BRB Pumpkin Stencil

If you choose to light your BRB pumpkin with a traditional candle, there are two additional things you should do. 1) Carve a small opening behind the pumpkin's stem to serve as a chimney, allowing smoke to escape and extra oxygen to enter. 2) Don't leave your lit pumpkin unattended. When it comes to fire, there are no BRBs.

To carve:

1. Scrape out the interior of your pumpkin by cutting a circle in the pumpkin's underside (not its top) and using a metal scoop to remove the seeds and stringy bits. Thin out the side of the pumpkin you're planning to carve by scraping at the pulp until the pumpkin wall is approximately 1" thick. Level the cut pumpkin circle with your knife by cutting the pulpy side flat; this will become a candle platform later.

2. With clear tape, fasten your printed BRB pattern to the outside of your hollowed-out pumpkin. Transfer the pattern to your pumpkin by perforating the letters' outlines with a needle tool. Poke through both the paper and the pumpkin skin below, being sure to keep hole marks closely spaced. Rip off the BRB pattern.

3. Create the carved design by cutting along the holes with a serrated knife, sawing gently from dot to dot. (Editor's tip: Allow cutout sections to stay within the pumpkin wall until all the letters have been carved. To remove them, just press gently on the sections from inside the pumpkin.)

4. Rest a flameless candle on the flattened pumpkin circle, and position the carved pumpkin over the top of the candle.