By this time of year, those pumpkins you planted should be ripening up, and if you didn't plant any, you might be spotting a few in fields by the side of the road, or in giant containers at the grocery store. It's October, and that means squash time, but especially pumpkin time, because we're getting ready to celebrate Halloween, and I for one am ready with utility knife in hand and a gleam in my eye.

How do you decorate your pumpkins? Our friends at Hometalk conducted a little survey to find out what their members do every October, and I took a stroll through their archives to find some outstanding entries in the pumpkin decorating department. It's not every month, after all, that we get to be knee-deep in squash and call it an an interior decorating activity.

Blogger Debbie created a beautiful Thanksgiving table display with pumpkins and burlap. She used a burlap runner, which adds a lovely rustic touch, and artfully decorated it with an array of seasonal squash, including pumpkins, creating a splendid fall look without too much formality.

Decorating Ideas Made Easy created a fall topiary for the porch with pumpkins, stacking a set of orange and white pumpkins with the assistance of an internal dowel for support. With an addition of a monogram on the middle pumpkin, the result is a nifty doorway greeter for fall, and particularly for Halloween night.

Numerous Hometalkers took the idea of decoupage and ran with it, turning out some really beautiful projects that showcase the wide range of options available:

Between Naps on the Porch went for a beautiful china-inspired pattern of blue on white for her guest room, matching the bedspread and other accessories. She used fake pumpkins so they'd last longer, but there's no reason you can't use the real thing.

Suzy H. used decorative napkins for a very colorful, radiant play on the decoupaged pumpkin. A great use for leftover napkins, and a fun craft project to boot.

Bonnie and Trish, meanwhile, brought a little nature indoors with ferns and leaves glued onto pumpkins. You could use dried flowers or other natural items if you wanted to, depending on the look you were going for, and these projects look great on tables, mantels, and other areas where you need a quick decorative accent.

Meanwhile, Emily created a faux mercury glass look with her pumpkins by painting them and sealing them. She used mini pumpkins for small accent pieces, and has wisely blended them with regular squash for a stunning fall display. Her crafts would also look great in a glass tiled bathroom or kitchen, where they'd stand out beautifully as part of her fall decor.

And finally, if you want to glam up your pumpkins, check out Kathy's glitter and gliz project, where she applied gems to a white pumpkin for a flashy look. To give it extra shine, she pre-painted the pumpkin with a gloss paint, which also helps seal the squash so it will last longer.

After seeing all these options, only one of which involves a utility knife or battling slippery squash guts, I might have to rethink my decorating plans for this year! But don't worry, my tradition of dropping at least one pumpkin from a San Francisco area roof (after checking to make sure no one's standing underneath first!) shows no signs of changing any time soon.

Katie Marks writes for Networx.com.