Pumpkin Carving

Since Halloween is only a few days away I thought I'd make a post about how I carve pumpkins.

Before I begin I pick out a pattern that I want to carve and resize it to fit my current pumpkin. Once I have my pattern the fun begins!

I start by cutting a lid in the top and cleaning out the guts of my pumpkin. (You can save the seeds to bake or just toss everything in your trash or compost pile.)

Next I tape my pattern to my pumpkin and use a toothpick to punch holes into the pumpkins. Following the edges of the entire pattern. (Be sure to pay close attention to long lines and curves. Add extra holes if you think you will get lost when you connect the dots.)

After punching out the entire pattern. I then go in with a pencil or fine-tipped sharpie to draw the pattern. Using the dots as a connect the dot puzzle, but with out the numbers. I then shade in the pieces I want to cut out of the pumpkin just to make sure. Especially on intricate patterns or small pieces.

Once you have the pattern drawn out it's time to start carving. Take your time with this because 1 wrong move and you can break some of the delicate connector pieces. I usually start at the top and work down. There are a few times that I cut out the smaller pieces first so they have less of a chance to break when you start cutting out the larger pieces.

If something does break don't fret. You can probably fix it with small pieces of toothpick.

Once you're done carving be sure to clean the out all the left over guts and strings that accumulate on the inside and outside from the carving.

Now it's time to set your finished pumpkin outside, place a candle or 2 inside and light it up for all to enjoy.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Here are some other pumpkins I've carved over the years. A wolf howling at the moon, witch riding a broom, haunted house, Frankenstein, and an owl.

A Shade of Vampire

I'm a bit of a sci-fi and fantasy freak when it comes to books. For the last few days I've been reading this book series called A Shade of Vampire. Which can be found on Amazon here. You can buy it, or borrow through Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited.

Anyways, I'm really loving the series, so much so that I'm already on book 5 and I started reading the series 4 days ago. Yes I know I'm a bit of a freak as my boyfriend says since that's about a book a day.

The series is a mix of Twilight (the book series), Vampire Diaries (the t.v. show) and Underworld (the movie series).

Before people go "OMG not Twilight," I'm referring to the romance in that book, NOT the character development or the vampire abilities. As much as it is a decent read, I wanted to slap Bella most the time. Plus the vampire abilities were a stretch and very different that your traditional vampires.

The vampire abilities in this book on the other hand lean towards the Vampire Diaries. Which has the traditional things like speed, strength, regeneration, etc. Plus the vampires burn in sunlight. That's right they scream and go POOF instead of sparkle.

Since every book needs conflict. This series reminds me a little bit of Underworld. Where the characters are hiding, fighting for their lives, hierarchy, family conflicts, etc. It all takes place in modern times, with a bit of a twist. It does have some flash back moments, but it is done very well.

The other thing this series does well is tells the story from different perspectives. So it's not just a narrator or 1 character living the story. You are literally switching each chapter on who is telling the story and their point of view. So conversations, thoughts, memories. They are all told from each character. It's a little confusing at first, but then the light bulb goes off and you get used to it.

The series picks some of the best parts from all 3 of those references I mentioned and molds it into an absolutely wonderful read. I highly recommend the series if you like vampire stories.