7 Pumpkin Decorations for Every Autumn Holiday

Image: Alex G. (cc)

Fall decorations are some of the most colorful and creative decorations of the year! With so many natural resources available in the fall, it would be a shame to not incorporate them you’re your home’s decorations. Whether you’re decorating for Thanksgiving, Halloween, or just autumn in general, here are some fun and creative ways that you can use pumpkins to spruce things up around the house!

1. Pumpkin Jack-O-Lantern

The Jack-O-Lantern is a classic Halloween decoration, so how could we not include it in our list of pumpkin decorations? An oldie-but-a-goodie, this trademark Halloween decoration will always be one of the symbolic figureheads of October 31st.

2. Pumpkin Planter Pot 

Image: Wayne Wilkinson (cc)

Another great way to decorate with pumpkins is to turn them into a festive fall planter. This is an especially nice decoration for the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving table. Hollow out the center of the pumpkin and cut off the top. You can either put a layer of soil inside the pumpkin, or simply use the pumpkin shell as a vase. Place an arrangement of seasonal grasses and flowers inside the pumpkin, and you have a beautiful flower planter that will look great either inside or outside your home!

3. Indoor Pumpkin Candleholders

To add a seasonal, elegant look to your home’s interior, purchase several small pumpkins (sometimes called Jack-Be-Littles) and hollow them out just like you would a regular Jack-O-Lantern. Instead of carving a face into the pumpkin, however, simply use an electric drill to make a number of circular holes in the rind. Make as many, or as few, holes as you want, and put a tea candle inside the mini pumpkins. Arrange the candleholders on your dining room table or you living room coffee table and your family wil love the warm glow they give off. For very small pumpkins, it’s likely best to keep the pumpkin’s top removed while the candles are lit. However, if you make larger candleholders out of medium-sized pumpkins, you can safely leave the tops on.

4. Pumpkin Potpourri

Create a decoration that will also warm your home with the smell of autumn and Thanksgiving. Hollow out the inside of a medium to large pumpkin before using a spoon or other utensil to scrape off slivers of pumpkin rind from the inside. If you choose, you can also use some of the outer pieces of the pumpkin rind to add a darker color to your potpourri.

Bake the pumpkin rind slivers on a cookie sheet in the oven at about 110°F until the pieces are completely dry. Let them cool for approximately 3 hours. Next, take an orange and cut thin slices of orange onto a cookie sheet for drying. You can cook the orange slices the same way you did the pumpkin slices, at 110°F until dry. The orange slices will also need approximately 3 hours to cool. After both cookie sheets have fully cooled, mix the pumpkin and orange slices into a potpourri bowl and add several sticks of cinnamon and as many cloves as you like. You can also add a few drops of cinnamon oil or clove oil if you like. Place several bowls of the potpourri around the house to create a warm, lasting scent for your home.  

5. Metallic Pumpkin Accents

Image: Wonderlane (cc)

A big trend in decorating this Halloween is the use of pumpkins as metallic accents for flowerbeds and pumpkin/gourde arrangements. Simply purchase a can of metallic spray paint and paint the outside of your pumpkin. Arrange your metallic pumpkin accent in your flowerbed or by your other holiday decorations and you’re done! The metallic highlights provided by these kinds of pumpkins will add that little something extra to make your Halloween decorations really pop.

6.  Glitter Pumpkin Accents

Like the metallic pumpkin accents described above, glitter pumpkin accents provide that extra touch to any autumn arrangement inside or outside your home.  To create one, simply cover the exterior of any size pumpkin with glue or adhesive spray. Before the glue or adhesive dries, apply a glitter powder of your choice. In no time at all, you have a dazzling, colorful accent for any seasonal display.

7. Lace Pumpkin Accents

Lastly, lace pumpkin accents provide a unique and elegant way to decorate for fall. Simply purchase lace fabric in any color of your choosing and tie it to a pumpkin of any size. You can get very creative with the colors and sizes of lace pumpkin arrangements, with everything from traditional black lace on orange pumpkins to green lace on painted black pumpkins. This customized approach to pumpkin decorating is great because you can make your decorations match the décor of any room in your house!

There you have it! 7 fun and creative ways to use pumpkins to decorate your home! If you have ideas for pumpkin decorations that we haven’t mentioned already, please tell us about them in the comments section!

Should You Buy a Home or Build a New One?

Image: Leonid Mamchenkov (cc)

If you and your family want to move out of your current house but don’t know whether to buy a home or build a new one, look no further. There are pros and cons to both options but by considering each idea thoroughly, you’ll be able to make the decision that is best for you.

The Benefits of Buying a Home

The big pro of buying an already completed home is pretty easy to figure out: you don’t have to pay to build it. But there are also some other benefits to buying over building. For one, you don’t have to wait as long to move in. If you’re really dissatisfied with your current house and want a new place immediately, buying might be the path for you.

Another benefit of buying over building is that you have a template to work from in terms of interior design. With a new home, everything comes from your mind’s eye which can be a little overwhelming for some people. When you buy a home, you know ahead of time what space is available, how the rooms are laid out, how much yard space you have, etc. For some families, this is a more desirable situation. If, however, you know exactly what you want your house to look like, building a new home may be the better choice for you.

The Benefits of Building a New Home

When you choose to build your own home, you get a say in every aspect of how your house will look. You get to decide how many bedrooms you want, how many stories the house will have and what kinds of kitchen features will be installed.

In addition to custom designing the interior of your home, you also get to design the exterior of your home from the get-go. You can choose the siding and roofing and even where you want the windows and how big they should be. The possibilities are as endless, as long as you can finance your custom-made dream.

The Disadvantages of Building a New Home

Financing your new home can get rather pricey. Not only do you have to purchase the land, but you also have to pay for the construction of the house itself. Then there’s everything inside the house. You need to pay for plumbing, electrical hookups and heating and cooling systems. And then you have to pay for landscaping. That sounds like a lot, right? Well yes. But building a home may be the better option when you consider the disadvantages of buying a home from someone else.

The Disadvantages of Buying a Home

The benefits of buying a home may, at first glance, appear to outweigh the cost of building a new one. However, when you consider how much money most people spend fixing up their recently-purchased houses, building doesn’t seem so pricey. According to the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), homeowners in 2011 spent $79 million on household furnishings and equipment alone.

So while, at first, it may seem cheaper to buy rather than build, you need to consider the additional costs that you’ll rack up after purchasing someone else’s house. After you change the floor tiles, fix the leaks, buy furniture that fits, repaint, etc., you end up spending much more than you originally planned. Rather than buying an okay house and piling money into it over time, you might want to consider building the house you’ve always wanted right from the start. 

Building Your Custom Home Stress Free

Building a custom home is certainly not easy. It can actually be quite a stressful time in ones life as it may take as long as a year to complete. Picking out colors, finding the right furniture, as well as determining the different materials to use can be daunting task. Sometimes all it takes is knowing what to expect. Here is a few things you should know:

Choose a Builder

Before you even think about building your house, you will need a builder you know you can trust. Ask to see some examples of work they have done. Some builders will even have a website like Costello Builders where they showcase their work. This will give you a good sense of what type of style they do as well as the quality of work you can expect.

Have Patience

When my family was building a house, we were anxiously waiting to move in as we were renting an in between house at the time. In fact, the renters of our temporary house were rushing us as well as they had buyers in line waiting for us to get out of there. But, our house just wasn't ready to move into quite yet. We actually moved in when the house was still being worked on. We would eat breakfast with workers pounding their hammers in the room next to us. 

This process would have been a lot easier had we not been rushed to live in our new house. The fact is, certain things happen throughout the building process that will most likely push the date back further and further. Weather can have an influence on how much work gets done and you may not be able to live in your dream home as soon as you think.

Be Prepared to Make a lot of Decisions

If the house is totally custom, be prepared to answer a lot of questions and make a lot of decisions. What kind of roofing, siding, materials, are just the basics. Of course, the builder will have his own recommendations in terms of materials, however, he may not have any sense of design. What color kitchen cabinets? One bathroom sink or two? Hardwood floors or carpet? Be prepared to know what color this or that or what knob goes where. You will need to know and the builders will be waiting on your decision for nearly every element within the house. 

Be in Agreement

Make sure you are in agreement with your spouse or significant other as you are going through a time of major decisions in your life. If you plan to live in this custom home for a while, you want to make sure both of your wants and needs are considered. Be smart in your decisions, but always be clear what each other are thinking especially when it comes to design and color choices. 

From building houses to making repairs, Costello Builders in Lancaster PA has your back! We are known for great production and fast service! Check out our newest video on the wonderful work we've done!

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