Skip to main content

Martha by Mail Pumpkin Printing Kit

From the pages of a past issue of Martha Stewart Living comes this Halloween Pumpkin Printing Kit that was once available through Martha by Mail.  It's such a clever way to carve and display pumpkins for the season in one's home, but what makes this crafting kit even more special is that the pumpkins themselves become a "printing press" for treat bags and other items.

With full step-by-step instructions and images, you can partake of this kit by printing, carving and stamping out your very own spooky pumpkins and goodie bags for Halloween.  If you have an inexpensive white, orange or yellow tablecloth, why not stamp out these images onto it for a great presentation?

I want to thank my friend Jeremy for providing us with these images.  Have fun carving your pumpkins!


Pumpkin Printing Kit

Make your carvings last far beyond Halloween night.  With this kit, inspired by an idea from Martha Stewart Living magazine, you can create amazing jack-o'-lanterns and then apply the designs to treat bags and much more.  Just follow the step-by-step instructions below.


Contents of Kit

  • Vellum Templates
  • Awl
  • Linoleum cutter with 3 different tips
  • Wood gouge
  • Brayer
  • Water-soluble acrylic-based ink
  • 10 muslin treat bags


You'll also need: tape and a tray for ink.

Instructions
  1. Choose template, and use a photocopier to enlarge or minimize the template to the desired size.  Position your template on the pumpkin, and tape it in place.  Use the awl to mark an outline of the design on the pumpkin's skin.
  2. Draw a large circle around the design to act as a cutting perimeter.  Use the linoleum cutter to carve out the outline of the design and to cut away smaller areas, and the wood gouge to carve the larger areas.  Cut into the surface about 1/4" deep (not all the way through), and carve from the outer edges of the design all the way out to the cutting perimeter.
  3. Pour ink onto a flat, clean surface, such as a glass plate or tray.  Roll the brayer in the ink, and carefully apply ink to the design's raised surface, being sure to leave the cut-away areas clean.  If ink spills onto the cut-away areas, carefully shave off the surface with linoleum cutter.
  4. Press the trick-or-treat bag (or any paper or fabric) onto the inked surface; peel fabric away to reveal your printed design.  Allow ink to dry before using bag.
  5. Carve out the inside of the pumpkin.  Be careful not to cut through the pumpkin wall.  Place a small flashlight inside to check that you've achieved the right thickness.  Keep carving until the flashlight shines through the cut-away portion of your design.
  6. Place a small flashlight, candle or set of string lights inside the pumpkin. Light the candle with a butane torch.  The carved-away portion of your jack-o'-lantern will glow, eerily highlighting the black, raised design at its center.
 Cat Face

 Menacing Cat

 Bats & Witch

 Bugs & Spider

 Perched Owl

 Perched Raven

Vampire Bat


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass
50 comments
Read more

How to Paint a Chair

If you have ever felt the need to spruce up a set of chairs or give them a new look, why not try a little bit of paint?  Our tastes in decor and color will probably alter throughout our lives, and at some point, we may find ourselves wanting to change the look of our furniture without having to spend a lot of money.  That's where a few handy tips, some tools from the hardware store, and good-quality paint come in handy.   I know I'm not alone in paying visits to local antique shops, antique fairs and flea markets, and falling in love with pieces of furniture that would be perfect if they were just a different color.  You don't have to walk away from a good purchase simply because it's the wrong color.   My dear friend, Jeffrey, is forever enhancing his home with collectibles from flea markets and tag sales.  However, certain items aren't always up to Jeffrey's tastes when he brings them home.  He is the type of person who won't hesitate to chang
6 comments
Read more

Vintage Wilton Wedding Cakes

Wedding cakes have certainly evolved over the decades just as tastes and styles have in our American way of life.  There was a time when elaborate & very formal towering feats of sweetness were the standard for every bride & groom.  Growing up in a household where I witnessed several wedding cakes take shape from start to finish, I can tell you  that every single one of these was a true labor of love.  For mom, Wilton was the go-to supplier in every aspect of cake baking, including the wedding cakes which flew out of our house every single year for friends & family.   Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers It’s fun going back and looking at Wilton’s methods and styles for wedding cakes during the 1960s and 1970s.  Back then, the shapely cakes were not simply stacked and covered in perfect fondant the way they are these days, but were iced and decorated with real buttercream, along with a multitude of accessories.  There was even a working fountain available that could b
7 comments
Read more