Last fall year when we were in Vermont, we came across these stunning velvet pumpkins at the Simon Pierce workshop.  If you have been around here for a while, you know I don't really do artificial, but this is something entirely different.  This is art mimicking nature in a creative way, using the the natural stem (usually secondary to a real pumpkin) as the focal point.  While the velvet is what seems to be beautiful in this instance, it is the stem that the velvet highlights.  It is just extraordinary.   

3" (shown)

5"

8"

Handmade Velvet Pumpkins made in Oregon with real dried pumpkin stems, signed by the artist.