21 inspired Halloween jack-o-lantern and pretty pumpkin ideas

We're well into spooky season, and we've already shared some wicked food art to create and some not-too-terrifying movies to watch for Halloweekend. But don't worry, we didn't overlook Halloween's starring squash. We've rounded up some impressive carved and no-carve creations on Instagram to help inspire you this season. Colourful, cute and a hint of spooky, below, a list of 21 pumpkin decorating ideas that will keep you crafting right up until All Hallow's Eve. 

Creative carvings

Pumpkins eating other pumpkins is a classic for a reason, and this take from West-Coast Canadian blogger Morning Sophie is juuust the right amount of creepy for Halloween-ifying porches. 

We love that this astrological sign-carved creation can be accomplished using a drill to make the constellations (hello less knife work!), and it twinkles just like the sky. 

While there may be other Hocus Pocus (one of our favourite Halloween movies for scaredy cats) jack-o-lanterns out there, this one's focus on the three witches' signature hairdos is what makes it such a standout.  

A little bit of paint, a super-simple carving job, some painted pumpkin seeds and a squash core turn this pumpkin into a super cute half-eaten apple — with or without the hedgehog. 

We could make a whole roundup out of the amazing pumpkin houses on Insta, but this adorable diorama really caught our attention. A simple carving idea, and a great way to jazz up a tabletop this season, we love that this design skips the intricate cutting for cute little add-ons. Plus, Ashley from Wood Lark shares the full how-to right here. 

This mask-clad pumpkin scene from artist Christopher Boffoli of Big Appetites Studio is perhaps the most 2020 jack-o-lantern out there, enough said.  

This carving cuts 'jack' out of the traditional jack-o-lantern and goes full-on lantern. We adore the light it gives off and the fun shadows it casts. 

This little diorama is definitely inspiring us to scrap the intricate carving designs and put our effort into tiny little (adorable!) props. 

Another pumpkin house to be inspired by! This one is very Halloween-themed and we love the use of modelling clay to get the details of the house juuuust right.  

No-carve creations

Kara Whitten shows how to turn plain old painted pumpkins into textural treasures with this tutorial for her weaving-inspired pumpkins. 

Pretty pumpkins, indeed! Blaire Fujimoto of Freshly Fuji shares a full how-to for these paint poured pumpkins in her Instagram caption above. 

Part spooky, part cute, pumpkins inspired by this painted, felt-eyed idea from Crafterward would be a delightful project to make with the little ones. And safer than carving! Learn how right here. 

These pumpkins are perfect for fall front door scapes — and Becca Courtice of the Happy Ever Crafter shares how to calligraphy your own creation using paint markers over at this tutorial on her site.  

This colourful creation from artist Jessi of EttaVee is inspiring us to pull out all the colours in our palettes and work some painted magic on a pumpkin this Halloween.

At first glance, this gorgeous, yet intricate floral design seems like it may be best left to the painting pros. But Ariel from PMQ for Two actually makes these pumpkins seem very doable in this detailed tutorial. 

One of the Instagram comments calls this creation from The Crafted Life "spooky cute" which is a most befitting description for this DIY. Serving up this spider-spotted pumpkin on a cake platter only adds to its cuteness — and the full tutorial is available on their site. 

These little pumpkin turtles may be the cutest pumpkins we've ever seen and they're the perfect inspo for some not-so-spooky tabletop decor this season. Get the how-to on the Aww Sam site. 

This faux watercolour look is actually made with permanent markers! Jennifer of The Craft Patch shows how to master this technique in this Instagram post. 

The classiest pumpkin of the bunch, with a sweet message and some added blooms! This would be a festive and fancy touch for the front porch to welcome you home.

Such a simple and fun way to work pipe cleaners into Halloween decor! We bet the kids would love to get in on this DIY — and the full how-to is on the Design Improvised site. 

Another stellar celestially-inspired design to attempt this Halloween. This one subs in a little hot glue for carving to make the constellations, and Tina Le shows how to DIY this look over on her YouTube channel.