carvin' up pumpkins.

a couple of years ago, a friend of mine and his girlfriend bought a pumpkin carving kit and carved the raddest (yes, i just used the word raddest) pumpkins and i have wanted to do the same since. last year i didn't get a chance to really celebrate halloween to its fullest, so i made an effort this year. i wanted to go to tai pan trading to get some seasonal decorations and such, but i never made it. so, when i went to michael's a couple of weeks ago and saw the pumpkin carving kit and i had to have it. jack-o-lanterns are definitely "seasonal decorations."

well, once i got the kit home, i picked out a couple of the patterns that i wanted to carve (there were four in all) and i copied them (because maybe i will want to use them again). then i went on a pumpkin hunt. i asked around and was informed that there was a little place out in nibley where i could get pumpkins for cheap. good enough for me.

one day after work, i headed out to nibley. i really had no idea where this place was, but i was told there was a sign on the road so i wouldn't miss it. sure enough, there was a sign, but i missed it. i saw it a little too late, in my rear-view. i flipped around and headed back.



i couldn't believe how many pumpkins there were and that they were only $1.00. (wal-mart was selling them for $3.98. what a rip-off!) now, granted, most of them weren't the best looking pumpkins, but with a little digging, i found three "okay" pumpkins. and i put my money in the little box beneath the sign. it was a high tech operation, obviously.


when i got my pumpkins home, i rinsed them off. they were a bit dirty after sitting in the field for awhile. then i determined which pattern would look best on which pumpkin. and then i started carving.

it is a fun little operation. the fancy little tools make it feel like you are making real art or something. back in the day, my dad used to get out the jig-saw. we would get to draw how we wanted it to be cut out and then my dad would carve it for us. it was somewhat of a production, but fun all the same.


i first carved the window scene with the cat, pumpkin and spider. it was the most difficult pattern that i chose, but it wasn't that hard. at one point, i thought i was going to lose the spider, but i pulled it out.


i chose the surprised face because it was the most like a traditional jack-o-lantern without being a traditional jack-o-lantern. i guess i like to be different.


by the time i got to the bat, i was a little bit over it. maybe next year i won't try to do all of them at the same time.


and this is what they looked like on my front porch. granted, this isn't the best picture, but you get the idea. i can't wait to do it all again next year. it's definitly a new little tradition for myself.


and of course, i made the most delicious roasted pumpkin seeds in the world, which is half the reason to carve pumpkins anyway, right? right. if you want the recipe, let me know. they seriously are delish.