Show us your pumpkin

[RebeccaMumsnet]

Have you been growing a whopper of a pumpkin for Halloween? Or shop bought is fine

Do you and your DC carve a Jack O' Lantern every year? Or do you just want to show off your artistic brilliance?

Upload a picture of your pumpkin here for us all to howl ogle over and any top carving tips/pumpkin recipes you have, do share.

Too early for carving mine at the mo - or they sill shrivel and rot, so marking place...

This is one I did last year, haven't decided on this year's yet. I usually use a template from Zombie Pumpkins - they have loads.

Waah, it wont post - have uploaded to profile instead.

I have a few photos from previous years on my profile too. I normally get templates from here

My brother's done a cracking one for his audience - it's Nightmare Before Christmas inspired

sorry - that didn't work - here it is

Ladies, your work is amazing! Where can I get one of those pokey saw things from? The ones you can use to do the fiddly bits?

Bugger! Last year I did a headless horseman, a koala, Spongebob Squarepants, Buzz Lightyear and a haunted house...but my mobile has since broken and that was the only place I had photos of them

three of my finest!

And look at the door!!

so why has that not worked...or is it just me that can't see it, cos I know what it is??

tries another picture!!

oh it did.. and now for the pussy cat one!

can you tell i go a bit crazy for hallowe'en

and some more

and finally The Bat Cave ....no shame!

Carving tips: A steady hand and a sharp knife, the scalpel/craft knife sets from poundland are excellent for any peeling type work you need to do.

If you are doing designs involving skin peeling, do that first before thinning and scooping out the excess flesh

Ditto Poundland for battery tealights in case of a windy Hallowe'en

Old style ice cream scoop is invaluable for scooping the flesh out

Draw the design on with a pencil/ water soluble pen, you can remove that with a licked finger damp cloth when you are done

AND super top tip is to spray them inside and out with WD40.....it really does help them keep.....normally I'd get 2-3 days out of a "thin" pumpkin, and the heavier ones will start to squelch also if it is mild, but I got over a week out of most of them last year. Do the spraying outside though, and no they do not go up in a puff of smoke if you put a candle in them! :D

Someone tell me where to get the equipment please! Saws, I need pointy saws.

Poundland, gotcha.

DH is going to freak when he sees my shopping list.

But I still need a pokey pointy saw....

Home bargains, wilkinsons, pound/bargain shops have the carving kits. I'll try and find last years pumpkin pic, never uploaded a picture though, not sure how...

Dh got me a carving kit from Asda

Here goes:

This is my favourite one [hsmile]

Here's an old one, ds was too small to help with the carving so he covered it with glue and sparkles instead. [hsmile]

I did this in 2010 as my first ever attempt at a pumpkin. Am looking for inspiration for this year :)

Too early for this years, so I've uploaded a previous effort

Pumpkins I've carved in the last 5 years