Last year my husband and I decided that it would be fun to carve pumpkins together for a date night. So I set up a carving station on our coffee table complete with wine and a small selection of hors d'oeuvres (aka Halloween candy). Long story short, our results are pictured above. I found a cute way to make festive votives from mini pumpkins and my husband seemed to be more interested in the Halloween candy than carving, so his pumpkin remained untouched.
Creating pumpkin votives would have to be one of my favorite ways to carve a pumpkin because they are easy to make and very inexpensive. Whether you choose to use Glam Pumpkins or "Au Natural," the end result is really quite pretty and makes for a unique way to decorate your home and even your dining table for the Fall season.
What you will need:
- Mini Pumpkins (preferably without stems- Trader Joe's has mini pumpkins for sale at 69cents a piece!)
- Tea Lights- Love these 6hr Tea Lights from World Market
- Carving Knife (Personally, I am a fan of my Victorinox knife)
- *I tried using the 1.5" fitted drill bit (as suggested by Pinterest), but found that it was difficult to use and significantly messier than just using a simple carving knife.
- Pencil or thin marker
Instructions:
- Trace a 1.5" circle on the top center of the pumpkin (**Be sure to press down hard if using a pencil)
- Using a sharp knife, cut along the traced circle
- Remove the cutout pieces of pumpkin shell (hollowing out the pumpkin isn't necessary since you will be filling the hole with a votive candle)
- Insert Votive into 1.5" cutout hole
- If you decide to use glam pumpkins, the paint will crack during the cutting process. I would recommend touching up the edges with additional paint before inserting the tea lights.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. **These pumpkin votives can last for months if kept in the refrigerator in between uses**
