Staff writer Jordan Snowden and graphic designer Jeff Schreckengost were given an assignment: decorate a Halloween pumpkin for less than $25. Jordan carved her pumpkin, Jeff broke out his paint supplies. How did they do?
Jordan: I've only carved a pumpkin once in my life before this. Feeling apprehensive about the project, I put it off until the last minute. A quick trip to Shop 'n Save supplied me with a plump, orange canvas. And, luckily, a friend had one of those pumpkin carving toolkits (which was shockingly not available at grocery store), so I borrowed it and carved my creation the next day in the CP office. With no plan, I attempted to add a musical element to my pumpkin. Can you tell the eyes and nose are music notes? I outlined the jack-o'-lantern’s features to make them more defined so onlookers could see that the eyes aren’t just weird shaped blobs. Pumpkin carving is not my forte, but I did get some pumpkins seeds out of the ordeal, so it was worth the mess. Pro tip: when roasting pumpkin seeds, add the seasoning (salt, cinnamon, etc.) before putting them in the oven. It allows for maximum flavor absorbance.
Cost: $4.99
Time: 45 minutes
Jeff: Our garden keeps offering us things that we never planted. This little guy sprouted from a long vine behind the house, and it took a while to even realize it was a pumpkin. Reports of a neighborhood groundhog and teeth marks on some other veggies prompted me to pick it before it could fully turn orange. Who says a Halloween pumpkin needs to be orange or a carved jack-o'-lantern? I always liked the day-glow goofy faced pumpkins at the grocery store, so I decide to paint mine and use the green to my advantage. I was surprised at how difficult it was to keep the acrylic paint from just wiping off. Pro tip: use a hair dryer to completely dry the paint between layers.
Cost: $0
Time: 60 minutes
Take on Jordan and Jeff and tag the result on Instagram @pghcitypaper
