Decorating Seasonal Decorating Fall These Easy Gold Pumpkins Add Glitz to Your Halloween Display Ditch the neighborhood carving contest. This year, make your pumpkins stand out by topping them with shiny metal leaf. By Hannah Bruneman Hannah Bruneman Hannah is a former editorial associate at BHG.com. In her 5 years at DotDash Meredith, her contributions focused on home renovation and decor trends. Her work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal, Southern Living, and more.Hannah began specializing in home decor and renovation trends while working under multiple Better Homes and Gardens special-interest publications, including magazines like Storage, Do It Yourself, Refresh, and Secrets of Getting Organized.Hannah received her BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from Drake University. She graduated in 2016 with a focus on Magazine Journalism. During her time at BHG.com, Hannah worked on photoshoots, where she created DIY crafts and completed beginner- to intermediate-level home improvement projects. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on October 19, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Project Overview Working Time: 1 hour Total Time: 2 hours Skill Level: Kid-friendly Carving a pumpkin is a lot of work, between the tracing, cleanup, and required upper-body strength. And all that work for a pumpkin that is going to rot in a few days! This year, extend the life of your pumpkin by decorating it with gold leaf. This easy no-carve pumpkin technique will leave your pumpkins dripping in gold. The look will last way past Halloween and fit right in with your other fall decor. Save your carving skills for the turkey, and follow our easy gold-leafing instructions below. Related: Want More No-Carve Pumpkins? Try These Easy Painted Pumpkins What You'll Need Equipment / Tools 1 1-inch flat paintbrush 1 Soft bristle brush Materials 1 White pumpkin 1 Metal leaf adhesive 1 Gold metal leaf Instructions Apply Adhesive Before you begin, wipe away any dirt or smudges from your pumpkin. Dip the tip of a 1-inch flat paintbrush in metal leaf adhesive and brush onto the top of your pumpkin, working from the stem across the top and slightly down each segment of the pumpkin. Drag the brush down the side a little so the adhesive has a ragged, uneven edge. Allow adhesive to dry thoroughly. It will be tacky when dry. Position Gold Leaf Carefully lay a piece of gold metal leaf on top of the pumpkin. Work very gently with the gold leaf as it breaks easily, and make sure your hands are clean of any adhesive to prevent it from sticking to your fingers. You may need to layer sheets of gold leaf to cover the entire area in which the adhesive was applied. Brush and Burnish Use a soft, dry brush to press the gold leaf into the adhesive and burnish it. The gold leaf will flake off wherever there is no adhesive. You can also use the palm of your hand to burnish the gold leaf. If you accidentally make a hole in the gold leaf while brushing, simply repeat step two by layering on a small piece of gold leaf.