Jack-O-Lantern Carving: Using Synthetic Pumpkins

Synthetic pumpkins are pumpkins made of polystyrene materials, molded and colored to look like the real thing. These pumpkins can also be carved much like the real things, utilizing the same tools. While I still can't let a Halloween go by without using at least one or two real pumpkins, most of my carvings are now done on synthetic pumpkins.

The benefit of using synthetic pumpkins are:
- They look like real pumpkins
- No messy guts
- They don't attract bugs
- They don't begin to smell
- They don't rot or mold
- You can display them longer
- You can preserve intricate carvings to reuse year after year

Tips for Using Synthetic Pumpkins

1) Instead of cutting a hole on the top of the pumpkin to hallow it out, cut a hole on the bottom and set your pumpkin directly over the light source. This will prevent light bleeding through the top.

2) While there are no guts to scrape out, there is an awful lot of stuffing. Do this outside, directly into a garbage bag. Use the stuffing for other decorations, like stuffing scare crows. Wear latex or rubber gloves if possible, and keep your hands away from your face, as the tiny flakes that come off can be an irritant if it gets into your eyes.

3) Be careful when using tape to affix a pattern onto your pumpkin that you want to transfer. Some tapes can pull the top layer of orange paint off of the synthetic pumpkin. Use a "low stickability" tape, such as painters tape, and peel it off very carefully.

4) If you do peel some paint off the face of the pumpkin by accident, get some craft paint in a similar color and paint over the area. The better you can match the color, the less noticeable it will be.

5) Instead of only using the sawing through technique where you remove chunks of pumpkin "flesh," also employ the scraping technique for some of your carvings to give it more texture and interest. Use a craft knife held at an angle to carve away the top layers without cutting through.

6) Try doing a 360 degree carving that goes entirely around the pumpkin. This is easier to do with synthetic jack-o-lanters, as the instability and the weight of the top would cause a real pumpkin to collapse quicker.

7) If a piece falls off that wasn't supposed to, use straight pins to re-attach it.

8) If you make a mistake when carving, or a carving is damaged in storage, don't waste the whole pumpkin. Turn it around and make a new carving on the other side. Glue a piece of white or yellow felt on the inside to cover the old carving so you can't see through the jack when it's lit.

9) Never use candles in a synthetic jack-o-lantern. Always use battery-powered lights, or electric lights with small bulbs. Another good option is to use your white strings of Christmas lights. One string of Christmas lights can go through several jacks in a cluster display.

10) Buy your pumpkins after Halloween. Many craft and stores that sell decorations have huge sales with 30% to 70% savings.

11) Store your synthetic pumpkins by stuffing them carefully with newspaper inside the hollow center. Place them in a grocery store plastic bag and tie it. Then put them in a box with more newspaper, label it and tape it up for the year.

12) If, like me, you still like to use real pumpkins, save the easy carvings for the disposable ones, and the intricate, detailed carvings that are more difficult to do for the synthetic pumpkins so that you can continue to display your hard work every year.