How will you carve yours?

Hoot-hoot-hooray! Halloween is nearly upon us! It's time to get your spooky ghoulish glad rags on and get your pumpkin-carving knifes at the ready! 

I love this time of year. It starts getting cold enough to brew a pot of mulled cider and there is something quite deliciously warming about those orange and red hues every where. This years Halloween has added excitement as Molly is finally at an age where she can join in and start understanding what is happening around her. The look on her face when she saw Mr D and I come home with two big pumpkins was fantastic. I bought two, so I could do an owl design on one and the other was for Molly to decorate as she pleased. 

No one is totally sure where the tradition of carving Pumpkins actually comes from, although it's widely believed that it originates from the Gaelic festival 'Samhain' in the 19th Century. Supposedly, Faeries and Sprites would wake from a deep sleep, and carved turnips or beets were put out to ward of the mischievous creatures. The tradition traveled with Irish and British immigrants into North America where the traditional root vegetables were swapped for Pumpkins which were more widely available and easier to carve. And thus, the Jack O'Lantern as we know it was born!

This really is such a fun project to do with children because it gives them a chance to get creative and messy! I love the traditional Jack O'Lantern but there are so many amazing things you can do if you put your mind to it. To get started, simply draw your chosen design on a piece of paper and make sure it will fit easily on your pumpkin. Don't do something overly complicated and with too much detail. My tip is to keep it simple! Need some help? Find some great pumpkin carving templates on Martha Stewart's website. 

I've included a little 'how-to' on how we decorated ours below. Please remember to supervise children at all times and any knifes should be handled by a responsible adult. Enjoy and have lots of fun being creative :)

Big love,

  AKA Hooting Miss Owl

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