Tuesday 25 October 2011

Jack-o'-Lantern Frenzy!

Every year, My Rare One and I carve two jack-o'-lanterns to sit on our front steps on Halloween night. We try not to make the JOLs too scary because most of our trick or treaters are pretty small kids. Typically, they pay no attention to the pumpkins anyway, being totally focused on candy. But their accompanying parents often comment favourably on our efforts, LOL!

Usually we employ one of those carving kits that come with several patterns, pointy sticks for making the pattern perforations on the pumpkins and little saws for cutting out the design. Actually, it's pretty amazing what a good job you can do with those easy-to-use kits. Last year, however, I designed my own "diabolical vampire cat" pumpkin --


My Rare One used a pattern to spell out this seasonal greeting --

Here they are together --

Not quite so compelling in full light though! Darkness and candlelight work wonders. My Rare One and I find that to be true in other contexts as well.


30 comments:

Lois said...

LOL! Don't we All!

jaz@octoberfarm said...

great job you two!!! i love your pumpkins!

Judy said...

There is an art to good pumpkin carving...yours make a very welcoming site in candlelight...

Nar said...

Very nice! I really like your vampire kitty pumpkin.

CorvusCorax12 said...

they are great

sonia said...

Nice!

DEZMOND said...

hope Her Highness won't get scared from the cat pumpkin :)

turquoisemoon said...

WoW...I can barely do 3 triangles and a crooked mouth...Those are great!

jaz@octoberfarm said...

check this out. my kids just showed this to me:

http://www.youtube.com/user/mikepolkjunior#p/c/23CE9CD75B6E28A8/2/qpl5mOAXNl4

Magaly Guerrero said...

I'm bookmarking this page for our carving! They are lovely!

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

super job. I love pumpkins.......and yours are great

The Dancing Crone said...

Your JOLs are bee-you-tee-ful!

But now I'm feeling guilty about my plastic pumpkin with the tiny little coloured lights on the inside.

Damn thing will last forever though!

Jane said...

Very nice! Are these the 'pumpkins' you were referring to in yesterday's post? hehe

Tricky Nag said...

Good looking JOLs. This yea rim definitely going to try to get beyond the two triangles for eyes and the ugly mouth with a tooth.

Workingdan said...

Nice pumpkins! Every year, I try to make a colts pumpkin. I will try to get some pics up soon.

My Grama's Soul said...

Those pumpkins are great!! As an aside.....as you get older.....you will find out that candlelight and darkness even becomes more valuable! LOL LOL

Jo

Bird said...

Ooo, Debra, those are really wonderful. I love the vampire cat especially. I was thinking about getting one of those kits this year and trying them out since I've not ever used one before.

Oh, by the way, you won my giveaway! If you can email me your address and the scent you'd like on your putka pods and corn (or no scent) I can send those out to you ASAP.

Thank you so much for entering and Congrats!
Bird
hedgewithcbird@gmail.com
http://birdsearthyspirit.blogspot.com/

batik alisha said...

great stuff.

Joyful Things said...

darkness and candles, hides a multitude of things! Love the JOLs.

JeannetteLS said...

Yes, indeed. Wonders...

Makropoulos said...

I can smell those pumpkin guts, just looking at these. Love that diabolical kitty pumpkin!

Kathy said...

Beautiful! After many years of living in a fundamentalist cult, we are just now beginning to celebrate Halloween. I'm starting out slowly but I love it! It's better than Christmas. And your pumpkins are amazing!

Victoria said...

Yay..beautiful..you are fabulous! Gorgeous!
Victoria

Anonymous said...

How fun! We usually carve elaborate pumpkins (we being me after Littleman decides riding his scooter around me after 5 minutes is more fun) but this year with the Contagion being passed around the house we never got over to the farm for our annual pumpkin picking. Sigh.

laughingwolf said...

great original one, deb!

yellowdoggranny said...

those are fantastic...really really good.

Jim said...

These are great! I really think we have 'missed' something along the way!! Hey, maybe we could try the 'candlelight and darkness' too......

Anonymous said...

what a great job,, they look so professional,,you could give Martha Stewart a run for her money!

Jeanne said...

LOL! Very well said! :0)
Love the JOLs!

Laura Jean Griffiths said...

Aaw I love the Vampire Cat one!
Lovely blog!

I have a makeup/fashion blog, but I also post about my whimsical-inspired fashion line on etsy! You can find the shop link on my blog! Feel free to browse!

Laura xx
http://www.laurajeangriffiths.blogspot.com/