Storage Tips for the Year

[ZPjames]

For Foam, pumpkins, where do you usually store your pumpkins when the season is over? I know some may keep them out all year long, but I was wondering if it is ok to store them in an attic til next year, or will they melt from heat? Where do you guys store your pumpkins?

[RavensDestiny]

This is the reason I don't carve more foam ones. Right now I keep them on the top shelf in the closet. I would put them in the attic but I'm worried mice might get to them and decide they would make good nesting material. I don't think the heat would hurt them in any way.

[ZPjames]

Thanks! I didn't even think about mice.

[CombichristGirl]

mine will be shelved in my room lmao

[Euri]

I was worried about heat in the attic too. But I had no other space so I tossed them in a bin and up they went! There has been no damage to them at all. And now I realize that I have a WHOLE ATTIC that I could fill with foam pumpkins over the years.

Don't know what to tell you about the mice. Never thought of that one with my cat around.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Having to store foam pumpkins is one of the things that deters me from doing too many of them. They can take up a lot of space when you have a lot... it's not like you can fold them up for easy storage and travel (hey, someone invent something like that!).

Attics can get very hot... probably not enough to melt your kins, but if you try it and end up with distorted pumpkins that look like conjoined twins you'll have to warn us to avoid the attic storage spaces. Distorted conjoined pumpkins... actually that sounds like it might be cool.

I mainly carve real pumpkins because they look great around Halloween and then, they just.... go away. Drift into memory.

[CombichristGirl]

Having to store foam pumpkins is one of the things that deters me from doing too many of them. They can take up a lot of space when you have a lot... it's not like you can fold them up for easy storage and travel (hey, someone invent something like that!).

Attics can get very hot... probably not enough to melt your kins, but if you try it and end up with distorted pumpkins that look like conjoined twins you'll have to warn us to avoid the attic storage spaces. Distorted conjoined pumpkins... actually that sounds like it might be cool.

I mainly carve real pumpkins because they look great around Halloween and then, they just.... go away. Drift into memory.

u make me want to make the first twin freaky funkin lol grabs pumpkins and a blow torch! no jp but it would be nice to try sometime
u could cut them in half like for the porch light decorations. that way u could store more in a smaller space? just a little tape to hold them together next year?

[The Vlad Hatter]

Not sure where this thought came from, but how similar are foam pumpkins if made by the same company? If I bought 10 would they all be from the same mold?

I am curious if you carve the pattern in the foam then cut the entire pattern out in a large square if you could then somehow attach a pattern cut out from another. Do you think that would be doable?

That way you'd be saving 3-4 foam pumpkins and then as many square 'faces' as you want and you can just pick the 4 you want each year and attach it with tape or pins of some sort.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Interesting idea, Vlad. Funkins come in several shapes, but the bigger sized Michael's pumpkins are usually exactly the same. So your suggestion might work. Swapping faces on the pumpkins would leave you with light shining through the edges of your "squares", wouldn't that be right? Which might be distracting to perfectionists or those who want their pumpkins to more closely pass for "real."

[kirsten]

This is my first year carving foam pumpkins, so I don't know of any great storage tips, but I am planning to store mine in Tupperware containers in the garage. I will be going to Target the day after Halloween in hopes that the large Halloween Tupperware containers will be marked down really low.

[Sind3315]

That's what I'm gonna do too Kirsten. Just get some big plastic totes to store them in. I had plans on stuffing the inside with newspaper so nothing breaks if something heavy lands on the tote or something... Eventually I'll probably need to rent a small warehouse to store them all, but hey, all's good in the name of Halloween!

[mudd]

this year i decided to give my "fakes" to my sis in law so they could raffle them off to raise money for the school that she teaches at. uh Mr. Ryan i hope its cool with you because i just realized some of your designs were on a few, if its not i apoligize. damn now i gotta go to the others and ask if it was allright to raffle the pumpkins with thier carved designs on them. does this in a way count as me in somehow helping to spread the word of the zombie pumpkins?

[The Vlad Hatter]

I'd agree for perfectionists this wouldn't work, but if you just wanted to rid yourself of the square lighted outline, you could put dark tape on the inside of the pumpkin.

If somebody really wants realism they are probably not going the foam route anyway.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

If you're raffling of carvings for charity that's cool with me! I'm also cool with people entering pumpkin carvings (with ZP designs) for contests. See what you can win.

I just want to avoid the instances of people who are selling my art just to make a quick buck (usually with no credit given).

But if it raises money for a good cause, and/or spreads the word about ZP, go forth!

[mudd]

thank you , im glad ididnt upset you in any way with the whole e-bay stuff going on. how cool i recieved the blessings of the patch master. every year people ask me if im selling my pumpkins, kids say trick or treat the parents say "i'll give you $20 for that pumpkin if its for sale?" i mainly carve for the trick or treaters to get a memory out of it, as a kid i know i did, im just passing and handing down my memories.