Elegant Pumpkins That Say Boo!
If you want to learn how to make a beautiful beacon for Halloween trick-or-treaters, CBS "This Morning" Contributor Martha Stewart has a few tips on how to carve pumpkins that give off an unusual glow.
The October issue of Martha Stewart Living offers some great ideas for welcoming or scaring away, neighborhood goblins, which include silhouetting and monogramming pumpkins.
Both techniques add an interesting twist to the traditional Jack-O-Lantern. Instead of cutting out chunks
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Lighting the pumpkin can be done with a string of white Christmas lights wrapped around a glass cup or jar. This makes for a much more brilliant source of light, and is a lot safer than using candles.
Here are some tools you'll need to make your carving:
- Needle poking tool
- #2 wood gouge
- melon baller
- keyhole saw
- plastic scraper
- serrated-loop scraper tool
- saber saw
- 1/4 inch hole cutter
- linoleum cutter #1
- utility
- dark felt tip permanent marker
- correction fluid
Before you begin your carving, cut a large hole in the bottom of the pumpkin, taking out the inside flesh and seeds. This will make lighting the Jack-O-Lantern easier - you can simply put the pumpkin over a candlestick or Christmas lights.
- For this technique, you need to choose or take a photograph of someone's profile. A Polaroid may be easiest, if you are snapping shots of your favorite person and want to get the quickest results.
- Color the picture with a black marker, filling in the face, hair and neck to create the silouette.
- Photocopy the blackened silouette, enlarging it as necessary so that it will be prominently visible on the pumpkin.
- Draw an oval around the silhouette to create a cameo-style image.
- With the photocopied photo taped in place, outline the profile and the oval with the needle tool, puncturing holes as you go along. Take the photocopy off and go over the outline with the marker.
- Use a linoleum cutter to peel along the oval line, then to gouge out the pumpkin skin to form the silhouette itself.
Monogramming:
- Photocopy and enlarge a monogram of choice. You can use the initials of your name, or spell out a scary phrase, such as 'Boo!'
- Tape the monogram photocopy to your pumpkin with masking tape.
- As with the silouette, use the needle tool to poke holes in close intervals around the outline of the monogra.
- Remove the monogram and connect the dots with a pen.
- Use the sabre saw to cut along the pen lines. You can use the linoleum cutter to get around tight corners.