Even if you aren’t a Halloween enthusiast, you’ll be entranced by some of the clever pumpkins and scarecrows I’ve rounded up. Children love holidays, and they especially love the magical countdown before the bewitching hour of Halloween. They select costumes, they make annual pilgrimages to local farms in hopes of bringing home the biggest pumpkins, and they love decorations. Yes, unfortunately, even tacky ones.
I’ve never been a huge advocate of covering my house with spider webs, but my children always loved the little scarecrow village we assembled each October. Something about miniature villages, built strategically at the eye level of wee ones, create magic. You don’t have to own the biggest inflatable yard decoration in the neighborhood to create special memories, and I’ve collected some of my favorite Halloween ideas to prove it!
pumpkin woodland diorama
This lovely little pumpkin diorama by Hello Lidy is one of my favorites. If you’re not keen on bats and boiling kettles, try a woodland scene with a bashful deer or sly fox. I just love its simplicity.
pumpkin fairy garden
If you’ve been intrigued by the trendy fairy gardens popping up on Pinterest, here’s your chance to give one your own signature style. Why not make it a magical haven for happy gnomes and friendly ghosts? This tutorial by HGTV takes you through all the steps to build your nature-inspired fairy garden.
pumpkin houses
I ran across this photo (on the left) and was instantly mesmerized. Why not fashion a pumpkin into your own little house? I can envision one with a tiny boardwalk on a sandy beach, or a pumpkin lodge nestled on a snowy mountain top. Then I thought, “How cute would a pumpkin RV be?” I kid you not, so I googled it and found this (photo on right)! The ideas for transforming a pumpkin (either real or plastic) into your own miniature abode are endless!
scarecrow village
This miniature scarecrow village from My French Twist is simple but very sweet. I assembled this for my sons until they were teenagers. Of course, by that age, they were only interested in eating the miniature candies lining its pumpkin patch!
haunted die-orama
Trying to dig these friendly pumpkin vignettes but just not feeling it? Okay, if you must go scary, try this idea from The Art of Doing Stuff. Not only is it eerie when lit up at night, this chilling diorama would make Edgar Allen Poe proud, especially the raven.
So many ideas… where to start? Pumpkins and scarecrows and ghosts, oh my!
