Happy Halloween Jack-o'-Lantern Pumpkin Stencils
These homemade jack-o'-lantern party hats would be especially charming for a birthday party on or around Halloween. To make them, just roll patterned scrapbooking paper into short or tall cones, and use tape to secure the cone shape. To embellish the hats, cut circles from patterned paper and glue to the hats, or add tufts of colorful paper trim. Hot-glue the hats to the pumpkins' heads.
To carve:
1. Print out the free stencils by logging in to BHG.com (registration is free, too!). Tape the stencils to your hollowed-out pumpkins.
2. Use a poker tool to make holes along the stencil lines, keeping holes within 1/8" of each other. Rip off the stencils after outlining all stencil lines.
3. With a thin, serrated woodcutting knife, saw gently along the pin holes to carve the design. (Tip: Carve sections from the center outward for greatest stability, and leave cutout sections in place until you've finished carving the entire pattern.) Pop out sections by pressing on them with your fingers from the pumpkin's interior.
4. Illuminate your pumpkins with flameless candles, and add party hats (using instructions above to construct them) if desired.
