Want to brighten up your table this fall? Whether you're serving a small meal for your family or throwing a large feast, a colourful centrepiece is the perfect way to liven up your dinner table. Find out how you can make your own pumpkin centrepiece with just a few easy steps.

The orange gourds aren't just for Halloween. Add a bit of style to your Thanksgiving decor with a plaid-carved pumpkin accented with beautiful seasonal mums.

To make your own pumpkin centrepiece: Cut around the stem of the pumpkin; discard. Clean the seeds and pulp from inside. With a ruler and marker, draw crisscrossing horizontal and vertical lines.

Using a linoleum cutter, carefully carve along lines. Fill a jar with water and place inside pumpkin. Arrange cut flowers in jar as desired.

Tool tip: The plaid pumpkins (shown above) were carved with a linoleum (or lino) cutter. This tool is usually used for carving designs into linoleum blocks for crafts such as block printing, but its sharp, curved edges mean it's also ideal for sculpting patterns on the surface of pumpkins. Look for one at art supply or hardware stores, or learn more at speedballart.com.

Click here for a larger view of the centrepiece.

For another colourful, autumn-inspired craft, find out how to make harvest napkin rings for fall entertaining.

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