10 amazing alternative ideas for your pumpkin (no carving involved!)

It's that time of year again.

And while we are not saying that fangs and spiderwebs aren't charming too, the thing is, when it comes to Halloween decor, nothing beats the humble pumpkin. There is no getting around the fact that carving them, however, can be a bit of a nightmare. But if all that gunk and mess and the use of sharp knives is putting you off, fear not; we got you covered. Here are 10 OTHER ways you can decorate with pumpkins - and may we just say, some of these are probably WAY prettier than your jaggedly carved Jack-o-lantern would turn out anyway! 1. Ombre pumpkin It is only fair to say that we are obsessed with all things ombre. Maybe that's why we fell head over heels with this stunner of a pumpkin over at lifestyle blog Camille Styles. 2. Chalk paint pumpkins Painting pumpkins is such a great activity to get stuck into - just make sure you do out it out in the garden or cover up your table properly first. These chalk paint ones we found at Perfectly Imperfect are a more grown up version - and will look great on your hallway table as an autumnal focal point. 3. Desert Oasis Painted Pumpkins Yes, they look complicated, but actually, we think they are totally doable – and just imagine how impressed with yourself you will be! Idea and image from WeAreDreamers.com 4. Watercolour and gold pumpkins Again one that is perfect for those of us who are not particularly artistic. Use whatever colours you have or prefer. Once the paint is dry, cover the stem in glue, and dip it into glitter. Glam-tastic! As seen on Nestofposies-blog.com. 5. Glitter dipped pumpkins We literally can't get enough of gold glitter these days, and so these pumpkins we spotted over at Refinery29 are a must-make. 6. Gold pen pumpkins These adorable mini pumpkins we spotted at Lovelyindeed.com will look great displayed in a big glass bowl - perfect for giving your dining table or kitchen island that little Halloween touch. You can buy white mini pumpkins at most good greengrocers this time of year, or alternatively, paint standard ones with white chalk paint. All you need then is a gold marker and some creative flair. We think these geometric patterns are very chic! 7. Confetti dot pumpkin How cute is this polka dot pumpkin?! All you need is a white pumpkin (painted if you can't lay your hands on a naturally white one) and some pinboard pins in a variety of colours. You can pick these up at any large stationary shop, like Easons. Found here. 8. DIY Lace Pumpkins Expecting dinner guests and need some seasonal table decor in a hurry? Look no further than these sweet little pumpkins we found at 365hangers.com. All they have done here is recreate a lace-like pattern using a white marker. You could do this with paint too, but would need to be cautious of it being too runny. 9. Tissue Paper Pumpkin Do you remember how as a child you used to cut out beautiful snowflake shapes from coloured tissue paper? Don't worry if you have forgotten, a quick Pinterest search will sort you out. Anyway, did you know that you can glue these to white pumpkins (using paint-on invisible glue) and get the sweetest looking pumpkins EVER? Just try! Found here. 10. Crayon drip pumpkin These gorgeous pumpkins by Thecraftycow.net are a little more time-consuming to make, but will be well worth your time as they look so darn cute. They are also a great way of using up all those stubby bits of crayon that you - if you have kids - no doubt have floating about. All you need is crayons - in whatever colour you want or need to get rid of - and a hairdryer. Place pumpkin on top of old newspapers. Use the hairdryer to melt the crayon, then drip little drops of colour onto the top half of your pumpkin. Set to dry. We are SO doing this!