Star Cutout Pumpkin on a Concrete Balcony at Night

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Hollow the pumpkin

   Cut an angled lid, remove seeds, and scrape the interior wall to a consistent inch. A tall pumpkin often has thicker walls at the base, so spend extra time thinning the lower half where the bottom star will sit.

2. 2

   Place and transfer the stars

   Print three five-pointed stars of varying sizes and tape them to the pumpkin face. Use a stylus to poke the outline of each star into the surface so the marks remain after the paper is removed. Space the stars so each one has at least an inch of solid rind separating it from the others and from the outer border.

3. 3

   Mark the accent dots

   Mark 8 to 12 small dot positions around and between the stars using a marker. These will become drilled holes. Keep dots at least three-quarters of an inch from any star opening to avoid cracking the wall between a star point and a nearby hole.

4. 4

   Cut the largest star first

   Use a fine-toothed pumpkin saw to cut the largest star while the wall is still fully intact. Approach each point from two directions, meeting at the tip rather than cutting around it in one curved motion. Push the freed piece inward after the final cut completes the star.

5. 5

   Cut the remaining stars

   Cut the medium and small stars in order of size, pausing after each to press gently on the pumpkin face and confirm no cracking has occurred. Take shorter, slower strokes near the points of the smaller stars since the narrower tips are easy to over-cut.

6. 6

   Drill the accent holes and light

   Use a spade bit or large drill bit to drill each marked dot, pressing straight through the wall in one controlled motion. Clean any splintered rind from the holes with a small gouge. Insert a flickering LED candle inside, replace the lid, and display on the balcony.

Written with AI to match this design