Halloween 2012 Traditional Pumpkin Carving Ideas from HGTV

A simple, smiling jack-o'-lantern is a traditional element of Halloween decor. Check out these classic pumpkin carving ideas with a humorous twist.

Classic Jack

With a happy four-tooth smile and a triangle nose, this traditional jack-o-'lantern pattern has been around for decades. The simple, minimal carvings are easy to create for beginners, and the classic expression will never get old

Pumpkin Family

Dress up your porch by letting everyone in the family carve their own pumpkin. This set of jack-o'-lanterns evokes spooky elements of Halloween, except for the smiling, stalk-nosed pumpkin in front.

Scream-Worthy Carvings

Carving a face is fun, but words can deliver even more expression and drama. This startled jack-o'-lantern lets his mate do all the screaming. Eek!

Scary Sights

Halloween is the scariest holiday of the year, and these terrified pumpkins can certainly attest to this from their frightful expressions

Creepy Crawlers

Don't worry; this eight-legged creature is going nowhere. Spook your trick-or-treaters, neighbors and guests with a creepy spider carving sure to send shivers down their spines.

Troubled Teeth

If you want to bring an extra scary element to your simple jack-o'-lantern, use an array of scattered toothpicks as sharp and scraggly teeth.

Fright Night

Are you easily frightened during Halloween festivities? You're not alone. This terrified jack-o'-lantern has been scared stiff.

Spooked Illumination

Light up your late night porch with illuminated jack-o'-lanterns. After carving scary patterns, add candles inside your pumpkins to shine a yellow-orange hue through the carvings. 

Evil Eyes

Give your pumpkin a menacing expression to add a spooky feel to your porch or garden. Small, demonic horns and an extra-wide smile make this jack-o'-lantern even creepier.

Attention-Grabber

Perfect for children or those with minimal pumpkin-carving experience, this shouting pumpkin looks like he's ready to make a blaring statement.

Ghastly Expression

If you're hoping to really scare off Halloween intruders, this jack-o'-lantern can do the trick. The frightful ghost pumpkin uses his menacing eyes and angry grin to safeguard the garden during ghostly times

Shrinking Scarcity

This small pumpkin was originally carved to show an angry face, but the mouth has dried and shrunken to create a grimaced expression. 

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Halloween 2012 Ideas Spook Up Your Yard By H. Camille Smith

H. Camille Smith is a writer, fine artist and antique furniture devotee. As a former interior designer and Nickelodeon animator, she has a real passion for balanced, beautiful interiors with a touch of whimsy and punch of color. Camille shares a mid-century cottage with two exceptionally pampered pooches and rooms filled with carefully selected finds.


Alright, it’s countdown time people. Just 3 weeks until Halloween; it’s time to get a jump on making outdoor decorations. You’re in luck because I’ve gathered 4 killer projects, with accompanying printable templates, so you can haunt your home in style.

You could let your yard go to the birds 

Or give trick or treaters a fright 

Get your little ghouls to help

Or display a denizen of the dark

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Favorite Fall Decorating 2012 Ideas by H. Camille Smith

Shorter days and a crisp chill in the air certify that summer truly has come to an end. Now’s a great time to break out the cozy throws and warm up your home’s decor with a few fall touches.

Take a cue from designer Sarah Richardson and fill vintage vases with autumn-hued flowers.

For many of us, fall also signals the beginning of the holiday entertaining season  Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations are coming up fast. Get ready for the impending arrival of holiday guests by sprucing up areas of your home where guests gather, like the foyer: 

For a quick-and-easy fall fix up, take a stroll outdoors to gather colorful leaves. Suspended on fishing line over your dining room table, they create a magical falling-leaf effect.

Give faux pumpkins and gourds a fashion-forward makeover that will glam up both your Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations

Or download one of printable templates to put the finishing touch on your seasonal decor

by : H. Camille Smith

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Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Halloween 2012 By Kayla Kitts from HGTV

By : Kayla Kitts

Kayla Kitts is an assistant editor for HGTV.com. When she’s not scouring the internet for delicious design inspiration, she’s shopping for home decor to spruce up her apartment, spending quality time with D'Artagnan, her adopted cat, and finding any reason to be outside. Her favorite design style: eclectic with a vintage, retro vibe.

Don’t judge me when I say this: I didn’t carve my first Halloween pumpkin until I was in college. GASP! I know. Growing up, we were less into the pumpkin carving and decorating that goes into Halloween and more into the treats and dressing up. Now, pumpkin carving/decorating is a tradition for me, especially now that you can do more than just carve a silly grin across its face. (Chevrons and silhouettes, anyone?) Here are some cute, quirky and even sophisticated pumpkin-carving ideas to get your porch ready for Halloween.

Parsnip and Carrot Pumpkin Family

Use vegetables, craft foam and accessories to create a loving, or scary, pumpkin family. (Go ahead and grab the kids for this one!)

Monogrammed Pumpkin

Add a sophisticated and personalized touch to your indoor or outdoor decor with this simple monogrammed pumpkin project.

Cute Owl Pumpkin:

Keep the owl trend going strong with this easy-to-make pumpkin project. Bonus: It requires no patterns or carving skills.

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Halloween Welcome Sign for a Front Porch 2012 Ideas from HGTV

This project is easy and inexpensive and certainly one in which the kids can help. We took a thrift-store frame, wrapped the inside with yarn and cotton to make it look like a spider web. Then spiders and a "Welcome" message were hung within the webbing.

Tools and Materials

scissors
hammer
black paint and a paintbrush
large wood frame
small wire nails
4 to 8 felt furniture pads
small toy spiders
white cotton spider webbing
yellow or orange yarn
black letters
picture hanging kit if not already attached to frame

Paint the Frame

Paint the frame black and let it dry.

Nail and Pad the Back

On the back of the frame, along the edge, hammer in the small wire nails. Insert the nails so only about a 1/4" is sticking out of the frame.

Place the felt pads on the back of the frame along the corners so the nails will not scratch the house or door.

String the Yarn

Wrap the yarn on the wires going back and forth across the frame in a random pattern. Tie off the yarn periodically.

Add Webbing

Behind the yarn, stretch out some of the white cotton material along the same nails.

Place Your Message

Place the letters in a random pattern onto the yarn, close enough together so you can read the word "Welcome". We used self-adhesive, store-bought letters, but you can print out your own message on sticky paper.

Add Spiders

Place the spiders along the front and tuck into the yarn and webbing.

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Fall Outdoor Decorating 2012 Ideas

Add to the natural autumn beauty of your yard with harvest inspired outdoor decorations. This ideas will span the season from September to Thanksgiving.

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Welcoming Fall Entryway 2012 Ideas from HGTV

When Thanksgiving guests enter your home, the first space they see should be both beautiful and inviting. Elevate the seasonal feel of your entryway with a warm fall arrangement that is both natural and elegant.

By : Marian Parsons

Warm and Welcoming

Natural elements, the warm tones of burnished wood, tarnished silver and a touch of gold make this fall entry arrangement inviting and interesting. An antique beadboard door hung horizontally provides a rustic, primitive backdrop. 

Rustic Meets Refined

A slightly tarnished silver champagne bucket holds natural, dried twigs collected during a stroll outdoors. Mixing fancier pieces with the humble provides an excellent visual contrast. A handmade "merci" clay tag is hung from the bucket with twine to hint at the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Custom Greetings

A homemade chalkboard is inserted in an antique wooden frame as a place to write autumn greetings, song lyrics, poems or verses. It can be easily made by cutting a piece of Masonite to size and painting it with two coats of chalkboard paint.

Moss Isn't Just for Spring

A small acorn squash is surrounded by a bed of reindeer moss to keep it steady and add fluffy texture. Mosses can also be used to make topiaries and to simply fill wood or silver bowls.

Fringes and Feathers

A scrap of burlap fabric is unraveled around the edges and used as a casual runner in this centerpiece. Guinea-fowl feathers were collected from a local farm and put on display. Feathers can also be purchased at craft stores and look especially beautiful in vases or fashioned into wreaths

Spell It Out

Use gold-leafed resin letters to spell out a greeting or announce the season. Letters made of metal, chipboard or wood would also look fitting in an autumn display. 

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Thanksgiving Table Settings Decoration 2012 Ideas from HGTV

Whether your taste in tablescapes is subdued or sumptuous, get ready to give thanks in style. Browse photos of beautiful Thanksgiving table settings, centerpieces and accessories for ideas and inspiration.

By : Shannon Petrie

Natural Elements

Look to nature for easy, elegant ways to embellish your Thanksgiving table. Rate My Space user chasingpaige brought the beautiful colors of fall to her table by incorporating gourds and pumpkins into her centerpiece and topping each place setting with a pear.

Personalized Pumpkins

Small details can make a big impact on your Thanksgiving table. Try tying handmade place cards to mini pumpkins for a personal touch that will make guests feel special. Design by Holly Mathis.

Fall Florals

Create a floral centerpiece fit for Thanksgiving by adding berries or mini pumpkins to an arrangement of red, orange and yellow flowers. Rate My Space user patrick paired this warm floral centerpiece with ice-blue place mats for a striking contrast.

Appealing Palette

Choosing a color scheme is a great starting point for setting your Thanksgiving table. Rate My Space user nyclq opted for chocolate brown contrasted with crisp white — a perfect palette for fall that also complements her dining room's decor.

Candleholder Conversion

Try using items you already own in a creative and unexpected way when designing your Thanksgiving tablescape. Rate My Space user Baubles found that candleholders also make great pedestals for mini pumpkins.

Less Is More

A Thanksgiving table doesn't have to be over the top to be beautiful. Rate My Space user luvmynugz paired a few subtle fall elements with neutral-colored dinnerware for a look that's understated yet elegant.

Adaptable Dinnerware

Investing in a versatile set of china makes setting your table for the holidays a cinch. Rate My Space user eriedecor uses china embellished with fruit and acorns from November to January, changing the accessories and color scheme for each holiday. Chocolate brown and khaki are her hues of choice for fall.

The Look for Less

If you want to create an elaborate Thanksgiving tablescape on a budget, scour stores for marked-down or slightly damaged items. Rate My Space user and smart shopper Tamgypsy got a turkey centerpiece at a discount because it was chipped. A bit of glitter to cover the imperfections, and the bird is as good as new.

Dressed-Up Basics

You don't have to buy brand-new dinnerware to create a beautiful Thanksgiving table. Rate My Space user decorating4fun topped simple white plates with crimson napkins for a splash of rich, fall color.

Rustic Elegance

Don't be afraid to mix textures and patterns when setting your Thanksgiving table. Rate My Space user GritsandGlamour paired glossy, gold chargers with course burlap to create a rich look perfect for fall.

Thanksgiving Glam

For a chic fall table, try combining traditional and trendy pieces. Rate My Space user veron paired stylish black-and-white plates with glitzy accessories in classic fall orange.

Vivid Color

As the weather cools down, warm up your dining room with rich reds and oranges. Rate My Space user zahirah1 topped off her welcoming Thanksgiving table with a glowing, candle centerpiece.

Decorative Dishes

Often inexpensive, seasonal plates in bold patterns and colors instantly add pizzazz to any Thanksgiving table. Design by Rate My Space user flamingjune.

Soaring Centerpiece

If your table setting is simple, spice it up with a dramatic focal point. Fall branches spilling from a tall vase add interest to Rate My Space user Faby's Thanksgiving table.

Topped With a Bow

Your Thanksgiving tablescape isn't limited to the table itself. Rate My Space user barbrowe even dressed up her chairs with large bronze bows, putting the finishing touch on a lavish setting.

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