These pretty nailhead trim pumpkins are a perfect alternative to pumpkin carving or painting! They’re rustic, lovely, and so simple to make.
Sometimes, you just don’t wanna carve a pumpkin. Sometimes you wanna stick nails in it instead. This is one of those times.
We had some extra furniture nails laying around from this project, and I got it stuck in my head that they’d look really cool in some black and white pumpkins.
So we headed to our local pumpkin patch and picked some winners, came home, and got to work. This is one of those projects that’s kind of a no-brainer.
Psst — before you dive in, be sure to sign up below for my VIP group so that I can send more of my very best DIY ideas right to ya.
Pumpkin Ideas That Don’t Need Carving
I love this idea most of all because there’s no carving mess!
We have a huge library of no-carve Halloween pumpkin decorating ideas. I’ve rounded up some of my favorites so that they’re all here in one place for you.
Be sure to pin your favorites so that you can easily find them again.
- DIY String & Nail Art Pumpkin
- Painted Pumpkins with Gold Botanical Pattern for Fall
- DIY Painted Mini Pumpkins
- Make Herringbone Mini Pumpkins for Fall Decor
- Pumpkin Hocus Pocus Decorations for Halloween
Supplies You’ll Need
Nailhead Trim. We happened to have a whole bunch of nailhead trim left over from an old project, but you don’t even necessarily need furniture nails — you could use regular nails, thumbtacks, sewing pins with colored heads, or a number of other items. Just see what you have laying around in your toolbox or crafty stuff.
Pumpkins. The pumpkins you see pictured are real pumpkins. However, you could just as easily do this project with faux pumpkins! Opting for fake pumpkins would have the added benefit of being able to store them and use them for decor year after year.
One note about using fresh pumpkins! Be aware that any time you puncture a fresh pumpkin, you start the decomposition process. So if you plan on using fresh, you might want to create this project close to Halloween so that the pumpkin doesn’t decompose too much before the big day.
How to Make Nailhead Trim Pumpkins
This DIY is so simple it barely needs instructions, but I do have a few helpful tips.
- It helps to visualize the pattern or image you want on your pumpkin before you start pressing in the nails. You can draw light lines with a pencil to sketch in your image or pattern. If you start without a sketch, you risk pressing nails into your pumpkin and having to remove them, leaving open holes.
- Once you have your sketch or your idea, start pressing in your nails. You most likely won’t need a hammer, especially if you’re using fresh pumpkins. Faux pumpkins might provide more resistance as you press in the nails, but you’ll still most likely be able to just push the nails in like thumbtacks.
- If you’re using a fresh pumpkin, you can expect a bit of juice to run from the holes initially. Just wipe this away and once the wound heals it will stop running.
- Continue inserting nails until your design is complete!
Display Your PUmpkins
There are so many designs you could do with these! I love the idea of monograms, or each pumpkin having a different letter on it to spell out a word.
Display these on a front porch, a buffet or sideboard, or on your mantel.
Happy Halloween! xoxo
Nailhead Trim Pumpkins
These pretty nailhead trim pumpkins are a perfect alternative to pumpkin carving or painting! They're rustic, lovely, and so simple to make.
Materials
- Pumpkins (real or faux)
- Nailhead trim
Tools
- Cloth
Instructions
- It helps to visualize the pattern or image you want on your pumpkin before you start pressing in the nails. You can draw light lines with a pencil to sketch in your image or pattern. If you start without a sketch, you risk pressing nails into your pumpkin and having to remove them, leaving open holes.
- Once you have your sketch or your idea, start pressing in your nails. You most likely won't need a hammer, especially if you're using fresh pumpkins. Faux pumpkins might provide more resistance as you press in the nails, but you'll still most likely be able to just push the nails in like thumbtacks.
- If you're using a fresh pumpkin, you can expect a bit of juice to run from the holes initially. Just wipe this away and once the wound heals it will stop running.
- Continue inserting nails until your design is complete!
Notes
Nailhead Trim. We happened to have a whole bunch of nailhead trim left over from an old project, but you don't even necessarily need furniture nails -- you could use regular nails, thumbtacks, sewing pins with colored heads, or a number of other items. Just see what you have laying around in your toolbox or crafty stuff.
Pumpkins. The pumpkins you see pictured are real pumpkins. However, you could just as easily do this project with faux pumpkins! Opting for fake pumpkins would have the added benefit of being able to store them and use them for decor year after year.
One note about using fresh pumpkins! Be aware that any time you puncture a fresh pumpkin, you start the decomposition process. So if you plan on using fresh, you might want to create this project close to Halloween so that the pumpkin doesn't decompose too much before the big day.
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