Carving Pumpkins

When carving pumpkins most people tend to cut all the way through their jack-o-lanterns. While that works for some designs, others benefit from carving through the outer skin of the pumpkin while leaving part of the wall to help defuse the light. Here are some tips for carving a jack-o-lantern that will light up your Halloween!

Materials: Large Pumpkin, Large Knife, Large Spoon/ Ice Cream Scooper, Stencil, Stencil Knife/Box Cutter, Cutting Board, Tape, Marker, Clay Tools/Carving Tools, Candle/ Light

Directions:

1.     Clean outside of pumpkin.

2.     Cut the top of the pumpkin in large circle of jagged lines.  Make sure it is big enough for you to easily clean out the seeds and pulp. 

3.     Remove all of the seeds and stringy pump from inside.

4.     Select a stencil.

5.     Using a stencil knife, razor blade or box cutter cut out the stencil.

6.     Tape stencil to the pumpkin, you may have to cut slits on the exterior of the stencil or make small folds for the flat paper to adhere to the rounded pumpkin without gaps.

7.     Using a pen or marker outline the areas you removed from your stencil so you know where to carve.

8.     Remove the stencil.

9.     Using a knife, carving tools, or my favorite, clay tools, break through the outside skin of the pumpkin and remove as much of the skin as possible while leaving a thin bit of fleshy pumpkin wall.  The thinner this wall the more light will pass through it.  You can vary different “shading” depths over different parts of the design.

10.  Put a candle or light in the pumpkin, replace the lid, enjoy!

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