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Jack-O-Luminaries
Create the most "spooktacular"
Halloween scene on your block
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| Photo: Erica George Dines
Carving pumpkins is a Halloween tradition everyone can participate
in.
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Story and pumpkins by Lisa Gleim
Do you and your kids always have a hard time deciding which pumpkin to
purchase at Halloween? I can never decide between the short fat one and
the tall skinny one, or the great big one and the little cute one. They
all have such great character and I can always envision what sort of spooky
face I would carve into each one.
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Photo: Erica George Dines
Create an eerie atmosphere with jack-o-lantern luminaries lining your
driveway. |
Well I've finally decided that I'm not going to buy just one pumpkin
and you shouldn't either. There are so many imaginative things you can
create -- one pumpkin just won't do. So rather than simply carving one
or two and placing them by the front door, this year, we created an exciting
and striking porch, driveway and sidewalk display with a variety of jack-o-lanterns.
With an assortment of kitchen tools you can create unique shapes, ghostly
silhouettes and spooky-faced jack-o-lanterns that will have all of your
trick-or-treaters saying WOW! With a bit of creativity and a lot of elbow
grease, you and your kids can have a fun filled day creating and carving
the best pumpkin display in your neighborhood.
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Materials for Jack-O-Luminaries
A variety of pumpkins or acorn squashes
Serrated knife
Drill with drill bits
Apple corer, carrot peeler, melon baller
Wide spoon
Pen
Twine
Votive candles
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Hanging
Luminaries
1. Take your acorn squash and cut around the cap at an angle to create
the lid. Next, gut the squash as you would a pumpkin. |
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2. Next, carve your designs. You can carve different faces or a
variety of shapes such as stars, squares, triangles, stripes and
polka dots into each squash. The possibilities are endless. Click
here for tools ideal for carving perfect circles.
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3. Once you've finished gutting and carving your squash, drill
two holes on both sides of the squash just below the cap. Thread
your twine into the hole and knot it on the inside.
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4.
Insert your candle and hang your jack-o-lanterns from your front porch
at varying heights or in a tree in your yard. You can also decorate
your patio or porch with these unique creations. |
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Silhouette
Jack-O-Lanterns
1. Draw an image onto your pumpkin with a pen. Next, take your melon
baller or carrot peeler and carefully dig out shallow sections of
pumpkin skin making sure not to pierce all the way through. |
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2.
Every few minutes, put a lit candle or flashlight into the pumpkin
to see how brightly the silhouette glows. In areas that aren't glowing
enough, continue to gently scrape away the meat of the pumpkin until
you are happy with the illumination. |
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3.
When you are satisfied with the glow, carve a small opening in the
back of the pumpkin so the candle flame can get enough oxygen to stay
lit -- it will depend on the size of your pumpkin. Begin with one
small hole and light your candle. If the candle's flame is weak, enlarge
your opening or carve another. You may want to create holes in the
cap as well or choose not to place the cap on the pumpkin while the
candle is lit. |
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| Photo: Erica George Dines
Use a variety of shapes and faces when you carve this year's jack-o-lanterns.
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Nothing says Halloween quite like ghosts, goblins and glowing jack-o-lanterns.
The ritual of carving the annual pumpkin is just about as much fun as
eating the candy! This year, take that tradition one step further and
make our jack-o-luminaries. You can line your driveway, front sidewalk
and porch railing, or even hang them from a tree in your yard. With all
of the "jacks-o-glow," the neighborhood trick-or-treaters will
flock to your house -- the most "spooktacular" on the block.
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| Talk to Us |
Columnist Joan Jackson will answer some of your thorniest questions in her upcoming column. Talk to Joan at
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