Link: Free Printable Pumpkin Carving Stencils
I just came across this website a minute ago and I wanted to share it with all of you! It's www.pumpkinpile.com. They offer hundreds of downloads of pumpkin carving stencils and patterns for free!
Keeping the Jack O' Lantern Fresh
Combine equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, shake and spray all cut areas of your pumpkins and they will not get soft, rot, or shrink for a long time.
Using Jack O'Lanterns After Halloween
One way we save at Halloween is simple. We either wait until the day of to carve our pumpkins OR, we paint on the face with non toxic paint. Then the day after, we cut up the pumpkin, boil in salt water, then peel and mash when cool.
Growing giant pumpkins can be a fun and rewarding hobby for gardeners. Whether your goal is to make a statement with your fall display or win first prize at a local pumpkin weigh-off, once you've mastered some pumpkin growing basics, growing the giants isn't really that hard.
Reuse Halloween Pumpkins In Fall Displays
After Halloween last year, I took down my scarecrow, but his pumpkin head was still fresh. I added his head to a bale of hay in the front yard for a fall decoration. My granddaughter asked, "How did the scarecrow get inside of the hay?"
Save Pumpkin Seeds for Chickens
If you have chickens (or know someone who does) save the pumpkin seeds for them. Pumpkin seeds are a natural and safe dewormer for chickens!
Link: Free Pumpkin-Carving Stencils of Favorite Dog Breeds
Templates for dog breeds pumpkin carving for Autumn decorating can be printed and photocopy for the size that you want for the pumpkin to be carved with your favorite canine friend(s)
When we asked my 3 yr. old grandson how he wanted his jack-o-lantern's face to look, he told us he wanted an "Oh, no! pumpkin" and made the face. This is what it looks like.
Individualized Carved Pumpkins
This is the jack-o-lantern that I carved for my 8 month old son. It is a real pumpkin and was hand carved using only wood carving tools and a rotary tool. My family and I carved an additional 4 pumpkins the same way, each to reflect on the persons interests.
Here are two pumpkins carved by Aiden (7) and Avery (4). Aiden carved a killer robot and Avery carved a rabid mouse. We used stencils that we purchased for $3 at Fred Meyer and it made it super easy to carve something neat.
Take a Trip to the Pumpkin Patch
Here are some links to a few pumpkin patches. Pumpkin Patches are great not only for pumpkins but other fall crops as well. If you have one near you, please post it in the feedback and we'll add it to the list.
Prolong The Life Of Your Jack-O-Lantern
To prolong the life of your jack-o-lantern after making the cuts, coat the cuts with petroleum jelly.
A cute craft for Halloween, this pumpkin craft requires no carving and is appropriate for all ages. Very quick and easy to make.
Selecting And Carving Pumpkins for Halloween
Halloween has become a huge holiday. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, consumers spent $3.29 billion dollars on Halloween in 2005.
This scary pumpkin won a prize! He is pretty scary, huh.
These are our current crop of pumpkins. Each year, my husband adds eight to the collection.
Craft: Creative Halloween Pumpkin
Think outside the box when crafting pumpkins. Note: this one is a fake pumpkin which lasts forever
Each year my husband adds a couple of carvings to his collection. We light the pumpkins each evening during the month of October. I really wish all of you could bring your children and grandchildren by to see them.
When using those pumpkin carving kits that poke holes for you to carve over, rub some flour over the holes to make them more visible to you. Also, if you will start carving from the middle first, you are less likely to break pieces on the outside as you work. But if one does break, you can put it back into place with broken pieces of toothpicks.
Halloween is right around the corner. This page contains some Jack O'Lantern carving tips and resources. Feel free to post your own tips.
Using Pumpkins as Decorations All Month
I buy my Halloween pumpkins at the beginning of October to sit out on our porch. Instead of carving them right away, knowing they won't last until the end of the month, I take a black sharpie marker and draw the eyes, nose, and mouth and color them in, then sit it outside. Then a few days before Halloween I go outside and crave our the eyes, nose, and mouth the way it was drawn on. That way, you get to use the pumpkin as decoration the entire month without it going bad.
Are you ready to carve those pumpkins? You may have already but with Halloween landing on a Sunday this year there is always time to do more. Here are some sites with lots of information on pumpkin carving:
Light Your Pumpkin With Twinkle Lights
After you have carved your halloween jack o'lantern light him up with a set of twinkle lights set inside. You can use the battery operated kind or cut a hole low in the back and run the cord thru to the outlet. By Debra in Colorado
It's a beautiful Fall day - you head out to your local pumpkin patch in the hope of finding that one and only orange globe that will captivate the youngsters, and bring some chuckles and giggles from young and old alike. Of course, your pumpkin is totally free of any bruises or blemishes and it definitely is in the shape of that idea that keeps popping up in your head of the kind of face you want to carve this year.
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Growing giant pumpkins can be a fun and rewarding hobby for gardeners. Whether your goal is to make a statement with your fall display or win first prize at a local pumpkin weigh-off, once you've mastered some pumpkin growing basics, growing the giants isn't really that hard.
When we asked my 3 yr. old grandson how he wanted his jack-o-lantern's face to look, he told us he wanted an "Oh, no! pumpkin" and made the face. This is what it looks like.
Individualized Carved Pumpkins
This is the jack-o-lantern that I carved for my 8 month old son. It is a real pumpkin and was hand carved using only wood carving tools and a rotary tool. My family and I carved an additional 4 pumpkins the same way, each to reflect on the persons interests.
Here are two pumpkins carved by Aiden (7) and Avery (4). Aiden carved a killer robot and Avery carved a rabid mouse. We used stencils that we purchased for $3 at Fred Meyer and it made it super easy to carve something neat.
