Hocus Pumpkins

Friday night was my Second Annual Pumpkin Carving, Hocus Pocus Watching Party.

In the morning Sym and Taylor helped me scoop the goop out of all the pumpkins. I was really dreading this part because I haaaaaaaaaate pumpkin guts but it was quite easy.

Fun fact: the pumpkin guts peeled all the dead/dry skin off Sym’s hands.

I’d been putting up decorations all week. I used my Halloween glitter banners, some store-bought things and some crafts by Sym and myself.

Sym made these craft foam jack-o’-lanterns last year, we added wings and feet to make the bat-o’-lanterns!

This skull chandelier is hanging over the kids’ table. Kids love skulls.

This treat bag made a great impromptu light shade!

I’ve turned into the sort of person who makes gift bags for all my guests.

It’s really Taylor’s fault; when he went to the liquor store for beer he also came back with a mini-bottle of Crystal Head Vodka. OBVIOUSLY I had to go out and get more to share with everybody! I also included a cute mini-pumpkin and a cellophane bag of candy corn and Halloween chocolates.

Sym really wanted me to make the cursed donuts from last year, although I managed to avoid any major baking mishaps. These are just made using brownie mix and black food colouring.

I put Sym in charge of decorating them with white, green, and orange glaze, and white bone & skull, black spider & skull, and green spider sprinkles.

The fruits of everyone’s carving labours:

top row, l-r: a small Totoro + some susuwatari by Sym and her dad; a cemetery by Sym’s stepmom
bottom row l-r: Sailor Moon & a little vampire by me; a toothy grinning face by Taylor, a fangy grinning face by Katrina, and a hammer & sickle by Varia. My friend Bonnie & her son also carved one but they left early.

This was my attempt at one of the Martha Stewart fanged pumpkins that are all over tumblr/pinterest this year. Mine came out looking mentally subnormal. I think it’s the jewelled picks I used for the eyes.

Taylor spent HOURS carving the teeth on his pumpkin, trying to get them thin enough to let light through. Clearly it was worth it though!

I only had half a dozen people over, but last year there were only two, so I basically tripled my turnout. Next year: EIGHTEEN.

Not particularly Halloween-related, but before people arrived I had all three dogs sitting in the beanbag chairs, even Dougal.

AMAZING.