pretty, pretty pumpkins

One of my favorite parts of October is picking out a pumpkin, scraping out the seeds and baking them, and then carving it. I still have yet to go to a pumpkin patch like I've wanted to, but maybe this week I can wrangle some friends together or perhaps wrangle a date. The weather is too nice to pass up a trip to a pumpkin patch. I want to grab a yummy latte, bundle up in a sweater, and head out early evening. How perfect does that sound?

I'm not exactly the best at carving the big orange squash. My hand isn't too strong or steady to make the clean lines and I usually get the teeth all wrong on the Jack-o'-lantern, but I still give it a fair shot. I'm thinking I want to try somethin' a little different this year. There are tons of other ways to primp a pumpkin. Here are a few ideas from Woman's Day that I might have to try...

Spooky Silhouettes

Step 1: Choose one of the templates and download from here. You can choose a beetle, bug, crow, grasshopper, raven, skull, snake, or spider. Maybe you can even make your own! Print it onto an 8 1/2" x 11" full-sheet label.

Step 2: Using scissors or an X-Acto knife and cardboard, cut out the shape. Remove the backing from the label and stick it onto the pumpkin, smoothing out from the center to fit it into the grooves; press edges down tightly.

Step 3: Tape off the stem with painter’s tape. In a well-ventilated area, on a newspaper-covered surface, lightly spray the entire pumpkin with paint from about 10" away (don’t get too close, or the paint will drip). Apply 2–3 coats as needed; let dry between coats. Remove label and painter’s tape.

Pumpkin People

Step 1: Turn pumpkins on side so stem becomes nose. Draw eyes and mouth, making eyes slightly larger than eyeballs.

Step 2: Carve features (for artificial pumpkins, only go halfway into surface; sand edges).

Step 3: Glue eyeballs into eye holes.

Step 4: Glue feathers to top of head for hair; glue hat on top.

Step 5: To make tears on scared face, drip hot glue below eyes.

Step 6: Glue other decorations in place as desired

Paintin' Pumpkins

Step 1: Wrap pumpkin stems with painter’s tape.

Step 2: Set pumpkins on newspaper. Using paintbrush, prime each pumpkin. Let dry. Clean brush with ammonia and water. Spray pumpkins white. Let dry.

Step 3: Pour colored paints into separate trays.

Step 4: Wearing gloves, dip a scrub brush in red paint, then hold the brush a couple of inches away from the pumpkin and run your fingers through the bristles to create a splatter effect. Rotate the pumpkin and repeat. Dip another scrub brush into gold paint and repeat. Repeat on all pumpkins, substituting brown paint for red on some. Let dry.

Step 5: Remove tape and, using the cleaned paintbrush, paint stems gold.

How are you going to decorate your pumpkins this year?

[images courtesy of Woman's Day]