The moment we've all been waiting for: pumpkin season is here!
In a year where little has made sense, we have so been looking forward to one of our favorite traditions of pumpkin carving! And, with everyone staying closer to home with the family, we think it’s the perfect time to take our carving up a notch. Here are some ideas we’ve put together to make your front porch the standout of the neighborhood.
Plan Ahead
Once you have the newspapers and garbage bags spread out and ready for the mess, it’s no time to realize you don’t have the proper tools to create your dream pumpkin.
Take some time to snoop around the internet for carving ideas that make you smile. Many templates you’ll find online are printable, and books of patterns are available everywhere. With safety always first in mind, especially with the kiddos involved, choose proper cutting tools.
A quick check of Amazon will yield any variety of carving instruments you’ll need to carry out your wildest artistic plans. If you can get your household on board, maybe even plan a family theme across the pumpkins for your front step display!
Consider carving outside the lines
Merriam-Webster still defines a Jack-O’-Lantern as ‘a lantern made of a pumpkin usually cut to resemble a human face,’ but the sky's the limit! Actually … not even! Make your gourd into a rocketship. Picture your pumpkin as the moon. Anything is possible!
To create a more dynamic scene, it’s become very popular to use your pumpkin’s canvas to incorporate “shaving” (scraping off the outermost layers of the pumpkin, so as not to puncture all the way through, but to still allow a dimmer light to shine through) along with traditional carving. This can create a lot more texture and depth to your vision.
We've had the best luck drawing on the pumpkin before carving, either free hand or with a stencil. Most importantly, don’t be afraid of goofs! This is all for fun. Sometimes the biggest mess-ups make for the most treasured memories.
Be non-traditional!
Don’t be afraid to be different! Does your pumpkin need glasses? Maybe. Should your creation be wearing a bolo tie? Probably. Maybe you don’t even want to carve it.
Painting your pumpkin can bring an entirely different look to your display. (It’s also a great option for those who don’t care for the goo of cleaning out a pumpkin.)
Using other, smaller gourds as accessories, re-imagining your cut out pieces as ears or incorporating other fruits like pineapples are all ways to shake up what you’ve always thought of as a Jack-O’-Lantern.
And while you’re shopping for your pumpkin, don’t be afraid to step out and go for the lumpy gourd! They're so fun to look at and will definitely be the star of the show.
Share your creations
If there’s one thing 2020 has taught us, it’s that we can do just about anything online. Come up with a unique, shared hashtag with your friends on social media so you can enjoy and remember each other’s Halloween creations for years to come.
Make it even more interesting and have an online contest between your families and friends for best pumpkin reation. And, of course, it’s certainly still the most celebrated to let your art speak for itself on your front steps for all your neighbors to enjoy.
However you decide to decorate your pumpkins this year, make it fun! There’s just something about the glow of fall memories that last a lifetime. And of course, if it’s a 4D Farm pumpkin, be sure to tag us so we can enjoy it, too!