Here are an expert’s secrets for carving a better-than-average jack-o-lantern:
- Pick an oddly shaped pumpkin. Everyone, it seems, looks for the most perfectly formed pumpkin for their jack-o’-lantern. The better choice is actually one that is slightly misshapen—a little long, a little wide, a little bumpy. The peculiarities will give your pumpkin character.
- Figure out the face. Before making any cuts, outline your ideas for a face on the pumpkin with a water-based marker. Draw a line establishing the middle of the face and draw the features on both sides to match—or not. Then trace these lines with a permanent marker.
- Hollow with care. How will you display your jack-o’-lantern? If you’re going to light the pumpkin, hollow it from the top; this will allow the escape of heat from a lamp or smoke from a flame (if you are using a candle). If the jack-o’-lantern will not be lit, you can hollow it out from a hole in the back so that the look of the face is not affected.
- Amplify your ideas. Exaggerate the facial features and carve the entire pumpkin, not just one side.
DIY: Pumpkin Seed Necklace
Making a necklace from the seeds you dig out of your pumpkin is as easy as 1, 2, 3 . . . 4, 5!
1.
- Separate the seeds from the pulp and rinse them well in warm water.
- Spread the seeds out on paper towels to dry completely.
- When the seeds are dry, color them with felt-tip markers, leaving some uncolored if you wish.
- Make holes near the center of each seed, using a big needle or an awl and a block of wood.
- String the seeds with a large-eye needle and fine elastic, using 125 to 130 seeds for a necklace and far fewer for a matching bracelet. (Measure around your neck or wrist before cutting the elastic, allowing a little extra to tie the finishing knot.)
Tips and ideas from Old Farmer's Almanac.
Always in spirit...
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