Pumpkin Carving Ideas with Photos and Patterns

Have you ever wondered if there's a way to make your carved pumpkin masterpiece last longer, instead of withering up and growing mold?

You'll be happy to know there are a number of ways to help your pumpkin maintain it's appearance for as long as a couple of weeks after its been carved.

A carved pumpkins worst enemy is air, since it causes it to loose the natural moisture and wither up. So the idea is to keep as much moisture in the pumpkin as possible so it can maintain its newly carved appearance.

These are some of the most popular things people do to keep their pumpkins looking as good as they did the day they carved them.

Mix one tablespoon of regular bleach to every one quart of water and pour into a spray bottle. Now mist the inside walls of the pumpkin as well as any areas that have been carved. This will help keep bacteria from growing which causes the black mold you often see.

Then, coat the inside of the gourd with petroleum jelly as well as on the carved areas. If you don't have petroleum jelly, vegetable oil can used be instead. To remove the excess wipe with a paper towel if you plan to use a lite candle.

Another method to extend the life of your carved pumpkin is to soak it in plain water once a day, again helping to keep it moist. Some people say placing the pumpkin in the refrigerator every night also helps to maintain the moisture.

Some of the pumpkin patches sell a product called "Pumpkin Fresh" that you mix with water to help keep the black mold from occurring, much like the stuff they sell for Christmas trees.

This works to prevent decay and mold. It's packaged in a liquid form - in a spray bottle to be used once a day to extend the life of the pumpkin up to two weeks after it's been carved. It's a safe and non-toxic product.

Some people have found that using regular white glue and coating the carved areas of the pumpkin with a thin layer to be very helpful. This works to keep the moisture in the pumpkin to help prevent it from becoming dry which makes it shrivel up.

Others have found spraying the gourd with acrylic spray seals in the natural moisture and helps it to keep its freshly carved appearance longer.

These are 2 great web-sites where you can get free pumpkin carving patterns and stencils.

http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pattern.htm#2008

http://www.dotcomwomen.com/crafts/halloween/pumpkin-carving-patterns.shtml