by L. Landrum

Created on: October 08, 2009

One of the best things for me with Halloween is carving the pumpkin. Now it used to be just a simple eery smile maybe some fangs and triangle eyes.

We have come a long way from that. You can now design a pumpkin in any type of pattern or style.

From the scary to the funny, from carved to painted you name it you can do it.

Here are some great ideas and some super place to get free patterns.

Below are just a few of the great free places to pick up some really cool patterns. However, some of the best carvings I have seen have come from original drawings.

However, if you are not an artist this can be a daunting task to take on. So if this is the case for you, look in coloring books, regular books with pictures and you can trace the picture to put on your pumpkin.

I would also recommend having the right carving tools, you can pick these up pretty cheap and they really help the design. There are many places to buy these but I have found Amazon to be the best. Just click the link above.

Now, it you really want to get your pumpkin craze going, try buying tempura paints or even use Permanent markers. You can use anything as a cut out if you cannot draw it and just follow the lines.

As another great idea, combine the two. Paint and carve your pumpkin for a really cool effect.

However one of my personal ways to create a pumpkin is to purchase two pumpkins and use one as parts. You can then glue pieces on and make a cool 3D effect.

You can also use your power tools. A dremel carver works great, a small saw or a drill can make some awesome effects. Check out this really cool pumpkin

Remember you are not limited to just the pumpkin. Add things to it, straws, coal, glitter the list goes on.

If you want some starter ideas this site will get your motivated. The Extreme Pumpkinssite is one of the best I have ever seen. These are award winning pumpkins and will really get your brain thinking!

Learn to dress your pumpkin, give it legs and arms, put hair on it, fake spiders and bugs the possibilities are endless. And if you don't have your own ideas, the internet is full of great ones!

Make this a family affair and watch everyone come up with all kinds of ideas. Plus if you carve the pumpkin clean off the seeds and bake them with some salt this is a great treat!

* The Pumpkin Wizard

* Pumpkin Carvings

* Pumpkin Masters

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