Tuesday Tutorial: The Uncarved Pumpkin

Pumpkin carving may be a great tradition, but it isn't the safest nor the the easiest task to manage - especially with little helpers at your side. So consider putting your knives away in favour of these no-carve solutions for the scariest (or cutest) pumpkin on the block, even if it means you'll have to head out to buy some seeds for roasting.

1. The Chalkboard Pumpkin: This is one pumpkin that won't get old! We've done an entire wall and kids play table top with this stuff (we've tried both RustOleum and Benjamin Moore) and it was hard to stop there. Not only do the kids love to draw with chalk but they can also "paint" with brushes and plain water (it's slightly deceiving but it works!). You can find RustOleum at Rona - we'd love it if they had it in a spray can as it's a much quicker job, but sadly we think this is only available to our neighbours down south which might be a good thing or everything in our house would be sprayed.

2. The Metallic Pumpkin: We love the way these shades look together and they are great to display indoors for the rest of the fall as a centrepiece (that is, if you still have fancy adult tables to set). We've seen lots of spray-on metallic shades at Walmart on the cheap. The more coats you apply the richer the metallic finish will be.

3. The White Pumpkin: There is something so elegant about a white pumpkin whether on its own or mixed in with brighter pumpkins in various sizes. Chances are you won't find a real one around here, but you can fake it with a little help from a can of matte white paint. Chances are your little Cinderella might mistake it for her carriage.

4. The Crafty Pumpkin: Get out your glue guns! Affix ribbons, buttons, tissue, thread, pompoms - whatever you've got handy to create a really fun kid-friendly pumpkin that your older ones can certainly help decorate.

General tips:

All of the above work best with craft pumpkins (bonus: you'll be able to use them for years to come). If you're choosing to paint your pumpkin, be sure to paint or spray in a well-ventilated area and let it dry at room temperature. For best results apply three coats and be sure to cover the pumpkin stem with painters tape before you start.

Happy Uncarving!