New Tips And Triks For You

Tina Seitzinger posted: October 4, 2013, 9:42 am

Fall is my favorite time of the year! Not only do I love the crisp weather, sipping on pumpkin spice coffee, and wearing boots, I also love it because my family has a pumpkin carving contest!

We all get really into it (some more than others) and it has become a fun family event that we all look forward to. Two years ago, the men brought out the power tools (yes I know they are crazy) and took this competition to a whole new level.

Check out what I mean:

My husband loves one-upping everyone else. He takes his job very seriously when it comes to pumpkin carving.

Two years ago, he decided to make my boys an Angry Bird pumpkin. It took him about 2 1/2 hours to do it, but boy was it worth it!

And if you want to give it a try, I've outlined the steps for you. Not hard, but does take some time. Good luck!

Step 1: Download Template

There are lots of sites that have fun templates, but we used the one from the Angry Birds official site.

Step 2: Hollow out your pumpkin

Get down and dirty and scoop out all of the pumpkin guts to make it as clean as possible.

*NOTE: Make sure to scrape the front of the pumpkin as thin as you can, about a half inch. This will help the light come through when you are finished.

Step 3: Tape the template to your pumpkin and trace the pattern.

We used a small wheel that came with our pumpkin carving kit. However, you can use anything {such as a thumb tack} to poke small holes in the pumpkin.

Step 4: Outline the pattern.

This is key if you want to be able to see exactly where each line goes. My hubby outlined the pattern {or small holes} with a marker to make them stand out.

Step 5: Get the power tools & safety glasses out!

There's a ton of spots that you will need to shave down but not go completely through the pumpkin. A dremel works perfectly for this!

However, be prepared to be covered in pumpkin parts when you are finished. That's part of the fun, right?

Step 6; Put a light inside your pumpkin and watch it GLOW!

The boys went crazy when it was done and they still talk about their Angry Bird pumpkin!

I think my hubby won the competition, don't you think?

Tell me about some of the fun pumpkins you've carved!

Tina is the voice behind Life Without Pink - a personal lifestyle blog focused on parenting, and raising boys to give you inspiration to play, create, and grow with your kids! You can also connect with her on Twitter @TinaSeitzinger, Facebook & Pinterest.