Bead-Decorated Pumpkin

Avoid the mess of a carved pumpkin while adding a note of sophistication to your Halloween or fall decorating. These elegantly decorated pumpkins are easy and quick to make, and will last longer than a carved pumpkin.

• Large and small pumpkins
• Beaded garland
• Straight pins
• Wide wire-edged ribbon
• Star sequins
• Quilting pins
• Beading wire
• Beads

To make the large beaded pumpkin, attach one end of the beaded garland at the top of the pumpkin at the base of the stem. Hold the garland in place with a pin. Loop the garland down approximately half way and bring back up to the stem and pin in place. Continue making loops around the entire pumpkin top. Tie a generous bow made from wide wire-edged ribbon around the stem.

For a variation, use a star garland instead of a beaded garland.

To make the small beaded pumpkin, attach star sequins randomly using quilting pins to secure. Make three beaded strands by threading beads on lengths of wire. Add a star sequin to the end, if desired. Secure one end of the wire to hold the beads in place. Leave 1 inch of wire at the opposite end to poke into the pumpkin next to the stem.

For a quicker version of this project, delete the beaded strands and use only the star sequins.