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How to Carve a Pumpkin #Halloween2017

I remember years of trying to carve the "perfect" pumpkin.  I'd google step by step instructions, watch videos and more all in an effort to get it just right.  I mean after spending so much time finding the "perfect" pumpkin it only made sense to carve it just right.

Carving a pumpkin is easy.  Make sure you have the proper equipment: a serrated knife, a large, sturdy spoon for scooping out the inside and a nice size pumpkin.

Serrated knives are the ones with the tooth-like blade and look like a saw. 
serrated knife

Step 1:  Wipe the outside of the pumpkin off with a clean, damp cloth.  You want to remove any of the dirt on the outside.

Step 2:  Carefully cut the top of the pumpkin off.  Do not try to cut around the pumpkin, use your knife in an up and down motion.

Step 3:  Scoop out the guts using the spoon.  You can set the seeds aside for roasting if you like.  Be sure to scrape really hard so you can remove all the pumpkin flesh.
Don't worry about carving the "perfect" pumpkin just enjoy spending quality time with your family.  Truth is when all is said and done, the kids love their carved pumpkins no matter how jacked up others may think it looks and that's just fine with me.
To celebrate Halloween, Three Boys and an Old Lady blog has joined forces with The Kids Did It, The Mommy Island and a host of other blogs for the 2nd annual Howl-O-Ween Hop.  Here's your chance to win some fab prizes just in time for Halloween.
The fun begins on Wednesday, October 11 and runs through Wednesday, October 25. We are giving away a $10 Target gift card.  Why Target?  Well, Target is one of our fave places to shop for all things Halloween.

Click below to enter and be sure to check out the other giveaways in the hop in the linky below.  Good luck.

 Oh, and do you and your family carve pumpkins at Halloween?  What are some of your family Halloween traditions?


  


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(Linkup closed)





Comments

Masshole Mommy said…
I STINK at carving pumpkins. I always want fancy jack o'lanterns like I see all over instagram, but I am just not that talented LOL. I try, though :)
October 11, 2017 at 7:51 AM
Alli Smith said…
I am horrible when it comes to carving pumpkins. Maybe that's a good thing since my pumpkins always look pretty gruesome. :)
October 11, 2017 at 7:52 AM
Natalie Loves Beauty said…
I remember having to carve a pumpkin at school one year - let's just say it wasn't pretty! I think using the right knife really makes a difference.
October 11, 2017 at 9:05 AM
Jeannette said…
I am not the best pumpkin carver but we do attempt to do it. We have already bought one for the shoes that might be a bit early so we may have to get another one. I like all your tips here they will help me when I do carve the pumpkin.
October 11, 2017 at 9:08 AM
candy said…
All starts with a sharp knife. Why so important to have children supervised.
October 11, 2017 at 9:31 AM
Unknown said…
Pumpkin carving can be so difficult. I always give up because it's so challenging. Thanks for sharing these tips!
October 11, 2017 at 11:29 AM
JewelWood said…
We carve pumpkins on Halloween and the kids just love it! We also take the kids out in their Halloween Costumes trick or treating. They love it!
October 11, 2017 at 12:53 PM
AiringMyLaundry said…
I will keep these tips in mind. Sometimes I have such a hard time carving pumpkins! My husband usually does it, but if he's busy with work, I take over.
October 11, 2017 at 2:06 PM
Lisa said…
We were just talking today about going to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins. These are handy tips.
October 11, 2017 at 4:11 PM
Amanda said…
We host a pumpkin carving party every year for 50 of our friends and neighbors so I will definitely be sharing your tips. I just love carving and then enjoying the pumpkin seeds!
October 11, 2017 at 4:28 PM
Pam said…
We love carving pumpkins. We carve one every year as a family. It's a lot of fun.
October 11, 2017 at 4:52 PM
bellagirl07 said…
We decorate the house and hand out candy.
heather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com
October 11, 2017 at 5:09 PM
Marysa said…
We carve pumpkins every year. It is one of our fall traditions, plus we cook up the seeds (and pretty much eat them until we feel sick)! I usually get some of the tools for kids after we cut the tops off the pumpkins.
October 11, 2017 at 5:43 PM
Leela said…
We do sometimes. I love making caramel apples.
October 11, 2017 at 6:22 PM
Janet W. said…
Yes, we carve our pumpkin every year. We don't have any traditions, except we put the same decorations out every year.
October 11, 2017 at 7:38 PM
Claudia Krusch said…
We are going to have a pumpkin carving contest at our Halloween party this year. Thanks for the great tips. I will have to give them a try.
October 11, 2017 at 7:57 PM
Richard Brandt said…
We haven't carved a pumpkin in years. These days our biggest Halloween tradition is staying up past our bedtime watching scary movies.
October 11, 2017 at 10:12 PM
ricci said…
I haven't actually carved a pumpkin in years!! LOL!! These are great instructions for a first timer!!
October 12, 2017 at 12:23 AM
arress said…
Yes, we carve pumpkins. We enjoy visiting the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins. We then bring them home and carve them.
October 12, 2017 at 5:12 AM
Unknown said…
I loved carving pumpkins, but now my son is a teen and too cool to carve!
October 12, 2017 at 6:17 AM
Natalie said…
We used to carve pumpkins, but now we simply take the seeds out and bake pumpkin seeds. We usually hand out candy to trick or treaters.
October 12, 2017 at 6:36 AM
NYCSingleMom said…
we are past the carving stage but I sill make baked pumpkin seeds. I need to get a new serrated knife to make it easier for me.
October 12, 2017 at 6:57 AM
Mimicutelips said…
We haven’t carved a pumpkin in years. My 5 year old has been asking about it so we are going to do it this year. Great tips.
October 12, 2017 at 8:15 AM
monique s said…
yes, we do carve a few pumpkins. THey do not ever look to good unfortunately ;)
October 12, 2017 at 9:46 AM
Beautiful Disaster said…
We carve pumpkins every year and hubby is really good at it.
October 12, 2017 at 10:55 AM
Anonymous said…
We haven't carved a pumpkin in a few years. Now that I think about it, maybe the kids would enjoy it. Maybe we'll get one this weekend.
October 12, 2017 at 11:12 AM
Bryan Vice said…
Yes My daughter went to a pumpkin farm and got some pumpkin we will be carving some very soon.
October 12, 2017 at 12:13 PM
Ann Fantom said…
Yes, we usually carve two pumpkins every Halloween.

Our Halloween tradition is that we always play our halloween music, carve the pumpkins and then roast the pumpkin seeds.

abfantom at yahoo dot com
October 12, 2017 at 12:16 PM
Anonymous said…
Sometimes we carve pumpkins. It depends!
October 12, 2017 at 2:48 PM
Judy said…
We always carved a couple pumpkins with the children during Halloween and now my children do it with their children.
October 12, 2017 at 4:27 PM
jennifer bowen said…
we got to the pummkin farm and we get the bigest pumkin we carve a really crazy looking face in to it we also go out and get candy also go out and do some ghost haunting
October 12, 2017 at 6:15 PM
LauraJJ said…
Yes, we always carve them every year...have so much fun thinking of what to carve each year! We always make pumpkin seeds while we are carving!
October 12, 2017 at 9:36 PM
Jackie said…
We use to carve pumpkins, but now my daughters are older and not at home so much so we don't. We usually go to my parents' home on halloween because it's also my dad's birthday.
October 12, 2017 at 10:45 PM
Carol L. said…
Years ago when my 7 children were small we had a family carving night. Our pumpkin carving was really about the fun and excitement of trying. Then when we saw the results it was all about the laughter. :)
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) AOL (dot) com
October 13, 2017 at 4:20 AM
Lena B said…
Pumpkin carving is new for us and squirrels love eating out pumpkin. I love the most decoratin outside of the house
October 13, 2017 at 9:09 AM
Tiffany said…
we love to carve pumpkins! We also like going to see the pumpkins at the botanical garden every year!
October 13, 2017 at 9:18 AM
Ashley Turicik said…
My two older children carve their pumpkins with help from mommy and daddy and my baby boys just paint theirs. We love to go to the pumpkin patch every October
October 13, 2017 at 9:53 AM
mrsshukra said…
We used to carve pumpkins!
October 13, 2017 at 2:16 PM
tat2gurlzrock said…
We don't because we live in a remote area.
October 13, 2017 at 2:50 PM
lyndseyluvsjj said…
We carve pumpkins, go to pumpkin patches and love to cook pumpkin cookies too!
October 13, 2017 at 3:02 PM
Jan Lee said…
It's just me at my house so no I don't carve pumpkins :)
October 13, 2017 at 5:25 PM
BarbaraRiffe said…
the kids always get a pumpkin to carve.
October 13, 2017 at 6:58 PM
Unknown said…
Yes, we do every year. It's always so much fun, especially with my young nieces.
October 13, 2017 at 10:52 PM
kdrae said…
We carve pumpkins every year for Halloween!
kdraebellamy@yahoo.com
October 13, 2017 at 10:54 PM
Kristi C said…
We go to a local farm to choose a pumpkin and then go through the corn maze there every year.
October 14, 2017 at 8:44 AM
Anosa said…
As a kid we used to carve pumpkins with my older cousins but not done that for years now need to give it a try
October 14, 2017 at 9:44 AM
Edye Nicole said…
We carve pumpkins and go to the pumpkin patch yearly.

mia2009(at)comcast(dot)net
October 14, 2017 at 11:12 AM
Anonymous said…
I do not carve pumpkins for Halloween now but when I was a child we would visit a pumpkin patch. Not only can you choose any shape or size pumpkin you want, but they make a great backdrop for fall photos! They also often had other Halloween related activities such as hayrides, arts & crafts, games and even petting zoos.
October 14, 2017 at 4:10 PM
Unknown said…
We haven't carved in a couple of years but our street is so barren when it comes to decorations, I think it's time to bring it back! Just one nice pumpkin on our porch and maybe some orange lights for the year. What a nice idea.
October 14, 2017 at 6:40 PM
Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden said…
I no longer carve pumpkins -this Grandma grows them then sends them home with them!
October 15, 2017 at 1:43 AM
Cheryl said…
We don't carve pumpkins at Halloween. We don't celebrate Halloween.
October 15, 2017 at 4:29 AM
Deborah Wellenstein said…
It has been a very long time since we carved a pumpkin. We do decorate our house for Halloween. Lots of spooky effects!
October 15, 2017 at 7:57 AM
clc408 said…
I always carved a pumpkin with the kids when they were small. They enjoyed toasting and eating the seeds.
October 15, 2017 at 8:00 AM
Nicky heim said…
we carve pumpkins every year
October 15, 2017 at 8:38 AM
Anonymous said…
My nephew and I carve one pumpkin and make pumpkin pie afterwards.
October 15, 2017 at 8:59 AM
Unknown said…
We typically don't carve pumpkins, but we do watch scary movies and pass out Halloween candy. Visiting haunted houses is also fun, but we're skipping out this year since I'm pregnant.
October 15, 2017 at 4:11 PM
dookiepookiebear said…
not anymore, it too messy. id rather just glitter pumpkins
October 15, 2017 at 4:29 PM
Robin A said…
Yes we love carving pumpkins. We also roast the seeds afterwards
October 16, 2017 at 12:01 AM
Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog said…
Yes we do carve pumpkins for Halloween and then bake the seeds.
October 16, 2017 at 2:34 AM
Sherrie said…
My husband and I don't carve pumpkins but my son and his family do. As for Halloween traditions, my hubby and I just stay home and watch scary movies and enjoy a sweet treat or two :)
October 16, 2017 at 4:36 AM
A.Isaahaque said…
We don't have any family traditions for halloween
October 16, 2017 at 7:47 PM
lisagee1234 said…
No carving but we used to when kids were younger.
October 17, 2017 at 1:34 AM
sheila ressel said…
I've tried carving pumpkins but am not really good at it. We now use precarved plastic pumpkins that light up.
October 17, 2017 at 9:15 AM
LIDARKSIDE said…
No, we do not carve pumpkins for Halloween. We just put pumpkins outside.
October 17, 2017 at 1:35 PM
Marissa M said…
Yes we carve pumpkins every year!
October 17, 2017 at 9:49 PM
Helen said…
Yes we love to make our pumpkins every year.
October 19, 2017 at 10:47 PM
wigget said…
my son enjoys carving pumpkins
October 20, 2017 at 12:15 PM
That Lively Nurse Joni said…
we carve pumpkins every year since my oldest, who is now 21, was 2 years old.
October 20, 2017 at 1:42 PM
molli said…
ive never actually carved a pumpkin, just painted some.
October 21, 2017 at 12:14 AM
Mary Gardner said…
Yes we usually carve a pumpkin or two, trick or treat with the kids, and one of us hands out candy. Nothing out of the ordinary.
October 21, 2017 at 3:14 PM
susan1215 said…
We carve pumpkins every year.
October 21, 2017 at 3:39 PM
Michelle said…
Yes, we love carving pumpkins and planning our costumes!
October 21, 2017 at 4:47 PM
Jeanna Massman said…
My daughter and son-in-law usually carve pumpkins with my grandson. I don’t enjoy carving pumpkins, too messy.
October 21, 2017 at 9:14 PM
Carolyn Daley said…
I prefer to draw and decorate pumpkins with stickers.
October 22, 2017 at 4:40 PM
Minta's Creations said…
We carve pumpkins and go trick or treating!
October 22, 2017 at 7:58 PM
elizabeth miller said…
My daughter likes to paint the pumpkins instead of carving them. We always attend a big bonfire with a hayride and games for the kids the weekend before Halloween.
October 22, 2017 at 8:07 PM
slehan said…
I go to the Pumpkin Festival every year. I get pumpkins for friends to use. I just get the little ones for my house.
Thanks for the contest.
slehan at juno dot com
October 23, 2017 at 12:00 AM
Kristin C said…
I love to carve pumpkins with my kids - we're going for happy pumpkins this year.
October 23, 2017 at 9:07 AM
sam m said…
Me and my son are taking a crack at it this year :)
October 24, 2017 at 7:23 AM
Tara W said…
We don't carve pumpkins but we are considering trying it this year.
October 24, 2017 at 2:59 PM
Unknown said…
We carve pumpkins every year. We decorate for Halloween and our kids enjoy dressing up for trick or treating.
October 24, 2017 at 7:30 PM
angie said…
We have not carved pumpkins in a few years but always had fun when we did. I always make a bunch of different creepy looking snacks and appetizers to eat while we are at home passing out candy.
October 24, 2017 at 9:31 PM
johnathans_jiggle said…
I like to carve a pumpkin and dress up for Halloween
October 24, 2017 at 11:09 PM
Jennifer H. said…
We like to carve pumpkins.
October 24, 2017 at 11:12 PM
John H. said…
We like to carve them.
October 24, 2017 at 11:14 PM
Lisa said…
We love to carve or paint pumpkins
October 25, 2017 at 12:08 AM
Unknown said…
We usually carve sever pumpkins through the months of October and November. We then same most of the seeds and bake them to make a tasty snack we enjoy throughout the winter.
October 25, 2017 at 7:19 AM
Tracie Cooper said…
We love to decorate our pumpkins in the Disney theme. We also love to attend the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. My email is traciemcooper0515@gmail.com
October 25, 2017 at 8:52 AM
clynsg said…
We did carve them when the kids were small, but now we just admire what others have done. About the only things we do now are to enjoy the grandchildren in their costumes and exclaim over whatever candy haul they get!
October 25, 2017 at 9:26 AM
Brad Merrell said…
We carved a watermelon last year
October 25, 2017 at 11:28 AM
Kathy P said…
Some years we carve pumpkins but we love scary movie marathons
October 25, 2017 at 1:18 PM
candy said…
We go to the pumpkin patch every year and get a pumpkin to carve.
October 25, 2017 at 5:47 PM
Jerry Marquardt said…
I love to carve pumpkins. I want to dress up like Herman Munster for a party this Halloween season.
October 25, 2017 at 6:57 PM
Anita said…
yes we usually try to get a pumpkin for halloween and decorate the house for the holiday
October 25, 2017 at 7:17 PM
Laura Lee said…
We do carve pumpkins. My favorite tradition is going to the pumpkin patch each year and picking out our pumpkins.
October 25, 2017 at 8:47 PM
Jakes Movie Reviews said…
We do not carve pumpkins, but I enjoy seeing peoples various designs.
October 25, 2017 at 9:21 PM
Rachel B said…
We like to go to the Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch. Carving Pumpkins. and of course Trick or Treat
October 25, 2017 at 9:30 PM
amyd16323 said…
We love carving pumpkins.Some of our traditions are going to the corn maze, hay rides,etc
October 25, 2017 at 9:37 PM
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