Turn Your Birdbaths Into The Cutest Decorative Pumpkin Stands For Fall

If you're somebody who counts down the days until you're reasonably able to put up your autumnal decorations, you're likely also always on the hunt for new and creative fall decorating ideas to embellish your home for the season. Gourds, leafy garlands, and pots of mums are all staples for outdoor displays, but why not think outside the box and find a way to incorporate your extant gardening accoutrements into your decorating scheme? Try using an old birdbath as a pumpkin stand — either for one giant jack-o'-lantern or a plethora of colorful gourds — to create a cute and seasonal centerpiece.

Whether it's a central element in your garden design or tucked away and forgotten in a garage, birdbaths have been backyard staples since the mid-19^th century, and most hardcore gardeners will already have one on hand. If not, it's also easy to DIY a birdbath from an old lamp if you don't mind the extra step. Once you have your birdbath, turning it into a pumpkin stand is a simple project for a fall afternoon, and one that can be enjoyed by the whole family. We love that it adds height to outdoor decor compared with pumpkins just sitting on the ground and makes the display more visible.

Since birds often carry diseases, we recommend popping on a pair of protective gloves and giving the birdbath a good cleaning before any further handling. This is especially important if you're going to have kiddos helping out with your decorating process. A simple solution of one part vinegar and nine parts water, along with a stiff-bristled brush, should do the trick. Once your birdbath is nice and clean, you can relocate it to the desired location for your festive display. Older or heavier birdbaths might not be movable, but if you have the option, you might want to put the birdbath on or adjacent to your front porch for maximum effect. 

Now for the fun part: decorating. There are plenty of creative ways to refashion your birdbath into a cute, festive feature. However, you'll want to bear in mind the size and load-bearing capacity of your birdbath before you start. If you have a spectacular jack-o'-lantern this year, give it pride of place by using the birdbath as a decorative pedestal and placing the pumpkin on a bed of colorful leaves. Alternatively, you could let the kids hand-paint smaller pumpkins and showcase their finished creations on the birdbath. Or, for a less Halloween-centric display, pile your birdbath full of smaller gourds of different shapes and colors to create an overflowing horn-of-plenty effect that will take your fall porch decor to the next level all the way through Thanksgiving.