DIY String and Nail Art Pumpkins

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A pretty and fun no-carve pumpkin decor idea for Halloween! Use nails and embroidery thread to add decorations, patterns, or words to pumpkins. These string and nail art pumpkins are a cool, modern, and fun take on Halloween decor!

string and nail art pumpkins

String and nail art is such a cool take on pumpkin decorating!

I had been wanting to try this technique for a while, so my poor pumpkin became a pincushion for the good of us all. Actually, he was pretty chill about it.

This one is easier than it looks, so let’s get crackin’ on these string and nail art pumpkins.

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 Halloween ideas straight to ya!

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Supplies You’ll Need

Materials

A couple of notes about your 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.

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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How to Make String and Nail ARt Pumpkins

  1. Begin by lightly sketching a design on the pumpkin. I kind of wanted it to look like a thought bubble, so I did the little swoopy bubble with words in it. You can make whatever your little heart desires.
  2. Push nails into the pumpkin along your sketched lines. The more detailed or curvy the lines, the more nails you’ll have to use. For straight lines, I kept my nails about a half-inch apart. If you need the hammer to tap them in, do a test run first. It doesn’t take much pressure. Also, be ready for the pumpkin to ooze a little bit of liquid at each nail hole. Just let it be or clean it up with a paper towel.
  3. Tie one end of a long strand of embroidery thread to one of the nails and hide the knot. Begin to work your way around the design, stringing the thread between nails.
  4. Keep criss-crossing the thread at random, being sure to outline the design at least once for definition. It helps to loop the thread all the way around nails rather than just around one side of them. When you’re done, tie another hidden knot around one of the nails and snip the end.
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Happy Halloween!

This thing was oddly therapeutic to make! It’s a really fun one to see come together once it takes shape.

I put one of these little guys on top of it so it looked like he was the one saying “Boo.” I gave that little pumpkin a big job and he did it like a champ. xoxo

string and nail art pumpkins

String & Nail Art Pumpkins

Yield: String and Nail Art Pumpkins
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $15

A pretty and fun no-carve pumpkin decor idea for Halloween! Use nails and embroidery thread to add decorations, patterns, or words to pumpkins. These string and nail are pumpkins are a cool, modern, and fun take on Halloween decor!

Materials

  • Pumpkins (real or faux)
  • Small nails
  • Pencil
  • Embroidery thread

Tools

  • Scissors
  • Hammer (optional)

Instructions

  1. Begin by lightly sketching a design on the pumpkin. I kind of wanted it to look like a thought bubble, so I did the little swoopy bubble with words in it. You can make whatever your little heart desires.
  2. Push nails into the pumpkin along your sketched lines. The more detailed or curvy the lines, the more nails you'll have to use. For straight lines, I kept my nails about a half-inch apart. If you need the hammer to tap them in, do a test run first. It doesn't take much pressure. Also, be ready for the pumpkin to ooze a little bit of liquid at each nail hole. Just let it be or clean it up with a paper towel.
  3. Tie one end of a long strand of embroidery thread to one of the nails and hide the knot. Begin to work your way around the design, stringing the thread between nails.
  4. Keep criss-crossing the thread at random, being sure to outline the design at least once for definition. It helps to loop the thread all the way around nails rather than just around one side of them. When you're done, tie another hidden knot around one of the nails and snip the end.

Notes

A couple of notes about your 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.

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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