How to Use Cookie Cutters to Carve a Pumpkin
Give everyone who passes your stoop a pumpkin to talk about this Halloween!
Pumpkin carving is an essential fall activity. Whether you choose to carve yours at the very beginning of October or you save it for Halloween night, there’s no doubt you’re in for a really scary time. Though we’re big fans of traditional carved Jack-o-lanterns, we also love shaking things up every year and exploring new ways to transform our Halloween pumpkins. Need proof? Just look at what we did with some broccoli and kale. This year, we’re taking things even further by using cookie cutters as stencils to turn our pumpkins into glow-in-the-dark lanterns. Here’s how you can get started right at home.
Scaredy Cat
Cut a wide hole in the bottom of a pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Paint the pumpkin with black craft paint. Let dry, then using a pencil, trace the inside of a cat cookie cutter onto the center of the pumpkin. Place the cookie cutter on the shape you just traced and tap lightly with a rubber mallet until it cuts through the pumpkin.
Shooting Stars
Cut a wide hole in the bottom of a pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Using a pen, trace the inside of different-size star cookie cutters onto the pumpkin, starting with the largest at the top and working diagonally down to the smallest. Place each cookie cutter on the corresponding shape and tap lightly with a rubber mallet until it cuts through the pumpkin.
Starry Night
Cut a wide hole in the bottom of a pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Using a pen, trace the inside of different-size star cookie cutters onto the pumpkin in a random pattern. Place each cookie cutter on the corresponding shape and tap lightly with a rubber mallet until it cuts through the pumpkin.
Dotted Lines
Cut a wide hole in the bottom of a pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Using a pen, trace the inside of a one-inch round cookie cutter onto the pumpkin so it forms a band around the middle, then trace the inside of progressively smaller cookie cutters to form bands above and below. Place each cookie cutter on the corresponding shape and tap lightly with a rubber mallet until it cuts through the pumpkin.
Falling Leaves
Cut a wide hole in the bottom of a pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and flesh. Using a pen, trace the inside of leaf cookie cutters onto the pumpkin so they form a band around the middle. Place each cookie cutter on the corresponding shape and tap lightly with a rubber mallet until it cuts through the pumpkin.
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