Post your carved pumpkins!

[alienhost]

From last year:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2339/1752331377_dcaf510623_m.jpg

I'd love to see others. I'm planning on carving more this year, I ran out of time last year.

[alienhost]

No one has any pumpkins to share?????

[ellidew]

Here are some from a pumpkin carving party we had last weekend. The one i did is on the far left:

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/2007_10j037.jpg

[HeatherFL]

Those are really good! I still have to get some pumpkins!

[ktsb]

I'd love to share mine, in fact they are identical to the middle one and the right one on ellidew's post. ;)

But no one ever told this rookie pumkin carver that you can't actually carve pumpkins 2 weeks before halloween and hope for them to last. DOH!!

I remember carving pumpkins as a kid but someone blanked out the whole timing of it all. I wanted my purty carved pumpkins to sit on my porch for a couple of weeks. The black moldy stuff just didn't cut it in my book though.

--Ima Dork

[alienhost]

ellidew I just bought the kit with the bat, I think it is adorable.

I have 5 pumpkins to carve, my sis was supposed to help me tonight but she's sick. DH is sick too so I'm going to be up all night working on these things!

[ellidew]

Those pumpkin carving kits rock!! I'd never used one before and up until this year i just did the triangle eyes and nose and smiling toothed mouth :D

ktsb- funny story! Eh, live and learn.

alienhost- I hope you bought the saw tool that is battery operated! My hands have never cramped so much in my life!!

[tealynn]

I carved my pumpkin last night and have the scars to prove it! I used a good old fashioned knife...and a fondue fork.

It's a very bizarre, completely gone wrong design.

I'll take pics of them tonight...

In the mean time, I'll post last years pumpkins. Excuse the fuzzy cell phone pics.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m73/tlingle_photos/pumpkins.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m73/tlingle_photos/pumpkins2.jpg

[cynder]

Anyone have any good stencil web sites to share?

[basketcase]

If I carve pumpkins today, will they be gross by tomorrow? Or do you store yours overnight in the fridge or something?

[ellidew]

I carved mine on saturday and it looked fine as of last night on my porch.

I read somewhere that the hp website had stencils you could download.

eta: Hewlitt Packard Pumpkin carving templates (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/acCategory?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&extcat=halloweenprojects&jumpid=re_R602_b2l1/hpcom/ipg/halloweenkits)

[tealynn]

BHG has some cute things but you have to register to see them.

http://www.bhg.com

This one's good too...scroll down for the patterns.

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm

[ktsb]

Femmie Expert on pumpkin timing here....:rolleyes:

Carved pumpkins last about one week indoors before they mold. I'm told they last longer outdoors if it's colder. In CA, not so much.

[KGif]

Carved pumpkins will also last longer if you rub vaseline on the exposed/newly cut edges then wrap in saran wrap and store in the fridge overnight. I did this one year after carving a pattern that took a very very long time and a lot of effort. Wanted to make sure it lasted as long as possible :)

[alienhost]

Well Halloween is over but I didn't finish carving until halloween day:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2011/1830028017_fd4131195b.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2146/1830891160_8c8ec1a02a.jpg?v=0

My sister carved a giant zucchini into a crocodile that was found when I cleared out my veggie garden.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2127/1830101597_60cf262ce5.jpg?v=0

we put lights in the eyes of the owls and the one with the teeth. I have to upload my nighttime photos....

anyone else out there with pics to share?

[yby1]

That owl is adorable!!

[Sophia]

OMG, those owls are so cute!

My older kids carved ours.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/1810937319_d3ce84b839.jpg?v=0

[Mickey&B]

Here are last years
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l114/Qbantoy/Halloween%20costume/DSC_0118.jpg
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l114/Qbantoy/Halloween%20costume/DSC_0120.jpg

This years weren't my favorite :rolleyes:

[alienhost]

thanks for the compliments on the owls - they are Martha's design. DD woke up from her nap and saw the owls outside and said "just like Martha" (I bought a DVD of Martha's Halloween ideas for $2 last year and DD watched the pumpkin carving part with me).

Two kids came to the door TOTing and said "those pumpkins are the most awesome things we've ever seen" They were probably 10 years old but it made my night! ;)

[Sand]

Here's my girl!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/sandlakers/s320x240.jpg

[alienhost]

cool pumpkins! Mikey&B how long did those take to carve?

Here are the night time shots. I had to use a tripod to cut down the fuzziness...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2227/1848881632_989ce0609f.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2229/1848058179_4bef971d83.jpg?v=0

[maryanne]

Alienhost! They looked soooo cool. I hope that you don't mind but I want to copy your owls this year. they are great!!!:D

[basketcase]

OMG, how did I miss seeing those owls last year?? SO creative!

alienthost, do you mind my asking, what kind of lights did you use for the eyes? (Actual lights, not candles?)

[armybratmommy]

Sand~

heheheh that is cute!

[sublime311]

Those are super cute!

[emschwar]

These are the 2 I carved last year:
http://images3.pnimedia.com/GetImage.aspx/1osso3uKLGSP1YSzh7HTnDlsr8biSQv4Ibci6,tDX,HLdqmuO2 dk07PvjuFq7oMBApCY3wjZUQ7c-/image.jpg

But I carve fake pumpkins every year, so I have a ton now:
http://images3.pnimedia.com/GetImage.aspx/1sxLmf2LWikTVy1PD9e9UItwfv8VIQhKKt7G4NqhA29_21qqQ, vCsHkNvKIbBxM_km8bqYFb5XYA-/image.jpg http://images3.pnimedia.com/GetImage.aspx/15EwEACmz9bpUpNTUwUb9,iDJcMJoLu,yKS,1vmT57hlq44ni6 _Y25zpy18B0K3yG0k8v6fZDfhU-/image.jpg http://images3.pnimedia.com/GetImage.aspx/1ZKVfWcE56PdcpOlqnzEWPxhS6fYv4heVmFmbUTaWkC9kqlzb8 PuIfLv243fkow99gY75zQMRmIc-/image.jpg http://images3.pnimedia.com/GetImage.aspx/1Q9GbKW2t7qGIA_HGF3xWhqF,PrY6wDYHFv_SK1kbx,esrY3vV ,G9ZwzYIjaE8iuEJVOmnzxGAAc-/image.jpg

[tgr68]

Emschwar~Where do you get the fake pumpkins? Michael's? Hobby Lobby?

[emschwar]

Emschwar~Where do you get the fake pumpkins? Michael's? Hobby Lobby?

Michaels or Joanns is where I get them, but we don't have a Hobby Lobby here. Michaels has them for 60% off this week, I believe.

[dana b]

i really wanna make the owls this year, but i'm confused about the lights in the eyes. i don't see any wires, are they battery operated??

[alienhost]

i really wanna make the owls this year, but i'm confused about the lights in the eyes. i don't see any wires, are they battery operated??

sorry, I just took a peek back at this thread, to answer yours and basktetcase's question. I found these tea lights at Joannes Fabrics that were battery operated and popped them in the eyes. It was a pita to turn them on and off (I put them out 2 nights maybe) but it worked OK, you just have to carve a big enough hole in the back to accomodate it.

[alienhost]

I forgot to post these...the carnage I woke up to one morning after the squirrels got to the pumpkins last year:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2945589945_819796875c_m.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2946452354_e9b6c9c80c_m.jpg

Emschwar that's a great idea to use the fake ones, are they easier or harder to do than a real pumpkin? Do you use the same tools that come in those carving kits? It always seems to be a shame to spend time carving and then tossing them into the compost heap.

[dana b]

alienhost thanks! i have some of those tealights.

[alienhost]

alienhost thanks! i have some of those tealights.

no problem, you can see from the carnage pics that I cut a big hole in the mini pumpkins. Use a melon baller to scoop out the insides and DH used a drill to make the eye hole.

Post your when you do them!

[risa00]

Here's the best site I've seen. http://www.carvingpumpkins.com/ The carvings are pretty intricate though. This is my pumpkin 8 years ago when I had the time. :)

http://blufiles.storage.live.com/y1pcNS77EvQm7IVDDm2AwTY6B538zO-_jjVJnsj2f3nU1eoeiq3d9Qmbwip8ZgqpmX3

[Standrea]

Cinderella and Cinderella's castle. (my 2 yo picked it out).
We carved the Funkin Pumpkin's so that we'll have them every year.

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o164/lilsoapboxx/PA290025.jpg

[alienhost]

I love the Cinderella and her castle!

I had these mutant pumpkins growing in my garden (seeds were for orange Jack Be Littles, like the white ones): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2938094408_a3dfced3b8_m.jpg


So I made these:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/2992120507_92087473c3.jpg?v=0http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2992120299_d1c72d980a.jpg?v=0[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2992967644_867f0499e7.jpg?v=0http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2992967644_867f0499e7.jpg?v=0
and I made just one Martha Stewart Owl, because I still love those.

[basketcase]

alienhost, you are so stinkin' creative! I love it! I made the owl pumpkins this year thanks to you. (Although mine were not nearly as good as yours!) It was easier than I thought (thanks to DH's handy drill). I could make one in 20 minutes. It saved time just not having to scoop out the pumpkin guts!

[alienhost]

thanks basketcase! Hey post a pic of your owls! I love how you don't have to scoop out the guts, who has time for that?

I wish more people would post their carved pumpkins!

[Standrea]

Me too! I think I'm obsessed now! I can't wait to do it again next year! it was so much fun!

[risa00]

Here was mine from this year. I want to try the owls next year.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v356/232/24/710844231/n710844231_1001249_7963.jpg

[dizylizy]

I don't have pics to post but DH carved Mickey Mouse and an Obama symbol. Turned out great.