Frugal Halloween Decor: DIY Paper Pumpkin Decorating

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Do you ever get tired of carving pumpkins? Do you wonder what other ways there are to give your pumpkins some design and style? Luckily, there is! This Halloween, you won’t even have to touch a carving knife if you don’t want to. Instead, why not use the simplicity of paper to decorate ole’ Jack? It is a lot easier than you think, and the finished product is a unique and even somewhat vintage inspired design on your pumpkin. Not sure where to get started? If you have some glue and an old book, you are ready to begin. Take a look below at how easy it is to complete this DIY paper pumpkin decorating project. When you use paper to decorate your pumpkins, your options are just about endless. Take a peek!

Frugal Halloween Decor: DIY Paper Pumpkin Decorating

Supplies Needed for this frugal Halloween decor project:

• A fresh or faux pumpkin
• Craft glue
• Paint brush
• Old dictionary or book pages
• Scissors

I was able to find all of the supplies for this project at my local craft stores, dollar stores, and thrift stores. The pumpkin came from a craft store for just a few dollars. Craft glue, scissors, and brushes can be easily found at your local dollar store. Last but not least, you can find old books such as dictionaries at your local thrift store, or grab a chapter book at your dollar store.

Directions:

1. You are going to use the paper as your basic decorating medium. The words and print on the page will give it some variety and encourage the vintage feel. To begin, tear pages out of the book and lay each one flat. Then, try cutting your paper into long strips. Set aside.
2. Cut the paper into zig zags or chevrons. Make these in various widths. Set aside.
3. Cut out some circles in various sizes and set aside.
4. You can cut out letters if you wish in various sizes, set aside.
5. Now, you have a large selection of cut outs to work with. Using your paint brush and craft glue, brush some glue on each piece of paper and arrange it onto the pumpkin.
6. Press each piece of paper firmly into place. Apply a second layer of glue over it to seal it into place. Allow time to dry before displaying.

As you can see from our example pictures, you can arrange the strips and pieces of paper in several ways. You can cover the pumpkin in fun and funky polka dots. You can get a more serious look by running the chevron strips across the pumpkin. Or, you can run the solid strips down the pumpkin for a clean and classic look. Why not gather a variety of pumpkins and try several of these ideas. The pumpkins sure will look neat all grouped together.

See how easy it is to use nothing but simple paper as your decorating element? You can forget the paint, forget the carving knife, and forget the mess. Instead, give this idea a try and see how fun it can be decorating pumpkins with nothing but book pages. Who knew?

Happy decorating! Looking for another great frugal Halloween decor project? Check out our DIY Paper Bag Pumpkins!