At Her.ie, we’re big fans of going all out on Halloween. We love the costumes, the sweets and the haunting stories but most of all we love spooking up our dungeons to the tune of Monster Mash.
Pumpkins are the perfect way to inject an eerie atmosphere into your Halloween bash or to plonk on your doorstep as you await trick-or-treaters.
However, carving your own pumpkin can be a bit tricky and it’s important to take your time to avoid an accident worthy of the most gruesome horror flick.
Here’s our advice when it comes to carving your very own lantern.
Method
Plan your design on a piece of computer paper before you begin. It is better to have a plan before hacking into your pumpkin. Print a stencil from the internet if you aren’t feeling very creative.
Make sure your pumpkin is hard, firm and a bright shade of orange. This will mean your lantern will last longer.
With a sharp knife, lightly cut a circle on the top of your pumpkin, facing the blade towards the centre of the vegetable at an angle.
Place the top beside you on the counter and scoop out the inside of the pumpkin, removing everything. Run under the tap for a through clean.
Sello-tape your design to the pumpkin and with a tooth pick, trace your design onto the surface.
Carefully cut along your traced dots made by the tooth pick.
Remove the cut outs and discard.
Place a tea light inside your pumpkin and light. Be sure to pay close attention to your Jack-O-Lantern and do not leave it un-attended or accessible to small children.
Happy Halloween!