Coastal Pumpkins!

Coastal Pumpkins!

26th Oct 2023

Halloween is here and it is a wonderful opportunity to decorate the front porch of your cottage with beach-styled pumpkins. We at Cottage & Bungalow are the Coastal Home Headquarters so it would be amiss of us if we didn't share our favorite coastal pumpkin decoration inspiration! 

Painted Pumpkins

We love the way the folks at Sand and Sisal have created this collection of pumpkins with simple tools like paint, sand, and an xacto knife. With starfish, coral, anchor and waves, these beautiful creations are the perfect representation of the coast!  

We get the question around decorating vs. carving pumpkins a lot.  Both are wonderful and decorative; however, painted pumpkins have a few advantages to call out - (1) Less mess! You don't have to cut or remove seeds/pulp, you simply paint the pumpkin as is, (2) Lasts longer! Since the pumpkin is not cut open, it can theoretically last the entire season and not just around Halloween, and (3) More options! The sky is the limit - or rather, the sea is the limit - to how many designs, colors, themes, etc. you can create!

Coastal Painted Pumpkins

Image courtesy: Sand and Sisal

Decoupage!

Coastal Pumpkin Family

Image Courtesy: Living Porpoisefully

Just look at this picture perfect family! These spectacular beauties have been decorated with unexpected items like paper napkins and rope. Follow the detailed directions from Living Porpoisefully and you'll end up with a group of creative pumpkins yourself!  We love that these designs use things you could find around your coastal/beach house and can turn into art.  It is a wonderful way to reuse and repurpose those scraps leftover from another project.

Mod Podge

Image Courtesy: Crafts by Courtney

Another beautiful and simple way to decorate your pumpkin is using scrapbook paper and mod podge, like Crafts by Courtney.  Courtney also adds a bit of sparkle with the gold spray painted stems.  These beautiful and easy to find prints prints are a fun way to decorate with a beach/coastal theme.   Your local craft store will have many choices of scrapbook paper to choose from to customize your fall look.


Coastal Pumpkin Carving

Carving Coastal Pumpkins

Image courtesy: Benchmark Management

There's nothing like traditionally carving a pumpkin but if we're on the coast, why not do it coastal-style? Plan your coastal design on paper or directly on the pumpkin. Coastal design ideas include starfish, sailboats, dolphins, anchors, crabs, and sunsets over the sea. Keep your design simple or elaborate depending on your carving skills. We simply love this beach-inspired collection of carved pumpkins!

A coastal vibe for your home can begin on your front porch. Incorporating the seasons of the year into the overall decor definitely makes a home more warm and inviting. We hope we have inspired you to add creative coastal design to your Halloween decor this year!