Friday 26 September 2014

Guide to Pumpkin Carving Tools

Pumpkin carving is a lot of fun but no one wants to spend 20 hours carving a pumpkin. We all want to try 3D pumpkin carving because that is just the most amazing thing but it'll take forever to do without the proper tools. And don't forget those intricate designs that really take jack-o-lanterns to a whole new level. You can't do that with a butter knife.

Whether you're a serious pumpkin carver or completely new to this, proper tools are required to efficiently carve beautiful masterpiece pumpkins. Pumpkin carving tools can be confusing though so we've brought you a guide to all the basic pumpkin carving tools that'll help you carve like a pro.

The Carving Knife
Every sensei needs a good knife. This is one of the most important tools so choose wisely. There are many different options of knives and it's usually a good idea to keep more than one as different kinds of knives can be used for different purposes. The first kind is a boning knife:

It is used to cut off the top of the pumpkin (to gut it and to put candles/lights in after.) and to cut off large parts. It can also be used to make medium cuts but it doesn't work well for fine design. 

The second kind of knife is the paring knife:

Its blade is smaller than the boning knife's and can be used to make smaller cuts than the boning knife, though it can be used to carve the whole pumpkin if wanted.


The Dremel
The dremel is a drill-like tool that cuts the pumpkin easily and is able to make very small intricate designs. It can also be used to transfer designs on paper or other materials onto the pumpkin. It is not recommended for carving big parts as that would take a long time to do and can be more easily done with any kind of knife.
Dremel Pumpkin Carving Rotary Tool

Other Cutting Tools
The pumpkin cutting saw is important for cutting fine designs. It can be used to carve the whole pumpkin as well.


The poker tool is a very effective tool for moving pumpkin designs onto the actual pumpkin. It is not as good for actually carving the pumpkin, however, as it doesn't have a blade, only a small point as shown by the picture below.


The Gutter
Gutting tools are used to remove the seeds and goop from inside the pumpkin, for those who would prefer not to use their hands. It isn't necessary though as taking the pulp out with your bare hands isn't that bad and hey, for some people it's actually a lot of fun! Another one of its features is that it can thin the walls of your pumpkin which can really come in handy.

Those are the basic pumpkin carving tools. There are many many more and different kinds of each and of course, different brands of each and we'll be getting in depth with reviews of products in another post, another day. 

For those who aren't that serious about pumpkin carving but are still interested in carving a great pumpkin, there are pumpkin carving kits with multiple different tools in them and they're actually quite cheap. The tools won't be as good as if you bought them all separately but it's great for people who don't want to spend a lot of time and money on buying tools, not that the pumpkin carving tools cost that much.

We'll also be recommending/reviewing different pumpkin carving kits in a later post as there are hundreds of them around and to be honest, a lot of them aren't that great.

More Halloween ideas will be coming up soon.

Carve away everyone!






Thursday 25 September 2014

Cute Pumpkin Carving Ideas

Halloween is a scary holiday, that's for sure, but your pumpkins don't have to be. There are many many cute and fantastic pumpkins out there. Make yours one of them this year. Check out these cute jack-o-lanterns:


Aww... Who doesn't love minions? And there are four of them too. Four times the minions, four times the cutness!


Those big eyes and that wonderful smile. How cute is this little fellow?


Dog lovers are going to be drooling over these pumpkins. The detail of these pumpkins is amazing.


Owls are the cutest. Especially this little flying owl.



Snoopy dog! This cute little dog brings back good memories.


Those eyes are stunning. This one is a real favorite. It's easy to carve AND it's cute and expressive.


Hello Kitty's already cute enough but she's even cuter as a witch, a good one, of course.

Well there you have it. The cutest pumpkins around. Get out your knives and start carving already - it's never too early for pumpkin carving.

Have fun carving everyone!



Wednesday 24 September 2014

12 Easy but Cool Pumpkin Designs

These pumpkins are fairly easy to carve but they aren't like the plain old ones that everyone carves. Those ones are awesome too, I'm not saying they aren't, I mean, you can't beat the classics. But they can get boring and it's fun to try something different. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Here are some easy jack-o-lanterns that are really something different. Hope they'll give you some Halloween ideas.

1.Pokemon Pumpkin



2. Pumpkin Pi


3. Evil Pumpkin


4. Skeleton Pumpkin

5. Star and Crescent Moon Pumpkin


6. Starry Night Pumpkin


7. Apple Pumpkin


8. Puking Pumpkin


9. Scaredy Pumpkins


10. Owl Pumpkin


11. Leaves Pumpkins


12. Lights Pumpkin


Well there you've got them. Some unique but easy pumpkin designs for those who are beginners at this, doing this with children, or don't have enough time.

More Halloween ideas will be coming up soon so feel free to explore this site.

But for now,

Happy Carving!

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Scary Pumpkin Ideas: Part 1

If Halloween for you is all about the scariness and horror, these pumpkins are for you. These terrifying monsters with razor-blade teeth and evil eyes are perfect for those who like to scare, and for those who love a good scare themselves. Add some fright to your night with these designs. Continue on if you dare...

1. Big Evil Grin Pumpkin

2. The Terrible Trio

3. Two Faced Terror Pumpkin

4. Eyeball of Death

5. Rabies Pumpkin

6. The Spiffy Villain

7. Giant Centipede Pumpkin

8. Alien Pumpkin

9. Razorblade Teeth Pumpkin

10. Medusa Pumpkin


If the pumpkins got you like:


Don't worry, you're not the only one.

Now that you've gotten some hair-raising good ideas, time to let your inner demons out!

Get carving!

More Halloween ideas coming up soon.

Sunday 21 October 2012

7 Cool Pumpkin Carving Ideas


It's pumpkin carving season once again folks! Pumpkin carving has evolved from classic triangle noses and simple teeth in a semi-circle mouth. Modern day carved pumpkins are fancier than ever before. Here are just seven of the many amazing carved pumpkins out there to help give you some ideas and get you started:

Pumpkin Pi
To all nerds and pi lovers out there, this one's for you. It's a Pi Pumpkin a.k.a Pumpkin Pi. Get it? This pumpkin is pretty cool already but what would make it even cooler is if some digits of Pi were carved around Pi. Anyone up for a challenge?


A cool 3D pumpkin. The teeth and the eyes are carved to a certain depth, not all the way, giving it a 3 dimensional look. Also, you can see that the top of the pumpkin is being used rather than the side using the stem as a nose. It's pumpkin carving taken to a whole new level.



This one is simpler than the previous pumpkins, but it does take some effort and skill to carve. It's a good one to try for beginners who don't want to carve their pumpkins the same way they do every year, round eyes with a triangle nose and a few teeth. This pumpkin really showcases the effect a candle can have on a carved pumpkin. The pumpkin wouldn't be half as good without the amazing lighting.

Star and crescent moon pumpkin
A very expressive pumpkin with a crescent moon and a star for eyes and the classic triangle nose. This is an easy pumpkin to carve and great for when carving with children. It's pretty simple but really is something different.




 Your pumpkins don't have to be Halloween based. Missing summer already? Add some summer flair to the fall with this Tiki pumpkin great for parties. Add to the fun by putting in some creative props such as over sized straws or even paper umbrellas!

3D cuckoo pumpkin. Whoever thought of the idea of using squash for the eyes and horns in their jack-o-lantern is a genius. That cute little pumpkin on the tongue is absolutely fantastic too! This pumpkin is really impressive but it takes some real skill to carve.

Another great 3D pumpkin. This is the ideal pumpkin for pumpkin carvers who want to try out 3-D pumpkin carving. Grr...


That's our list of ideas or pumpking carving. We hope they gave you some ideas. More awesome pumpkins, creative costume ideas, halloween decorations, and party ideas are coming up soon. So stay tuned.

Happy carving!