No Muss, No Fuss: Fresh Ways to Use Pumpkin Carving Templates

Sarah Hamilton

Overview

Carving pumpkins is a treasured tradition for some people. For others, it's a dreaded chore. Non-fans often cite the time, mess and sharp utensils as reasons for their lack of enthusiasm. Whether or not you enjoy carving, eHow's free printable templates can give your Halloween crafts a great start.

Scary Shade

Transform an ordinary lampshade into the centerpiece of your Halloween decorations in just a few steps. Quick. Easy. Scary cute.

Jessica Begum

Glow-in-the-Dark T-shirts

Layer white paint, glow-in-the-dark paint, and glitter to make a shirt that shines as much in the dark as it does in the light.

Dave Johnson

Creepy Candle People

Use wooden candlesticks to create unique characters that can be displayed anywhere. Add self-adhesive faces to faux pumpkins, then decorate them any way you want. Hats, collars, and hair made out of yarn are a few options.

Debbie Williams

Thrilling Throw Pillows

Stencil a scary design, and then add sequins or glitter for an especially thrilling finish to a simple project.

Marisa Lynch

Scary Easy Luminaries

Cover a printed template with packing tape and stick it to an empty milk jug. Add battery-operated tea lights, and you're set.

Nora Farris

Decal Fun

Make decals out of packing tape to decorate glasses, serving containers, windows or mirrors.

Nora Farris

The Alternative Jack-O-Lantern

Stencil a toothy grin on a glass block with etching cream. Add tea lights or a string of mini lights to make your ghoul's face gleam.

Jessica Begum

Decoupage Pumpkins

Using your favorite template, cut tissue paper features, and attach them with decoupage medium.

Nora Farris

Devilish Dish Towels

Dedicate an afternoon to making these devilish dish towels, and you'll be ready to bake Halloween treats or welcome trick-or-treaters in style.

Erin Currie

Upcycled Containers

Print a template on orange copy paper and tape it into a plastic container. Cut a hole and add twinkle lights, and you've got a completely charming but practically free luminary.

Nora Farris

Good, Clean Fun

Haunt your bathroom with ghoulish soap dispensers. All you need is self-adhesive vinyl (available in the scrapbooking section of crafts stores) and scissors or a craft knife.

Sarah Hamilton

Duct Tape Treat Bag

Fashion strips of duct tape into a bag and then decorate it with features cut from duct tape.

Jerri Farris

Balloon Fantasy

Pat duct tape designs onto helium balloons for festive decor in a flash.

Nora Farris

Iron-on Designs

Trace a template onto paper backed fusible web. Cut out the features, then iron them onto fabric to make a pillow. Or, even easier--iron onto a purchased pillow cover.

Eileen Sweeney

Felt Faces

Felt is the key for these fun, interchangeable faces because of its Velcro-like quality. All you need to begin is the base pumpkin, and then you can make faces galore for mix-and-match looks.

Sonya Nimri

Pumpkin Placemats

Trace the template onto fusible web and iron onto a simple placemat.

Jerri Farris

Spooky Chalkboards

Trace a template onto a chalkboard with a bistro marker. Color in as desired.

Dave Johnson