfect pumpkin Halloween costumes now!

2. Make Your Own Pumpkin Outfit And Accessories

Spotlight has all the sewing supplies and fabrics you need to create your own full pumpkin Halloween costumes and themed accessories at home. These include:

• Adorably spooky baby costumes like a little jack o'lantern (with matching hat) or witch costume can be found in our baby sewing patterns
• Super cute kid's Halloween costumes like a scarecrow, ghost, skeletons and jack o' lanterns can be found in our kid's costume patterns.
• For a simple, eye-catching and easy-to-make pumpkin-themed accessory, try making our Spook Pumpkin Beanie This knitting project is suitable for beginners and creates a comfy beanie you can wear all year round!

3. Form Your Halloween Pumpkin Crafts and Home Decor

If you love getting crafty at home, try making some of our Halloween pumpkin craft projects! Creating cute pumpkin crafts that you can display at home is a great way to add a personal touch to your Halloween home decor.

• Halloween Painted Pumpkins: Simple but stunning, this project will help you create a bright, colourful and sparkly pumpkin that's perfect for displaying during Halloween. Using small faux pumpkins, you can create gorgeously-coloured crafts that are perfect to stack, pile and show off in your home.
• Hessian Pumpkins: These rustic pumpkins will test your dying and sewing skills. The final product is a homely, wonderfully textured hessian pumpkin that looks perfect on any shelf or table.
• Papier Mache Halloween Pumpkin: This fun craft project is suitable for young and experienced crafters alike, and is an easy alternative to the traditional jack-o' lantern. Alternate paper or LED light colours to create a unique papier mache pumpkin that'll look amazing on your front porch come Halloween evening.
• Halloween Tea Light Candle Jars: If you can't get your hands on anything pumpkin-shaped but still want the jack-o' lantern experience, this is the project for you. With a warm glow from an internal tea light and a delightful expression just like a jack-o' lantern, these super-cute jars are a fun craft activity for all ages.
• Fabric Pumpkins: Choose your favourite Halloween fabric and create a puffy pumpkin with this easy sewing project. Make small, medium or large pumpkins and fill your home with these sensational squashes!

These projects will create many unique Halloween pumpkin decorations you can display, both inside and outside the home. For more spooky crafts to make, browse through our Halloween projects page.

4. How To Carve A Halloween Pumpkin

Carving a pumpkin into that iconic jack o' lantern grin can be intimidating, especially if you haven't done it before! Here are some of our best tips and tricks for creating an authentic jack-o'lantern this October:

• Use a golden nugget pumpkin or Connecticut field pumpkin for the most authentic-looking jack-o' lantern. These pumpkins are almost perfectly round and orange, with a thinner rind that is easier to carve through. Try to choose a pumpkin with a stem (better looking) and a flat bottom, which will help the pumpkin stay steady as you carve it. Never carry your pumpkin by the stem, because if it comes off your pumpkin will quickly rot and wither.
• Draw your design on your pumpkin using washable markers, so you can remove the design later, or copy it onto a piece of paper, stick the paper over your pumpkin and poke holes using a fork or pin through the paper into your pumpkin to make an outline you can cut out later.
• Use a thin knife with a saw-like blade to cut out your design. For safety reasons, always cut away from your body and not towards it.
• Cut the lid at an inward 45-degree angle, so the lid doesn't fall into the pumpkin. You might also like to cut a small notch as you carve around your lid so it's obvious how to put the lid back correctly when you're done.
• Or cut a hole from the bottom, which prevents your pumpkin from collapsing prematurely and allows you to simply pop your jack-o' lantern over a candle.
• Keep the pumpkin seeds for roasting! Mix with a little oil and salt and you've got yourself a tasty roasted snack.
• Create a small 'chimney' in your jack-o' lantern if you are using a real candle, so heat and any smoke has a way to escape your pumpkin. A small hole cut into the lid of the jack o' lantern will suffice.
• Thin the walls where you will be carving the face of your jack-o' lantern so it's easier to cut through.
• Petroleum jelly can be added to the freshly cut surfaces of your pumpkin to help keep them looking fresh.

5. Create Halloween Pumpkin Designs Without Carving

If carving a fresh pumpkin isn't your cup of tea, don't worry - there are plenty of other fun ways you can decorate them without bringing out the saw knife! Some of our favourite ways include:

• Create Halloween pumpkin designs by gluing on small craft accessories, like buttons, sequins or something spooky like fake spiders.
• Paint your pumpkin instead of carving it! Make sure to clean your pumpkin with a damp, soapy cloth (avoid wetting the stem) and then dry it with a rag before priming to help your acrylic paint stay on longer. Then seal at the end for a shiny finish.
• Add faux greenery and flowers for a more natural-looking pumpkin if you're not going for a fully scary Halloween.
• Add accessories like googly eyes, hats, headphones, a wig, or glasses to give your pumpkin some character! You can even give them their own mini Halloween costumes, like bandages for a mummy, a red nose for a clown or a scary mask.

Bring Your Halloween Pumpkin Ideas To Life With Spotlight

Celebrate the pumpkin this Halloween with the craft and party experts at Spotlight! Check out our craft and party hubs online or at your nearest store to find everything you need for your Halloween pumpkin craft and decor ideas. Shop the whole Halloween range at Spotlight this spooky season including Halloween craft supplies, Halloween costumes and Halloween decorations all in one place.

And for more Halloween hijinx, check out our blogs on throwing the ultimate Halloween party (or a last-minute Halloween party), as well as our Halloween makeup tutorials!