10.19.2010

31 for 21 challenge - 0ct 19...... pumpkin carving party!

it was time for our annual pumpkin carving party and we couldn't be more excited.  as usual my sil sandy laid out quite a spread.  we came in - stuffed our faces - then hit the garage for the competition.


there were pumpkins everywhere and in all different sizes.


 paints and stickers and other fun stuff for the kids to use.  adults had cutters and scrapers, clay tools, scapels and my brother pulled out a dremel! did i mention how serious this was?


my sil's brother and i like to trash talk each other - both of us trying to come up with something new to raise the bar.  this was my warm-up pumpkin.  simple but introducing PROPS!  i couldn't get a decent pic of him in the dark because his nose would just disappear in the black.


this was my actual entry.  it was supposed to be a shadow.  the front was a cut out of 2 mice.  what you can't see (and i just could not photograph) was that there was a smaller cut-out of a cat on the back.  when a candle was put inside - the shadow of the cat was projected behind it.  well - that is what was SUPPOSED to happen.  it was pretty hard to carve a small 4x4 menacing cat - and i kept trying to fix it - so much so that the projected pic looked like a distorted skull and crossbones.  but at least the mice look like mice!


when everyone was done - it was time to vote.  my son voted for mine - because he is so darn cute and i swear i could smother him with hugs and kisses all day


this was the 3rd place winner.  it was done by a first timer to our party!  


my sil's brother took second place.  he got nervous when he heard i was using props for mine - and he went all out with the multiples.  its hard to see but there are 2 huge pumpkin hands holding most of the pumpkins being eaten!


i have no idea what happened to my picture of first place - but the winner was my cousin.  her's is the first pumpkin in the picture.  it was AMAZING and she did it freehand.  she snapped a pic of a pumpkin with her camera before the party and just carved away.  she is a 2 time winner.  we are thinking of ganging up on her next year...... 


 there were about 15 entries this year.  i had a really hard time snapping decent pictures of them - which is a shame because there really were some good ones!  even the kids had some great ones!

i didn't win or even place in the top 3 again this year.  my ideas are good - but my execution of them stinks!  i'm thinking i'll forgo tricks next year - and try to wow them some other way!

this competition is definitely one our family's favorite autumn traditions

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