Great Pumpkin Carve

Despite the cold, rain and wind, my Mom and I had fun working on our pumpkin at The Chadds Ford Great Pumpkin Carve.  2011 marks our 9th year at this fabulous event and I'm so excited to write that my design won the award for Most Halloween!

Lighting the pumpkin...

My Mom likes to paint her face and hair like a pumpkin:)

The inside is neat...

View from the parking field...

Some of the other pumpkins. My favorite was the barn owl but I really like Totaro too. 

To be eligible for judging, you can't add anything to your pumpkin though. 

Happy Halloween!

Chadds Ford Great Pumpkin Carve 2010

The view of the pumpkin patch from our pumpkin.

We had pumpkin #8 and it was our 8th year of carving here.

To see our past pumpkins, click here.

My crazy mom and I.

She loves to paint her face like a pumpkin.

I'm starting to carve, working on the full moon.



The finished design, a barn owl and raven.

We won People's Choice, a first!

My daughter Zoe admiring our carving.

The crowd view from the back of our pumpkin.

Screaming skulls.

Christine O'Donnell is a witch... hahahaha!

Skulls and snakes were popular this year.

What a great idea!

I would not have the guts to carve up a pumpkin like that.

Loved this Sleepy Beauty themed dragon pumpkin.

Chadds Ford Great Pumpkin Carve (part 1)

Oh boy, I am so tired I can barely hold my eyes open! I just had to share some photos of our pumpkin at the carve tonight. We won't know who the winners are until Friday.

Zoe sitting with our pumpkin. She thought it was important to share her Ariel lunchbox.


I've got my drawing on. Now I'm ready to carve!


My Mom hollows out the back and puts in the candles. No easy task, it takes just as long as the front design.


Has a ghost from the Brandywine Battlefield shown up?


No, that's just Zoe and I!


But a real witch did show up to pose with my pumpkin!


Turn the lights off and the real magic begins!


Death Rides a Pale Horse

Pumpkin Carve Part 2

Since so many people enjoyed my pumpkins yesterday, I thought I would share some more pictures from the Chadds Ford Great Pumpkin Carve. These are not my pumpkins and I'm sorry I don't know who carved them. If you happened to be the carver of one of

these pumpkins, let me know and I'll give you credit!

Pumpkin Carving

I love to carve pumpkins, the bigger the better. Every year, for the last 5 years, I've competed in the Chadds Ford Great Pumpkin Carve with my mom. I'll be there again this year if you want to check it out. I've also been invited to carve at Newtown Square Harvest Festival this year on October 10th, how exciting! Here are some pictures of the pumpkins we've carved with my original designs...


Haunted Holstein - 2004 Best Overall Winner


Arise from the Fire - 2008 Best Overall Winner


Sleepy Hollow - 2007 Best Carving Award


Headless Horseman - 2005 Most Halloween Award

Great Pumpkin Carve

I'm so excited, my mom just went and paid for our entry into this year's Great Pumpkin Carve in Chadds Ford, PA (at the Historical Society, right next door to Andrew Wyeth's farm). Since she was the first to sign up we have pumpkin number one, just like last year. Perhaps we will be as lucky and win one of the fabulous prizes from Hunt Country Furniture.
I am especially excited this year because my husband is taking off work that day so our daughter can come. We'll go to Longwood Gardens early since we'll be in the area and they have the place all decked out for Fall.
Here are some photos of our pumpkins from previous carves...

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And some photos of OTHER people's pumpkins over the last several years. Sorry, I don't know who the artists are.