The Ultimate Pumpkin Carving & Decor

It's been a few years since my husband and I carved pumpkins, but we always have the best time. No matter what I'm doing, I always think about the entire experience rather than just the one task to be done. (In college I had a dream of opening a dermatology clinic with manis, pedis and champagne in the waiting room. I know I know, today that's a medspa, but it was my "complete experience practice" at the time). Anyways, I took the same approach to pumpkin carving this year and have some of my best tips for the ultimate pumpkin carving experience plus how to make your pumpkin a work of art. 

1. Print or Sketch it out – whatever pattern I'm working on, a logo, a face, a shape or animal, I always google "simple [fill in the blank]. This year I wanted to do some fun geometric patterns and looked online for inspiration before taping off the pumpkin. 
2. Spoon it out - I've found that you definitely don't have to purchase all the fancy carving tools. A few helpful home essentials like your chef knives and a good tablespoon do just as good of a job. 
3. Paint - Orange has never really been my favorite color, so I love to paint the pumpkin with white or metallic gold to add a fun flair. 
4. LED candles - These are great because they are battery operated so you can leave them on and they are also waterproof so once you are done with the stinky pumpkin, you can wash them up and save them for next year or another project! 
5. Keep the Seeds for a healthy snack – stay tuned for the recipe in the next blog post.