Mini Jacks

I am not a huge pumpkin carving fan. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE jack-o-lanterns and have a great respect for "jack art", I just don't have a love for doing it myself. It's messy, my ideas always look better in my head than on the pumpkin and someone always seems to get hurt in some fashion in the process. A couple of years ago my "mini Jacks" idea came into fruition, and I have been doing it this way ever since!

Every year while purusing the farmers markets and pumpkin patches I am always drawn to the tiny pumpkins - you know, the ones that are always fifty cents a piece. I love these little guys: they are SO cute! I always pick up a handful of them to incorporate them into my fall decorations.

A couple of years ago I was going through the stack of tiny pumpkins and had one of those "aha" moments. As I was looking at this particularly strange little pumpkin I thought, "that would make the coolest jack-o-lantern!".......... well, why not? It could be fun to carve a little jack and put a tea light in it.

At that moment Jess and I got really excited and started looking at these little treasures in a whole new light. We gathered about 10 of our favorite ones and went home and had some fun. And, you know what? It was fun. Carving these little guys is so easy!! The mess is minimal, they are really easy to carve since their skins are not as thick, and it goes quickly since there is not much area to cover. Once you throw a tea light in them they are amazing scattered around a room. Instead of having just one or two jack-o-lanterns you have a dozen, and they don't take up a lot of space. Perfect!

Two things to know that we have learned over the years:

1. Do not put the lids on your mini Jacks when they are lit. Because they are so small the flames will burn the tops and this does NOT smell great.

2. Because of their small size they will deteriorate really fast after carving, so make sure to do them either the day of your party or at most the day before. This year, while I was decorating for our party, I sent all the "kids" out to carve the mini Jacks, so ours were done the day of.

Next year when you are out looking for the perfect pumpkin for your Jack-o-lantern carving, don't pass up the tiny pumpkins. Most people go for the biggest they can find, but these little guys are just as fun!