Grab A Pumpkin To DIY The Sweetest Fall-Themed Serving Tray Guests Will Love

Whether you're celebrating Halloween or Thanksgiving, or simply embracing the fall season, hosting a dinner party is a great way to show off your seasonal decor. On-theme dinnerware and serving dishes, in particular, can make a big impact when trying to set up your home for a memorable dinner party. If you're planning to host a fall get together soon, then this DIY pumpkin serving tray is sure to be a crowd pleaser. The project is incredibly easy to whip together at the last minute and can be customized to meet your needs. 

To make the tray, all you need is a faux foam pumpkin, a lightweight plate of some kind, and a bit of hot glue. If you're lucky, you probably already have most of these items just lying around the house. If you don't have any of these items, expect a low-end project budget of roughly $15 — $1.50 each for a foam pumpkin and a plate, $1.25 for hot glue sticks, and roughly $10 for a mini hot glue gun. When sourcing your materials, make sure you find a faux pumpkin that has a relatively flat top and a sturdy bottom so that your serving tray doesn't wobble or tip over.

Assembling your pumpkin serving tray couldn't be any more straightforward. Start by carefully removing the stem from your faux pumpkin. Then, add a circle of hot glue around the top of your pumpkin where the serving plate will rest. Finally, set your plate on the top center of the pumpkin and hold it for 1 to 2 minutes to ensure the glue is dry and secure. For a truly rustic, natural look, you can use thin wood slabs with raw edges instead of a plate. These Rustic Wood Slices Inc. Centerpieces would look great.

There are a handful of additional ways to take your simple serving tray over-the-top as well. For example, you can explore some simple DIYs that make dollar store styrofoam pumpkins look more high-end. Or, try hollowing out a small gourd and placing a plastic cup full of dip inside of it. Then, place that little gourd in the center of your serving tray for the cutest DIY chip-and-dip anyone has ever seen. Also consider some fun tablescape ideas for the occasion, like earthy linens and napkins that match the fall pumpkin vibes.

Finally, if you want to take your tray to a whole new level (literally), consider turning it into a tiered pumpkin serving tray. For this, you can use the same method of attaching plates to pumpkins with hot glue. Though, don't go too big or you'll need to insert a wooden dowel through the center of your serving tray for added support. Once assembled, you can use your pumpkin serving tray again and again so you always have fun tablescape ideas for every occasion.