A pale pumpkin carved with pointed cat-ear eyes and a wide smiling mouth, stacked on top of a huge flat orange pumpkin and filled with tea lights so the grin glows even in daylight. The stack sits on a hay bale beside a green cabin wall. Put the carved pumpkin on the bigger one for height, and use battery tea lights so the flame never gets near the hay.
Save this design for carving night, then share a photo of your own jack-o'-lantern once it's glowing.
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Our tips for carving a similar design
A pale pumpkin with a cat face stacked on a huge flat orange one. The face is only four cuts: two pointed, ear-shaped eyes and a wide smiling mouth with a small gap in the top lip. The height comes from the stack and the glow comes from a cluster of tea lights, enough to show even in daylight. It sits on a hay bale, so battery lights are the rule.
Written by PumpkinCarvingIdeas.com, inspired by @PumpkinKing's photo above. These are our suggestions, not instructions from the uploader, and this approach hasn't been tested on their exact carve.
From pumpkin to porch
1
Find a flat base and a pale top
Pick a wide, squat pumpkin that will not roll for the base, and a smaller pale or white pumpkin for the face. Cut the lid of the top pumpkin and scoop it clean, thinning the front wall to about an inch. The base stays whole.
2
Draw the cat eyes
With a washable marker, draw two tall triangles that lean outward at the top, like a cat's ears turned into eyes. Set them wide apart and high on the face. The outward lean is what makes it feel feline rather than scary.
3
Draw the smile
Sketch a wide, gentle smile that curves up at both ends. Add a small square notch in the middle of the top lip to suggest a tooth gap. Keep the lower lip a smooth curve.
4
Cut the eyes, then the mouth
Saw the two eye triangles first, pushing the pieces out from inside. Then cut the mouth as one opening, sawing the little notch last so the lip stays supported. Clean any stringy bits from the openings.
5
Fill it with light
Drop three or four LED tea lights inside, spread across the floor of the pumpkin, so the glow fills every opening. More than one light is what lets the grin show in daytime. Set the lid back on.
6
Stack and stage
Place the face pumpkin squarely on top of the flat base, stem well centered so it will not tip. Put the stack on a hay bale or a step beside a wall and check it from a few feet back. Keep flames away from the hay entirely.
Gather your supplies
Check things off as you get ready.
Work on a stable surface, keep your free hand out of the cutting path, and have an adult handle sharp tools.
Three levels of light
Leave intact
The entire base pumpkin stays uncut and does the job of a pedestal.
Peel & shade
None. The pale skin already reads lighter than a standard orange pumpkin.
Cut through
Two pointed cat eyes and the wide smile with its tooth notch are cut fully through.
Pick a base with a flat, wide top and set the face pumpkin's stem well directly over the center. If it still rocks, push three short bamboo skewers down through the top pumpkin into the base. Keep the stack away from steps people use.
Why use several tea lights instead of one?
One tea light disappears in daylight. Three or four spread across the floor of the pumpkin fill every opening with light, so the grin reads even in the afternoon, as it does in the video.
Is this safe on hay?
Only with battery lights. Dry hay and a real candle are a fire risk. Battery tea lights also run for days, which suits a display that sits out all week.
Your take belongs here, too.
Changed a detail? Made it simpler? Share a photo of your version and tell the community what worked.
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