Surfing the Net with kids
My childhood pumpkin memories look nothing like these fancy pumpkins. When did pumpkin carving get so elaborate? I can’t say, but these pumpkin patterns do look fun. Whether your interest is just in browsing the photo galleries, or you’re out to learn how to create your own pumpkin masterpiece, these sites are sure to please.
DLTK: Pumpkin Carving Patterns www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm
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 SpongeBob, scary cats, Thomas the Tank Engine, spiders, spider webs, skulls, haunted houses, and a number of traditional jack-o’-lantern faces.
Extreme Pumpkins www.extremepumpkins.com
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.
Family Fun: Pumpkin Carving Ideas www.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/specialfeature/halloween_ms_pumpkins/
For 10 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 www.pumpkincarving101.com
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.
