Embrace the spooky spirit of Halloween this year by carving a festive jack-o’-lantern. A great family activity that appeals to all ages, there is a pumpkin design for all tastes, here are a few pumpkin carving ideas to get you started…
Spa Pumpkin
Paint a face mask on a pumpkin using colourful paint, leaving spaces for the eyes, nose, and the mouth. Let it dry completely before drawing on eyes, a nose and a smile with a black paint pen. Finish off the look by wrapping a towel around the stem, which you can secure in place using straight pens.
Crayon Drip Pumpkin
Remove the wrapper from a box of crayons and break them into small bits. One at a time, place crayons near the pumpkin stem and use the low-heat setting on a hairdryer to start melting them. As they begin to drip down, you can move the pumpkin around to control where they land. Repeat around the whole pumpkin and let dry completely.
Frankenstein Pumpkin
Add a classic horror Halloween touch to your pumpkin by making it look like Frankenstein. Paint it green and attach facial features made out of construction paper to pay homage to Mary Shelley’s resurrected monster.
Glow Stick Pumpkin
This pumpkin carving idea is a great flame-free alternative! Paint your carved pumpkin a dark purple and then put in green glow sticks to give it an eerie glow.
Cookie Monster Pumpkin
Every school-aged kid will love this adorable Cookie Monster pumpkin. A much more kid-friendly take on the wildly popular vomiting pumpkin, this Cookie Monster is super easy to make and a lot of fun. To recreate it, simply grab a pair of ping pong balls for the eyes, some blue paint and cut out a mouth. Add a few delicious cookies (bonus dessert in this one!) and your kids will be thrilled.
Zombie Grin
Bring a pumpkin back from the dead by carving a lopsided smile and adding eerie eyeballs (shaped with a melon baller). Place two mini pumpkins close by to look like hands clawing their way from the grave.
Fringe Pumpkin
Prepare to make the cutest scary pumpkin ever. Just wrap and glue fringe around the stem of a pumpkin, adding 2–3 layers until it looks nice and full. Using hot glue, attach googley eyes onto the fringe and add personality with cut paper eyelids and teeth.
Harry Potter Pumpkin
Illuminate your driveway with this pumpkin carving idea inspired by one of the greatest book series of all time. Carve a spell name or the classic glasses and lighting scar that will transport your trick-or-treaters to Diagon Alley.
Imagery via Good House Keeping, Getty Images, The Spruce Crafts, Pinterest, and Parade.
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