Personalized Name Pumpkins - DIY Halloween Jack-o-lantern
DIY | halloween

Personalized Name Pumpkins

September 12, 2019

Say Happy Halloween with these personalized name pumpkins! They are easier than you think to DIY and they can be reused year after year. Also a great gift for new babies or weddings!

Carve a pumpkin that will last year after year. Include your last name, kids name, a monogram, or even a house number.

Personalized Name Pumpkins - DIY resusable jack-o-lantern with name in the smile

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Watch me carve a personalized name pumpkin from start to finish!

The first personalized name pumpkins

For years we have been visiting the Cranberry Festival in Stone Lake, Wisconsin. It’s full of vendors and crafts for sale.

Back when my son was born, we happened upon a woman with a tent where she personalized foam pumpkins. They were so cute! Also, just having a baby it seemed like I had to have a personalized pumpkin with his name on it. So, we put our order in and she carved it up that day.

Two years later we had our Little Lady and were lucky enough to find the same woman at her booth. We put our order in and had to set up a time to pick it up after the festival because she had so many in line. That was, unfortunately, the last year we saw here there. Thankfully, we were able to get our pumpkin!

Since that last pumpkin 6 years ago, I have wanted to try carving my own. Last year, I finally found what looked to be a similar hot knife like she had. I grabbed a couple clearance pumpkins from Target after Halloween. Finally, I was able to try my hand at it!

Personalized Name Pumpkin with Ferguson carved in the mouth

DIY Personalized Name Pumpkins

Let me tell you, creating your own personalized name pumpkins is totally doable! It takes a little time to get the hang of it, but it’s not that hard to do.

I will say, the Target pumpkins I used are a little thicker than I’d like. I found I really had to get the whole blade in there to make sure it sliced through. However, I haven’t been able to find foam pumpkins for a better price. I may try some other pumpkins, though, to compare.

Also Read: Custom Halloween Pumpkin Trick-or-Treat Buckets

Starting with a shorter name or a house number will help the first time.

Create a template for the eyes and nose to make sure everything will fit. I like to tape all the pieces on first to make sure they’re in the best spots. These can just be traced onto the pumpkin with a pencil.

Carving a Personalized Name Pumpkin for Halloween - the template with the name in the mouth

Then, make a paper template for the mouth, making sure you have plenty of room for the letters. Draw them out on the paper first. The pumpkins are soft enough that you can trace the letters and press the outline into the pumpkin. You can also completely cover the backside in scribbled pencil. Then, when you trace the letters, the pencil line will also faintly transfer.

Also Read: Easy Halloween Bat Babybel Cheese Snack

There really isn’t too much to the carving, but I do have a few tips for you

Pay attention to how far the blade enters so you don’t burn the pumpkin where it attaches

Just carve your lines and worry about cleaning them up later

Make your letters big enough so you don’t have any very small spaces where the knife won’t fit in all the way

Once the name is carved, create separation between the letters by taking off just a very thin layer of the orange section, but not carving all the way through

Carving DIY Personalized Name Jack-o-Lantern with hot knife

Lighting your personalized name pumpkins

Once you’re done with the face on the front, carve a hole on the back near the bottom. You can buy a small light bulb attached to a cord to fit inside. As long as you don’t carve the hole too big, the sides squeeze in and will hold it together.

I also like the idea of inserting a battery-operated light instead of one with a cord. This will make it easier to place in different areas of the house or outside.

Some battery-operated lights we’ve used and liked

Carved Personalized Name Pumpkin Jack-o-Lantern with light

Personalized Name Pumpkins are the perfect gift!

Once you get the hang of carving these cute little personalized name pumpkins, you have the perfect gift for plenty of occasions!

I plan to make them for all the new babies that come into the family. Starting with little Jack. I just made one last week for the Ferguson wedding.

I also love the idea of making them as housewarming gifts. You can add the family’s name or even the street number.

I love personalized gifts like this!

Also Read: Witch Broom Halloween Class Treats

What will you put on your personalized Halloween pumpkin?

Kristin - Exploring Domesticity

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Personalized name pumpkins - diy gift perfect for new babies, weddings, and housewarming

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