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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?
Howl-o-Ween Giveaway Hop

  







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 :)
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. :)
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.
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.
candy said…
All starts with a sharp knife. Why so important to have children supervised.
Unknown said…
Pumpkin carving can be so difficult. I always give up because it's so challenging. Thanks for sharing these tips!
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!
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.
Lisa said…
We were just talking today about going to a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins. These are handy tips.
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!
Pam said…
We love carving pumpkins. We carve one every year as a family. It's a lot of fun.
bellagirl07 said…
We decorate the house and hand out candy.
heather hgtempaddy@hotmail.com
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.
Leela said…
We do sometimes. I love making caramel apples.
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.
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.
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.
ricci said…
I haven't actually carved a pumpkin in years!! LOL!! These are great instructions for a first timer!!
arress said…
Yes, we carve pumpkins. We enjoy visiting the pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins. We then bring them home and carve them.
Unknown said…
I loved carving pumpkins, but now my son is a teen and too cool to carve!
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.
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.
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.
monique s said…
yes, we do carve a few pumpkins. THey do not ever look to good unfortunately ;)
We carve pumpkins every year and hubby is really good at it.
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.
Bryan Vice said…
Yes My daughter went to a pumpkin farm and got some pumpkin we will be carving some very soon.
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
Anonymous said…
Sometimes we carve pumpkins. It depends!
Judy said…
We always carved a couple pumpkins with the children during Halloween and now my children do it with their children.
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
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!
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.
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
Lena B said…
Pumpkin carving is new for us and squirrels love eating out pumpkin. I love the most decoratin outside of the house
Tiffany said…
we love to carve pumpkins! We also like going to see the pumpkins at the botanical garden every year!
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
mrsshukra said…
We used to carve pumpkins!
tat2gurlzrock said…
We don't because we live in a remote area.
lyndseyluvsjj said…
We carve pumpkins, go to pumpkin patches and love to cook pumpkin cookies too!
Jan Lee said…
It's just me at my house so no I don't carve pumpkins :)
BarbaraRiffe said…
the kids always get a pumpkin to carve.
Unknown said…
Yes, we do every year. It's always so much fun, especially with my young nieces.
kdrae said…
We carve pumpkins every year for Halloween!
kdraebellamy@yahoo.com
Kristi C said…
We go to a local farm to choose a pumpkin and then go through the corn maze there every year.
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
Edye Nicole said…
We carve pumpkins and go to the pumpkin patch yearly.

mia2009(at)comcast(dot)net
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.
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.
I no longer carve pumpkins -this Grandma grows them then sends them home with them!
Cheryl said…
We don't carve pumpkins at Halloween. We don't celebrate Halloween.
It has been a very long time since we carved a pumpkin. We do decorate our house for Halloween. Lots of spooky effects!
clc408 said…
I always carved a pumpkin with the kids when they were small. They enjoyed toasting and eating the seeds.
Nicky heim said…
we carve pumpkins every year
Anonymous said…
My nephew and I carve one pumpkin and make pumpkin pie afterwards.
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.
not anymore, it too messy. id rather just glitter pumpkins
Robin A said…
Yes we love carving pumpkins. We also roast the seeds afterwards
Yes we do carve pumpkins for Halloween and then bake the seeds.
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 :)
A.Isaahaque said…
We don't have any family traditions for halloween
lisagee1234 said…
No carving but we used to when kids were younger.
sheila ressel said…
I've tried carving pumpkins but am not really good at it. We now use precarved plastic pumpkins that light up.
LIDARKSIDE said…
No, we do not carve pumpkins for Halloween. We just put pumpkins outside.
Marissa M said…
Yes we carve pumpkins every year!
Helen said…
Yes we love to make our pumpkins every year.
wigget said…
my son enjoys carving pumpkins
we carve pumpkins every year since my oldest, who is now 21, was 2 years old.
molli said…
ive never actually carved a pumpkin, just painted some.
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.
susan1215 said…
We carve pumpkins every year.
Michelle said…
Yes, we love carving pumpkins and planning our costumes!
Jeanna Massman said…
My daughter and son-in-law usually carve pumpkins with my grandson. I don’t enjoy carving pumpkins, too messy.
Carolyn Daley said…
I prefer to draw and decorate pumpkins with stickers.
We carve pumpkins and go trick or treating!
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.
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
Kristin C said…
I love to carve pumpkins with my kids - we're going for happy pumpkins this year.
sam m said…
Me and my son are taking a crack at it this year :)
Tara W said…
We don't carve pumpkins but we are considering trying it this year.
Unknown said…
We carve pumpkins every year. We decorate for Halloween and our kids enjoy dressing up for trick or treating.
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.
I like to carve a pumpkin and dress up for Halloween
Jennifer H. said…
We like to carve pumpkins.
John H. said…
We like to carve them.
Lisa said…
We love to carve or paint pumpkins
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.
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
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!
Brad Merrell said…
We carved a watermelon last year
Kathy P said…
Some years we carve pumpkins but we love scary movie marathons
candy said…
We go to the pumpkin patch every year and get a pumpkin to carve.
Jerry Marquardt said…
I love to carve pumpkins. I want to dress up like Herman Munster for a party this Halloween season.
Anita said…
yes we usually try to get a pumpkin for halloween and decorate the house for the holiday
Laura Lee said…
We do carve pumpkins. My favorite tradition is going to the pumpkin patch each year and picking out our pumpkins.
We do not carve pumpkins, but I enjoy seeing peoples various designs.
Rachel B said…
We like to go to the Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch. Carving Pumpkins. and of course Trick or Treat
amyd16323 said…
We love carving pumpkins.Some of our traditions are going to the corn maze, hay rides,etc

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