Show off your pumpkin pics and tells us about the experience.
#88753
UGH! I'm going to start out complaining, because well, I want to.

So I have this thing going on with my esophagus that I wont expand on, but each month for 5-6 months I have to drive 4 hours to a hospital and have an outpatient procedure done. I had one the end of last month and for a complete week after could not eat anything solid due to the pain. This months procedure is scheduled a few days before Halloween! What type of sadistic Dr. does that to someone so close to Halloween!!!!!!! It has me a bit worried now that I will not be up for doing anything on Halloween night. November's procedure is 2 days before Thanksgiving..December's the night before New Years Eve. :x

Every year I read about people losing some of their pumpkins to rot, and I always brag I never do. I don't know what it is this year, but I've lost 4 already out of the 9 I have. I usually like to carve at least 10, and have been doing around 13 the past few years, but I'm down to 5 now. :cry: Today's was a bit strange though. The outside was fine as far as I could tell. No soft spots or discoloration, no holes or any visible mold. I cut into it and find this...

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It looked like a giant spider egg sack. The inside wasn't even soft. There was even some red, like it was bleeding..

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It's been unseasonably warm here this year, so maybe that is contributing to the rot, but I kinda felt like crying because I keep losing so many.

Alright, I'll stop whining now and post the 2 carves I started with this year. I'm not sure I will continue with staging photo's or not, I don't really feel into it this year. Hopefully that will change.

The ever impressive, the long contained, often imitated, but never duplicated (duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated!) Ge-nie Of The LAAAAAMP! I didn't have a flying carpet, but did have some colorful Arabian silk (ok, organza).

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I LOVE the Grinning Jacks. It's like nostalgia of carving as a kid the simple triangle eyes, nose and mouth, but much, much better. So I carved Keaton. He lives up the road a little way in a creepy old house. He invites everyone over, but you may never leave again....

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So there is my sad story and my first two carves. I'm hoping I can either find some more 'kins tomorrow or the ones I have left last!
Last edited by Raven on Fri Oct 31, 2014 3:13 pm, edited 8 times in total.
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By ghostface
#88759
Aw Raven! I'm so sorry to hear about your procedure being right before Halloween and all your pumpkins rotting! :thumbsdown: Hopefully your luck will change. I would hate to see you stop staging your carves. Something I personally look forward to! Keaton and the Genie look phenomenal!
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By SuperSonic
#88770
I feel sorry for your orange goodness! (Pumpkins). The carves look amazing! Nice choices! 2 weeks until I begin my mad dash. Keep it high! I LOVE watching you stage your carves!

:)
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By sloaner
#88773
Very nice photos as usual. You have some of the best pictures in the gallery year after year and I always try and think of ways to out do you (and mesmark and monstermash) :D. I have a few ideas for this year to enter into the gallery. Hopefully they can hold their own against yours.
By Ajax
#88775
Couple of gallery contenders there, really nice love the genie lamp set up.
Last edited by Ajax on Fri Oct 10, 2014 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By Lala
#88782
I always look forward to your carves and photos! Genie is so amazing!! :shock: :D
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By Raven
#88791
Thanks everyone! Your comments inspire me and make me want to come up with staging ideas! I'm not feeling very creative this season, but I'll give it my best shot. I'm looking forward to pics from MonsterMash, Ajax, Amandap80, Mesmark, Ryan and the other creative stagers I'm forgetting.

The background behind Keaton is one of those plastic wall hanging things. I very quickly taped it to the wall in my hallway which is right off my living room with 3 steps to get up into. I didn't stick it enough apparently and it fell off the wall while the dog and I were sitting in the living room with the lights off. He immediately started barking in that deep scary bark reserved for making people think he is a bad-ass, but he would not go up the steps at all.. in fact, he still wont go up the steps! I'm pretty sure he is actually scared of the dark, and even more so now. :P
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By Pumpken
#88792
Whew. When I read your first post I almost panicked. I love seeing your staged photos. Combined with the great carves you do, they are the best. Please keep staging.

Great start on this years collection. Sorry to hear about the mold. I hope your others last.
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By monstermash
#88854
Ah, the beginning of Raven's carving thread. I genuinely look forward to your displays every year. I'm sorry about your hospital visits, it's sods law that each appointment falls near three big celebrations, bummer. You aren't alone with the lack of enthusiasm for staging, i'm suffering from it too, I'm going to force myself into it. If you hadn't wrote that you weren't felling in the spirit I be none the wiser looking at your pictures. They are lovely as always. Looking forward to more but don't feel obligated just for us lot, take care of yourself first.
As for that rotten fellow, I hope you carved him up anyway before the full zombification took place. Beware, if a 'kin that's rotting from the inside out is not carved with a ZP! pattern, it comes to life and infects its kinfolk.
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By Raven
#88906
I'm cursed this year.. CURSED! Today's 'kin had visible rot on the outside. The inside proved to be black and squishy. I admit, I was afraid to touch it and took extra measures not to. I just couldn't throw it away though. So what do you carve on a black rotten pumpkin? A Wicked Queen of course. The pumpkin is as black as her heart.

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I also decided I could carve an apple as well.. yeah, no I can't. I didn't really use the right tools since I couldn't find my little wood working tools and just used my craft knife on it. I wasn't going to include it in the picture but I did on one. My staging on this didn't go quite as planned either and I'm not happy with it. We'll just call this Raven's Halloween Season of Complaining.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all? Not my apple carving, that's for sure..
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Without the apples.

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By ghostface
#88909
Wow Raven! Another awesome set up! Even if you think you did a bad job on the apple I think it looks pretty cool next to the witch and Snow.
#88910
It must have something to do with the warmer than usual weather. A fitting choice for a kin with a black heart. That wicked witch pattern is such a great likeness im probably going to have to carve it. Yours is superb, I like Snow white in the mirror too and your yummy apples.