Last week, we created a post on how not to get your hands dirty while decorating your pumpkin.  This week, were going to cover five fun and creative pumpkin carving ideas that you can share with your neighbors and family.

Pumpkin Got  A Boo-Boo:

This pumpkin needs a band-aid and a kiss!

Materials

• 1 large pumpkin
• Carving tools

• Scissors
• White reflective tape

Instructions

1. Carve a pumpkin with a mouth resembling stitches.
2. Cut white reflective tape into thin strips of varying lengths.
3. Place the strips on the pumpkin as shown.

Vampire Pumpkins:

The adults can do the carving while the kids put in a new set of fangs!

Vampire Tools and Materials

Thumbtack or pin
Small white pumpkin (For a big bite, choose a small pumpkin so the plastic vampire teeth seem huge)
Miniature saw
Plastic vampire teeth
Small red map tacks
Mouth template

Vampire Pumpkin How-To

1. Print mouth template. Lay template on pumpkin, and poke thumbtack through, all along outline, to transfer design. Cut out with saw; remove excess flesh.
2. Wedge teeth into hole.
3. For eyes, pin map tacks onto pumpkin.
4. Fangs, partycity.com. Map pins, 1/8 inch, in Red; latitudesmapstore.net.

Zombie Pumpkins:

Easy white pumpkins with googly eyes and a crooked smile....too cute!

Tools and Materials

Miniature saw
Small pumpkin (For a petrifying pale complexion, look for a white pumpkin)
Plastic eyeballs
Thumbtack or pin

1. For the eyes, hold sharpened chain saw at an angle and cut 2 cone-shaped holes into the pumpkin. The diameter of the holes should be slightly smaller than the eyeballs’ diameter.
2. Print mouth template. Lay template on pumpkin, and poke tack through, all along outline, to transfer design. Cut along that outline with saw, and remove excess flesh.
3. Wedge eyeballs into holes.

Fishy Food Chain Jack O’ Lantern:

Carve a pumpkin top into a fish and bind it together with toothpicks!

Materials

• 1 large pumpkin
• 2 small pumpkins
• Carving tools

• Toothpicks
• 1 small gourd

 

Instructions

1. Carve the pumpkins as shown, cutting the mouths from the tops of the pumpkins. Break off the stems.
2. Cut a small piece from the large fish’s tail fin and secure it to the head with toothpicks.
3. Use toothpicks to attach the tail fins to the bottoms of the pumpkins.
4. Secure a gourd in the large fish’s eye socket with toothpicks.

Shish-Ka-Boo Jack O’ Lantern:

Feed this hungry pumpkin!

Materials

• 1 large pumpkin
• 3 mini pumpkins
• Carving tools
• Used work glove
• Old shirt

• Leaves
• Wire hanger
• Rock
• Skewer
• Black permanent marker

Instructions

1. Carve a pumpkin with an extra-large mouth.
2. Stuff a work glove and one sleeve of an old shirt with leaves.
3. Bend a support for the arm and hand from a wire hanger. Fit one end into the glove and feed the opposite end through the sleeve.
4. Sit the pumpkin on the shirt. Brace the arm from behind with a rock and cover the rest of the shirt with leaves.
5. Push a skewer through three mini pumpkins. Draw a face on each with black permanent marker, then set the skewer in place.

Blogger Laurali Star can be found on The Damsel in the Attic!

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Put a blindfold over guest's eyes for an ooooey, gooey Halloween surprise!

To make any kid’s Halloween party a bit more fun and interesting, spice it up with a little game.  Set out bowls and trays full of different textured items such as, peaches from a can, jello, and yogurt.  Have each kid take a turn being blind-folded as you guide them over the table to feel out each type of food and texture.  I guarantee you’ll get an “ewwwwww,” reaction when syrupy canned fruits feel like brains and other disgusting images the mind can conjure.  Meantime, the other kids will be giggling and laughing at this simple, old fashioned game.  Once the blind-fold is off, the player will giggle at how their mind played a silly Halloween prank on them.

Blogger Laurali Star owns her own little shop on The Damsel in the Attic!

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Awe, spring is finally here!  Which also means that summer is just around the corner and it wont be long before your baring your bikini at the pool or beach.  It’s time to get in shape!  It turns out, you can create a work-out program that doesn’t involve the over-use of heavy machinery that impacts the Earth.  Here are some ways to work out in a green-friendly way:

Stopping to Enjoy the Scenery on a Nature Hike

Get Outdoors: When the weather warms up, there are many activities that you can do that not only clear your head but burn major calories.  Visit your local park for a hike in the woods, kayak, snorkel, surf, run outdoors, swim like a fish, and bike to take in the beauty of natural scenery.

Gardening: Planting, digging, mulching and creating a beautiful garden is a great way to boost endorphins and burn calories galore.  It also tends to have a meditative effect on your psyche so dig in!  Just be sure to wear sunscreen, preferably an SPF of 30 or higher is best.  One hour of gardening effectively burns off 345 calories!

Wash Your Car: Yes, washing your car with a hose can be wasteful and cause pollutants to run off into our oceans.  Use a single bucket filled with biodegradeable soap to conserve water and if possible pull your car onto the lawn instead of the driveway to prevent pollutants and water your lawn.  In the meantime, your getting a great workout hand washing your car by burning off a whopping 181.46 calories in an hour.

Now that’s a reason to smile!

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

We were on twitter recently and stumbled across this unique company, Pink Axel,  that makes caps for babies with a little bit of edge and a lot of softness.  Check it out!

Baby Skull Cap for edgy baby

Mom Tattoo on a hat

Black cap with pink crown for your little princess

Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.

Oprah and staffers at The Oprah show took on the challenge of going meatless for an entire week!  If  Oprah can do it, so can you!  Staffers say that going vegan for a week not only changed their bodies but their psyche.  Oprah’s vegan-guru, author Kathy Freston, claims that eliminating meat has a host of benefits such as, flawless skin, shiny hair, and nails that grow faster.  And, she claims, weight loss is a breeze.  Of course, there are also many environmental benefits. I’m even considering trying it with my daughter’s next week!  Are you up for the challenge? Follow the link for more great info!

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Blogger Laurali Star can also be found on The Damsel in the Attic.

Green Halloween® is a nationwide non-profit initiative started by mother-daughter team Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell. In 2010, Green Halloween became a program of EcoMom® Alliance and has events in cities across the U.S.