I love doing Halloween with my daughter here in the UK, especially since it’s still in its infancy. There’s a bit of trick or treating, there are a few parties but the celebrations aren’t over the top, like what can be a consumer-fest in the U.S. I also find the whole super-gruesome costume thing that adult revelers have embraced creepy in the extreme.
But one thing I am glad that has caught on here is creative pumpkin carving. I’ve never been particularly skilled in this regard. You have to get one of those little pumpking carving kits – knives can be unwieldy for fine work. In our neighbourhood I’ve been seeing some impressive versions.
Here, my Halloween pumpkin gallery and 5 tips:
Tip 1: Use the natural contours of the pumpkin to create your design. Don’t worry about getting a perfectly shaped gourd. Unusual features can make it more interesting.
Tip 2: Two jack-o-lantern heads can be better than one for a front garden display
Tip 3: Carving a big face that covers a large part of the pumpkin lets out a lot of light for a dramatic display
Tip 4: You don’t need to restrict yourself to traditional faces. Ghost scenes, cats, witch’s hats — all look great carved into your favourite Halloween gourd.
Tip 5: The important thing is to have fun. A simple jack-o-lantern (triangular eyes, blocky mouth) is the easiest to carve with kids. You can always add a scar or a tooth or two.
I know I’ve left it late but this is our playtime task this afternoon, some fab ideas and winner (in my opinion) goes to the guy with the fab cheekbones 🙂
Aww thanks Mari. He weighed a ton but I love his face
ooh those look fab x