halloween is less than a week away and what's a better way to get into the holiday spirit than by carving pumpkins!? my sunday afternoon was spent watching football [my poor eagles] and getting my hands sticky with pumpkin juices. how delicious! though a long process and sore fingers, it was super fun and the end results of the pumpkins are fantastic!
stan and i had purchased two pumpkins a couple weeks ago and had them lounging on his front porch until we were ready to carve them. we invited liz and perry [and their pumpkins] over and started the carving festivities. between the four of us, we only had one set of pumpkin carving tools so we had to improvise by using steak knives, skewer sticks, and a swiss army knife. and not to mention, the sawing tools from the pumpkin carving kit broke!
for those of you who have never carved pumpkins, it is quite simple. here are the steps:
[1] carve off the top of the pumpkin to make a lid. be careful when doing this! make sure you cut out a "tooth" or notch so it's easier to replace the lid correctly.
[2] scrape out the pumpkin guts - make sure it's super clean on the inside.
[3] choose a template and tape it on the pumpkin.
[4] use the "dotting" tool to copy the pattern onto the pumpkin; i personally don't like this tool because it doesn't show up all that well on the pumpkin. i just take something with a point and copy the pattern by pricking the pumpkin - this makes deeper and more defined punctures, allowing you to easily see where you're supposed to carve.
[5] optional: you can take a pen and lightly connect the dots so it's easier for you to carve.
[6] take the template off the pumpkin and start carving! be careful or you might end up unintentionally cutting out a big chunk.
[7] rub vaseline or petroleum jelly all over the inside to prevent drying and molding - this will help to preserve your pumpkin!
[8] put in a votive or a tea light candle and show off your pumpkin!
please note that pumpkin carving is pretty time consuming, especially if you're a perfectionist. take your time and just have fun with it! and if you have an intricate design, your fingers might get a bit sore.
here are some pictures from our pumpkin carving festivity! ENJOY!
stan and i had purchased two pumpkins a couple weeks ago and had them lounging on his front porch until we were ready to carve them. we invited liz and perry [and their pumpkins] over and started the carving festivities. between the four of us, we only had one set of pumpkin carving tools so we had to improvise by using steak knives, skewer sticks, and a swiss army knife. and not to mention, the sawing tools from the pumpkin carving kit broke!
for those of you who have never carved pumpkins, it is quite simple. here are the steps:
[1] carve off the top of the pumpkin to make a lid. be careful when doing this! make sure you cut out a "tooth" or notch so it's easier to replace the lid correctly.
[2] scrape out the pumpkin guts - make sure it's super clean on the inside.
[3] choose a template and tape it on the pumpkin.
[4] use the "dotting" tool to copy the pattern onto the pumpkin; i personally don't like this tool because it doesn't show up all that well on the pumpkin. i just take something with a point and copy the pattern by pricking the pumpkin - this makes deeper and more defined punctures, allowing you to easily see where you're supposed to carve.
[5] optional: you can take a pen and lightly connect the dots so it's easier for you to carve.
[6] take the template off the pumpkin and start carving! be careful or you might end up unintentionally cutting out a big chunk.
[7] rub vaseline or petroleum jelly all over the inside to prevent drying and molding - this will help to preserve your pumpkin!
[8] put in a votive or a tea light candle and show off your pumpkin!
please note that pumpkin carving is pretty time consuming, especially if you're a perfectionist. take your time and just have fun with it! and if you have an intricate design, your fingers might get a bit sore.
here are some pictures from our pumpkin carving festivity! ENJOY!
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| our pumpkins! |
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| stan hard at work with mr. cool |
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| perry's asian pumpkin |
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| my mummy |
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| liz's scarecrow-batman-joker pumpkin |
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| mr. cool and the mumster |
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