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I carved 10 pumpkins today for our friends' beggar's night party; my fingers feel like they're about to fall off, but it will be worth it tomorrow night when they're all lit up at our friends' home.
I used some veggie carving tools Howie inherited from his father, who was a chef. One is what I think is a lemon zester, and the other one takes strips out of the orange outer rind of the pumpkin. I also used a potato peeler (not the swiveling kind) to make round holes.
Something I learned a few years back is to cut the bottom of the pumpkin out rather than the top. That way, you don't have to reach clear down inside the pumpkin to light the candle, plus there's no annoying lid to shrink and drop into the thing. You just put the candle on some tinfoil and sit the pumpkin down on top! If it's a small pumpkin, it's a good idea to cut a vent or two in the top - just work it into your design.
What a day - I had a ball. :o)
Entries and Updates
Oct 29, 2001
They're hard to see, but he has pointy carrot teeth and his nose is the pumpkin's stem. I made his "hair" texture with a lemon zester (I think that's what it's called).
Oct 29, 2001
If my eyes ever look like this, feel free to just smack me upside the head!
Oct 29, 2001
Basic moon and star pumpkin (front)
Oct 29, 2001
Basic moon and stars pumpkin (back). Used a veggie carving tool to do the illuminated lines.
Oct 29, 2001
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha...Just felt like LOL! The paisly designs all around this pumpkin make cool patterns on the walls around it.
Oct 29, 2001
Heeeeere kittykittykitty. I do a cat every year, and usually a dog as well. No dog this year, though! This cat's whiskers were done with a veggie carving tool.
Oct 29, 2001
This is from a pattern my friend had copied. Pretty neat designs in those books!
Oct 29, 2001
This gal is one of my favorites. She has teeth and hair made of baby carrots.
Oct 29, 2001
This shows spikey gal's hair a little better!
Oct 29, 2001
Another moon and star pumpkin. By this time it occurred to me I could use the Pumpkin Masters saw and it would be whole lot easier to make the stars!
Oct 30, 2001
Polka-dotted pumpkin luminaries...I made two of these, a large and a small. If you need to make perfectly round holes, a potato peeler works great! It needs to be a stationary peeler, not the type which swivels. The one I used was serrated on one edge and smooth on the other. It worked *great*.
Oct 30, 2001
My friend Amy carved this one from a pattern. He's pretty neat, I think.
Oct 30, 2001
This is the other pumpkin Amy carved. The pattern called it a zombie, but I think it looks like a mummy. I like it, whatever it is!
