Friday 23 October 2009

The Pumpkin Project!

Hurrah! The time has come! (I finally bought a pumpkin!) After much exhausting, hunted out researching, (google) I soon realised that this is a major topic at this time of year and there are many competitions and really fantastic carvings, some I have seen on your blogs, and I have one word. WOW.

So I wanted to start up a wee project!I wanted to (obsess) show off all your creations!

So if you want to play along ,email me pictures of your pumpkin carvings! I will do a special Halloween post on the 31st October and post them all up! I would love to see your creations! Please spread the word to fellow pumpkins carvers, I am sure there are some real delights out there!

Of course, I wanted to play too, so I bought my pumpkin and wondered what to do. (Never handled a pumpkin in my life. Fact.)

I put my Monica Geller head on, and thought "Oh yes, I must carve a fantastic pumpkin!" Here is the low down.

I had to get some tools!

This is the best I could get.

Doesn't look too shabby me thinks, and that saw looks kinda cool. It also had a really cool booklet attached with carving stencils. (Ahhhh, so that's how they do it!)

I chose this one!
I am all set! Finding the newly found skill of actually reading instructions for such a task as this, things were going relatively smoothly.

I used my wee scooper to get out all the seeds and gloppy stringy bliss! As you now know,this is my very first encounter with a pumpkin. As I lived in Belfast, it was turnip carving all the way at Halloween in our house. Quite a sinister history about that wee ditty of folk lore of Halloween and turnips. More on that another time though.


Unfortunately the wee scooper was very wee indeed and made my hands look like the hulk and it took quite a time to hollow it out.

Me and my man hands soon completed this stage, so I was prepared for my favourite bit, stenciling! Nothing wrong with a bit of cheating now and then!

(NOTE TO SELF: In all the ill thought out preparations for this activity, the least you could have done is recognise that the pumpkin is minuet compared to the stencil and all that scooping and manicure appointment making was a complete waste of time.)Fear not! I shall create one with my bare (man) hands! So I started carving a bat. Which turned into a Christmas cracker.
Scrapping the idea of a kinda of Halloween wonderland, I carved out some hearts, and stabbed it relentlessly, making the poor pumpkin sweat profusely! I am sorry, I do not know what came over me there. Darn it, hulk hands!
Calming down, my creation was complete. Not what i expected,
But you know what?

I kinda like it!
My email is clairehughes74@googlemail.com if you would like me to post your pictures and tell us a wee bit about it!

I have been so busy, I have not stopped! I have a whole lotta huge thank yous and hugs to some amazing bloggers out there!

In the mean time,

Here is some pumpkin love from me!!

Thanks for stopping by!

8 comments:

Mother Moon said...

I kinda like it too... unique and really nice with the candles....

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Your pumpkin is an adorable little jack o'lantern. A perfect first pumpkin!

Renee said...

Oh God I love it. I love your pumpkin.

I did start laughing at the size of the stenzel.

I am planning to do one with Josephine, but who knows when.

Love you.

Renee xoxo

Unknown said...

Love your pumpkin!!! Thank you for entering my Give Away!! Good luck!!

beth said...

I haven't carved a pumpkin yet this year....and I love the heart idea !!!

Tammy said...

Aw, great pumpkin!

Dede said...

Claire your first pumpkin is beautiful! Good job looks lovely all lit up.

(((HUGS)))

Bridgett said...

Awww....your pumpkin is adorable!

The hubby will be carving the pumpkins sometime this week. I shall send you photos then. :)

)O(
boo