Pumpkin Carving

Last night, we hosted our annual pumpkin carving party.   We thought it would be fun to have everyone over to carve pumpkins, now it has turned into a Halloween tradition. 

doom and gloom pumpkins

This year for some reason, my 2 and 5 year old were into skeletons.   Here I wanted to make, happy, cute jack o'lanterns and they are all doom and gloom.  

After carving the designs they selected, I made my own cute, happy, hearts and rainbows jack o'lantern.    Ok, maybe not all that, but it was something less menacing.  

I thought I would share some of my favorite pumpkin carving webites and some tips.  

Pumpkin Carving Tips:
Look for pumpkin carving pattern books and tools on clearance after Halloween.   Stock up for the next year.

If you decide to draw your design on the pumpkin use a water-based marker. Mistakes are erased easily with a damp sponge. 

Scoop out seeds and stringy flesh with a large spoon,  ice cream scooper, or scooping tool.

If you open your pumpkin from the bottom, it makes it easier to sit over a candle or other light source.  

To prolong the life of the jack-o'-lantern, seal in moisture by coating all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil, or cover it with a damp towel when not on display.

This pumpkin just had too much fun

You can check out Pumpkin Masters.  This  is a great website to visit for tips and free down loadable patterns. Zombie Pumpkins also has some great information and patterns.