Talk about some wonderful pumpkin decorating…this photo of beautifully gilded pumpkins really caught my attention over at CountryLiving.com. There are paint kits available that you can use to get this look in The Country Living Artisans Collection, or you may be able to improvise with your own materials. Here’s how to create gilded pumpkins in a nutshell and for more information, visit the links above. All photos shown and gilding directions are from CountryLiving.com.

How to get started…

You can use real or faux pumpkins…make sure the surface is clean and dry. Wearing gloves, apply a base coat with a paintbrush to seal the surface. Let dry for 30-60 minutes.

Position stickers (from the kit) on the pumpkin, then apply “sticky size” over the entire surface, including the stickers. Leave until it’s clear and tacky, 10 to 20 minutes.

Apply gold and silver leaf to the pumpkin and smooth with a soft cloth to fill in the gaps.

Carefully pull off stickers using tweezers.

Apply toner with a paintbrush. Wipe away the toner with a soft cloth to get the desired color and effect.

Here are some other great autumn decorating ideas I liked at CountryLiving.com…

Decorate terra-cotta pots and gourds with imitation silver and gold leaf.

Carve out small pumpkins and insert votive candles…this is a great idea for decorating your table all autumn long!

Make a Pumpkin Tower, stacking different sizes and colors of pumpkins. This could work nicely in a corner of your front porch or backyard patio. There aren’t any specific instructions for this on the website, but it looks like some stems have been cut down or removed on the lower pumpkins for easier stacking.

There are 29 pumpkin decorating ideas in all, so visit CountryLiving.com to see more!