Ric Rac Pumpkins was pretty popular, so here's another Halloween how-to for all you crafty types. Takes one to know one!   

VintageBats

A little while back, after a fantastic trip to Sage Street Antiques with my good friend
Austin out in Sag Harbor, we absolutely had to stop at one of the nearby farm stands just to take
in a little bit of fall and browse through all these gorgeous pumpkins! The white ones are usually my favorite, but out there, I was loving the two colors together, contrasting and complementing each other as only
something in nature could. The orange ones were in much better shape that day, so I thought, why not take something totally traditional and try to mix it up?  

CarvedPumpkins.Looking

When I found the perfect pumpkin, the rest of my project popped into my head! It was definitely on the larger size, so I knew I didn't want to carve the whole thing by hand. That's when I remembered all the power tools Austin's parents had back in the barn. So I thought, what if used the size of the pumpkin to get creative with the drill?

CarvedPumpkins.Selection

In contrast to the large one, I thought these sweet, little sugar pumpkins would also look totally amazing with some sort of drill-inspired design. Don’t they look pretty in this old farm bushel
basket?

CarvedPumpkins.Bucket

Back at Austin's place, I decided to do the smaller pumpkins first. So as not to disturb the integrity of the stems, I hallowed them out from the bottom enough to accommodate a single votive candle, which I thought would provide just
enough light to create a soft glow. Next, I used the drill with a 3/8“ bit and
began drilling holes in rows going all around the pumpkin, making sure there
were no major gaps. I love how my perforated pumpkins turned out! Plus, they were so easy to make! And here's a good tip too: Take a Q-tip, dab it in Vaseline, then rub it on any cut surfaces. Your pumpkins will stay fresh longer.  

CarvedPumpkins.AustinDrilling

For the large pumpkin, first I cleaned it out the traditional way, cutting the
top off and digging out all of its insides.

CarvedPumpkins.Scooping

I knew I wanted to do a monogram pumpkin using a drill to make the letters, but then I thought doing a crest too could be totally chic and add to the light it creates. First, I cut out the crest pattern on a
piece of paper and traced it onto the side of the pumpkin. Use a felt tip pen so you can wipe away
any mistakes with a damp paper towel. At this point, planning out the design on paper was essential to getting the overall placement and symmetry that I wanted. Inside the crest, however, I thought doing the lettering freehand would make
the design more personal and add the familiar handmade quality I love about Halloween pumpkins.

CarvedPumpkins.Drilling

Check out the final result! Love all the perforations that make up the monogram. Plus, how perfect does it look on the porch at Austin's parents' place? I think it's a totally sophisticated Halloween pumpkin that’s simple and personal.  

CarvedPumpkins.MonogramFinal

And now for the sugar pumpkins! Their smaller scale allowed me to really get
creative and think of different places to use them. Here, I placed them on flat rocks to mark a
path outside. The glow provides the
perfect amount of light for trick-or-treaters! 

CarvedPumpkins.Outside

Then I took them inside for a little seasonal decoration on the stairs. How great
would this be for a Halloween party?

CarvedPumpkins.Stair

But some of us city dwellers (myself included!) don't have a staircase or backyard
to accessorize during the holidays, so why not use them in place of
candles at a seasonal cocktail party? They'd make a great centerpiece going down a dining table as well that's simple and festive. 

CarvedPumpkins.Sitting

So with Halloween just around the corner and the weekend finally here, why not pick up a few pumpkins, dust off the old drill and perforate your way to a stylish seasonal centerpiece? And if you do get inspired to decorate pumpkins this way or perhaps even another, feel free to leave me a comment. I'd love to hear about it.