Pumpkin Carve Past

Cover your ears...i'm about to say something totally unusual for me. Are you ready? I'm embarrassed. I don't think i can. Deep breathe...here goes...I'm not feeling Halloweenish this year. Say what?!? The girl with the bat tattoo? Not feeling Halloweenish? Yeah, we can probably blame Mexico for that. While everyone was moving onto scarves and boots, i was holding onto my sundresses and flip flops.  I don't know how you guys without seasons do this.  Sunny, hot, and humid in October? Must be summer still. 

I feel myself moving further and further away from seasonal decorating. There is literally one fall related item on display in my home, and that is a pumpkin candle plug in.  The boyfriend is alarmed, as i have bin upon bin stuffed to the brim with witches, bats, ghosts, and pumpkins.

We're not even going to the annual pumpkin carve, as they doubled the price of admission and last year the carved/uncarved ratio was disappointing.  Wasn't worth enduring the traffic the event draws, nor the crowds.  But those that are good, are very very good, and those that aren't carved are wasted. Here are some very very good pumpkins to get you (and maybe me?)  in the spirit!


Shell of a pumpkin.


So pretty and not at all traditional for Halloween.


 Whooo loves this as much as i do?


Bed bugs...don't you find the unknown or unseen the scariest??


This is still one of my all time favorites.


Creepy cobra.


Headless horseman with well planned lighting.

What's your favorite of this bunch? Any other you thought i should have included in the roundup? Check out 2010, 2011, and 2012 when i was willing to brave the crowds.  Happy Halloween, all.
B


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Inevitable Destruction

Oh heyyyy, remember how I was all like "squirrels are one of the banes of my existence" and "I detest/loathe these vermin..."  Well, here's the inevitable post where they destroy what I try to make pretty, and destroy what I intended to enjoy. 

Full of malice and intent, those beady little eyes are!

Greedy, greedy little bugger.

Ruiner.

 Devourer.

Territory fighter.

Gorgeous gray girls that completely shocked me, having never seen this happen before.  In a year and a half, I have never seen them share the same space.  Only lasted a few moments longer.

Taunter of cats.

Ravager.

Mine.

There was a silver lining to all of this!  While these hideous creatures were feasting on my pumpkins out back, the ones on the front stairs remained intact. Clearly every year will now require decoys.  We have finally won!  Huzzah! 

Happy Thursday!

Happy Halloween and Annual Pumpkin Carve

OMG, it's Halloween.  Sort of doesn't feel like Halloween since i had to put away all my outdoor decorations so Sandy didn't destroy them.  There's also a sense of "is Halloween still on?" that everyone's feeling.  Down the shore, where we vacation every summer and have family with property, it's clearly cancelled.  And it's extremely sad and disheartening, the damage shown, but luckily we all fared ok.  Thank goodness.

Before the storm hit, we were able to enjoy our favorite of Halloween traditions, the Great Pumpkin Carve in Chadds Ford.  This year we had a new plan of attack and that plan was geared to avoid car traffic and people traffic.  Granted, the ambiance was lacking a little bit since it was just 5pm and not yet dark, but my nerves were much less frazzled, and S's nerves were much less annoyed by my usual repetitive mutterings about waiting in line when there shouldn't be a line.  (How can there be a line to look at pumpkins?  How can you say how long i need to stand in front of the same one?  I should be able to walk past the ones i'm not enthralled with, and go up and inspect the ones i am!  You don't attend a health fair or a craft show and stand in line!  You approach the tables you're interested in!  This is the same thing!)  Ahem.  I just had to get that off my chest, b/c i get super riled up thinking about it.

We both felt there were less pumpkins than in previous years, but it was still fun, the entrance fee goes to a good cause, and some of the creations were truly unique.  See for yourself!

Let's kick it off with the year so we can document it. This was a littler pumpkin lining the walkway, not one of the ones entered in the contest.  It's hard to tell i guess, but the other pumpkins are those huge ones, and are all locally grown.

Here's how they're all set up, so you can see how big they are, and you can see what i mean about standing in line (grr).

Haven't seen Despicable Me, but i was impressed with the shading and cut outs.

This shell won for Best Use of Pumpkin, and was truly an original idea.

This octopus was actually both of our favorites, and if we had been there on audience voting night, it would have gotten both our tickets.

Isn't this teapot cute?  Never seen that before.

An honorable mention, nevermore.

This felt very Twilight to me, the werewolfy one.

Most original?  Not so sure about that...what to do you think?

The details on the knuckles are crazy good.

Liked the use of pumpkin in this creepy cat.

Loved that the spider is carved out of leftover pumpkin, and S noticed there's a little bee in the web.  (Good. That's where all bees should be.)

Just thought this one was cute.  We all go gaga over pumpkin flavored drinks, and wish they came in a mug that size.

This won Carvers Choice, which is voted by the other carvers....

 

....as opposed to Best Carving which is chosen by the judges.  I don't even know what this is.  I see a Cowboy, but then i see a cowboy boot with spurs...wait, is it a witch?  Is it a witch wearing mittens? I also see Louisiana...or is there secret flame lettering?  Maybe you can't go by me.







Did you have a favorite? Check out the carvings from Octobers past.  And once again, Happy Halloween!

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Holla' at the Dolla'-Fall Style

Last year i missed out on the super non dolla' store looking ceramic pumpkins, and this year i was determined to not let that happen.  Even if it meant buying the pumpkins while it was still 100 degrees out.  Because like i've been known to say, "It's always Fall and Halloween in my heart."  Seriously.  I say that.  Isn't that the corniest thing?  And i don't work for Hallmark.

Although wouldn't that be fun?

Restraint is not my strong suit, ok?  I bought a few pumpkins, figuring i'd just add them in around the house, on shelves, etc, but then these images inspired a new (to me, anyway) way of thinking.

Martha Stewart 

 

Country Living

Hey, i've got candlesticks from thrifting past, and now i've got a plethora of pumpkins.  Let's do this!

Can i just tell you how much i love this nubby one?  It's spot on for a real pumpkin, no?

Although i liked the table runner valances, this space needed more red. 

Originally i looked for patterned curtains, b/c this is the least patternish room in my house, but i had no luck finding them.  Then i looked for a red patterned table runner, again, no such luck. 

But i did find this set of fun placemats that i turned into a tablerunner.

And of course, this happened....

And then this...because clearly there's no where else to play except on the table, my mirror, and my new lighting for the guest room.

I just hope they don't look at the pumpkins balancing ever so precisely as another thing to play with!  Let's look at pretty again....

Now hopefully it stays that way!

Find me here: debbie doos, krafty kat, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, mod mix monday, Craftomaniac, Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Met Monday, Anything Goes, home stories a-z, Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, tabletop tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. sugar and spice @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman, whatever goes weds @ someday crafts, 52 mantles, fall into fall, Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, vintage thingy thurs @ the colorado lady, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, hooking up @ house of hepworths, open house @ no minimalist here, share awesomeness @ 36th ave, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now, Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed life, free for all @ 5days5ways, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, my romantic home, Addicts Anonymous @ A2D, frugalicious friday @ finding fabulous, potpourri @ 2805, thrifty things fri @ the thrifty groove, refresh your nest @ making lemonade, show and tell fri @ my romantic home, furniture fri @ miss mustard seed, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming.

An all too crowded carve

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

I can't believe it's Halloween, and i can't believe it's only 2 months until the end of the year.  That's ridiculous, where did the time go? 

We had snow in Philadelphia-now that is ridiculous.  The last time it snowed in Philly was the year i was born, 32 years ago.  This snow made the annual pumpkin carve we attend pack jammed because like us, everyone assumed the Saturday showing would be cancelled, and it was. 

But we braved the extra crowded crowds, and started a new tradition:  Pumpkin carve followed by Ruby's Diner for a milkshake.  Why hadn't we thought of that before?!

These are the transformations i loved most.  Enjoy!

The Little Mermaid-very old movie to reference, but there was something i loved about this candle lit silhouette that got me all nostalgic.

Look at the "blood" dripping from the cleaver! Great use of the pumpkin.

Pumpkin carriage

This won most Halloween.

This was runner up for best use of pumpkin.

Angry birds!

Batman

I'm not really sure...spaceship...the pyramids...very neat though.

Talk about a knuckle sandwich.

Witches Brew

Love this-would have voted for it as best use of pumpkin.

Love the little mouse dangling out of its mouth!

Wowzers.

Fabulous!  This was awarded best overall, and i think i appreciate more in picture than in person.  Whooo else thinks so.

If you want to see more, check out last year's pumpkin carve.  And speaking of carve, we attempted to do so on Sunday.  Only problem?  The stores around us had no more pumpkins! 
Hope you and your families had better luck!

You can find me here: diy showoff, making the world cuter,metamorphosis monday, before and after party, show and tell,whatever goes wednesday, transformation thursday,, show and share day, flaunt it friday, show and tell friday, feature yourself friday, the shabby nest,

seasonal sunday,  fall into fall, wow us weds, home sweet home, weekend bloggy reading