Thursday, October 30, 2008

Pumpkin guts galore



I've handled more pumpkin guts in the past few days than I'd ever imagined. OK, it's not really *that* many pumpkin guts. Maybe it's only four pumpkins that I had my hands inside, scooping out the innards and scraping the flesh clean.

When you go to two pumpkin carving parties, your hands are bound to get dirty.

Sunday night, in what threatens to be an annual tradition, we had the neighbor girls over to carve pumpkins. We hit four different stores in our quests for the perfect pumpkins. I fell in love with this horribly scarred and pimpled one, while my husband searched high and low for the perfect big and small pumpkin duo.

Here's the end result, all lit up and lined up. Mine is in the middle. (For a good picture of mine alone, click here.)



And here's a close up of my husband's pumpkin, which is actually two pumpkins screwed together in a "must eat brains" fashion, and a close-up of Linnae's pumpkin, which is also two pumpkins screwed together in a "must suck brains" fashion.



Then Tuesday at work, the social committee threw a pumpkin carving party. At first I told myself I was just going to play photographer, but then I found myself getting into the act.

In the end we carved and decorated 18 pumpkins. Some were carved free-hand, some were carved using templates, and some were decorated using Mr. Potato Head-type plastic parts.





I used a Jack Skellington template to make my own Nightmare Before Christmas pumpkin. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

P.S. I promise this is the last of the pumpkin carving posts. Unless I get some good photos of the pumpkin decay cycle or something. OK, sorry, I just can't promise. Maybe there will be more pumpkin posts and maybe there won't. I don't know. I really like pumpkins. :P

9 comments:

  1. Your Skellington pumpkin turned out really well. I've only seen that movie once and then the ads for it of course. But I knew right away that that was what you were doing, before reading the post. :)

    All the jack o lanterns are creative and good. Your top photo is great. All the different styles. How did you get yours, in the middle, to glow dimly? Made it look very spooky.

    Don't feel you have to promise to stop posting pumpkin photos. Tis the season!

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  2. I like the puking one ...

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  3. Oh they look great! It's been ages since I carved a pumpkin, maybe next year. Any suggestions as what to do with the gut bits? I saved some of it with the seeds when I made pumpkin food this week since I thought I could roast them or something. I'll have to google that I think.

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  4. what a great idea to have a pumpkin carving party! & a few days ahead of time, smart thinking. I always love roasting the seeds!

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  5. Oh my Haley you certainly have been busy. I love all of them. They are all so creative. But, I bet your hands are sore!!

    Happy Halloween:-)))

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  6. All very cool pumpkins. The half mask of the first group is unusual.

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  7. Looks like a ton of fun. It's been ages since I carved pumpkins.

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  8. Anonymous11/06/2008

    Awh but I like the pumpkin carving! You all did such a great job. I wish I knew people who would get all into it with me. So far I know no one who in interested!

    Maybe I'll come to Chicago next Halloween - just to carve pumpkins!

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  9. @Laura -- Thanks. We used a few different brands of battery-operated "candles". The red one in my pumpkin had a nice flicker to it that looked very natural. The really bright one on the left actually had one of those battery-operated push lights that you can install in dark closets, etc.

    @Don -- You can't go wrong with a puking pumkin. I always like those when I see them too.

    @Pia -- In other years we've washed the pumpkin seeds and roasted them (I'd have to Google instructions), but this year I wasn't feeling up to the task. It can be a lot of work.

    @Lily -- I think I have more fun on the night we carve pumpkins ahead of Halloween than on the actual holiday.

    @Shinade -- Thanks. I'm hoping that someday someone will discover that pumpkin guts are a natural rejuvenater for the skin. I can hope. :P

    @Waterrose -- Thanks. The half mask was from a template. On that one, it makes all the difference having a candle in it. In the light, it's not nearly as cool looking.

    @Travis -- It is lots of fun, especially with the carving kits they sell now. Those little saws are much easier to use than a big butcher knife.

    @fragileheart -- Yes! If you come to Chicago around Halloween, I'll make sure we have pumpkins to carve. :)

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