"While you can muddle through some of the simpler designs with serrated knives, tablespoons and a small nail, you'll be well served investing in some pumpkin carving tools if you plan on attempting some of the more detailed designs." I love the patterns here because they come with really simple instructions for beginners. Designs include Sponge Bob, scary cats, Thomas the Tank Engine, spiders, spider webs, skulls, haunted houses, and a number of traditional jack-o'-lantern faces.
"Pumpkin carving has been reborn. This time it is a little bit deformed." These whacked-out pumpkins from the mind of Tom Nardone are not for the toddler set. At Extreme Pumpkins you'll find "shocking, funny, and gross" pumpkin designs such as a puking pumpkin, a flaming head pumpkin, and a worm infested pumpkin. In addition to the free pumpkin patterns, the site has info on preserving pumpkins with Clorox bleach, making fake blood, and carving a person's likeness onto a pumpkin from a digital photograph.
For ten simple tips for carving success, start with Family Fun's Jack-O'-Lanterns 101 (the link is near the bottom of the page, listed under Carving Tips & Tricks.) The projects themselves are divided between free carving patterns (such as Marshmallow Man and Jeepers Creepers) and pumpkin craft projects that don't involve intricate carving. These include ideas such as Painted Pumpkins, Decoupage Pumpkins, and Mr. Pumpkin Head, who has a face composed of cardboard features attached with adhesive felt.
Pumpkin Carving 101 is the encyclopedia of pumpkin carving. It offers a history of the jack-o'-lantern, advice on choosing a pumpkin, tips on growing pumpkins, a guide to carving tools, how to light your pumpkin, how to photograph your pumpkin and more. Of particular interest to those just starting out with stencil carving, are their lessons on how to make a pumpkin stencil and how to use a pumpkin stencil.
"This site specializes in three toned pumpkin carving patterns, which require an additional step of peeling the outside and some of the flesh from the pumpkin. This adds greater depth and eye popping realism to your carvings." With 570 free pumpkin carving patterns and a forum for asking and answering pumpkin carving questions, the Pumpkin Wizard is a one-stop shop for pumpkin carving fanatics
Buy Pumpkin Carving Printable for $2.00
or try a FREE trial of the Printables ClubThe following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
Better Homes and Gardens: Halloween Pumpkin CarvingeHow: Halloween Pumpkin Carving Templates | Pumpkin Masters: Free PatternsSpookmaster: Free Halloween Pumpkin Carving Patterns |
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