design finch

My favorite part of Halloween has always been decorating pumpkins. I have fond childhood memories of carving Jack-O-Lanterns with my brother Trent and now, as bigger kids, Jason and I continue the tradition. Needless to say, it usually turns into a competition between the two of us to see who can create the best pumpkin. And I ALWAYS win, although Jason will never admit it.

This year, however, he couldn’t handle the pressure of such fierce competition and took a nap on the couch while I went to town carving my “G”. (In case you’re wondering, it stands for “gangsta”.) And then, because he was still asleep, I decorated his pumpkin as well, using his favorite drill to perforate hundreds of tiny holes in its flesh (which seemed like a good idea at the time….but not so much when I was cleaning pumpkin guts off the drill before sneaking it back to the garage).

This is another one of my winning creations from a couple years ago. It’s a silhouette of our sweet labrador retriever, Denver. (Ollie had not yet emerged from his hole in the ground to join our pack, which is why he is not represented with a gourd here.)

These are the pumpkins we carved together on our first Halloween as Mr. and Mrs. G. As you can see, Finchley closely inspected our work and declared the winner! I’ll leave it to you to guess who carved which one.

So, do you ghouls and boys have your pumpkins ready for Halloween this year? Here are some of my favorite ideas gathered from around the interweb if you need a little last-minute inspiration. It’s also never too early to begin planning next year’s masterpiece!

Clockwise from top left: Spooky Silhouettes, Wrinkled Face, Tinkerbell,
Owl-O-Lantern, Goblins

Clockwise from top left: Translucent Monograms, Monogram,
Twinkle Light Pumpkins, Flames, Cinderella Pumpkin

Clockwise from top left: Bird Cage, Celtic Shapes, Mouse House,
Deer Diorama, Pumpkin Pad

Clockwise from top left: Modge Podge Leaves, Gold Gourds, Pumpkin Topiaries, Glittered Pumpkin Centerpiece, Modern Pumpkins

Clockwise from top left: Puffy Painted Pumpkins, Sequined Swirls, Monogram, Blinged Out Spider Web, Sequined Monogram

Clockwise from top left: Crystal Pumpkin, Lacy Pumpkin, Moroccan Pumpkin, Candy Corn, Mummy

Here are some helpful tips I learned for keeping your gourds looking good until Halloween:

1. Rub petroleum jelly on the exposed flesh of your pumpkin to slow decay.
2. Place packets of silica crystals inside the pumpkin to soak up moisture and prevent mold growth.
3. Wrap a strand of Christmas lights around a glass for a radiant light source (remember to cut a hole in the back of the pumpkin for the cord).

Please treat us by sharing your pumpkin tricks in the comments!