The Halloween experts at Dremel^®, the maker of the Dremel Pumpkin Carving Kit, offer exciting ways to entertain guests this Halloween season. These tips can assist Halloween enthusiasts in preparing for and hosting the most "spooktacular" Halloween party in the neighborhood.

Deadly Decorations

• Create distinctive place cards. Etch your guests' names on small gourds or pumpkins with the Dremel Pumpkin Carving Kit to create place cards that will be sure to impress your company. You can also create jack-o-lantern faces on the gourds and let guests choose their favorite design.
• Decorate throughout the house. In the kitchen, display Halloween themed soap, add cobwebs to dining room lamps and ceiling fans, and place spooky decals on windows and mirrors throughout the house.
• Create unique decorations. Use the Dremel Pumpkin Carving Kit to etch designs into real or artificial foam pumpkins. Designs can come from the included templates or you can design your own pattern. Place them around the house and at the front door to greet guests as they arrive.
• Generate eerie lighting. Replace the light bulb at your entrance with a blue or black light bulb. Use black lights throughout a hallway to add a ghostly illumination or string orange and white lights around the windows.

Frightening Food and Beverages

• Prepare frightening finger food. Make favorite sandwiches as usual, but for a new variation of Halloween hors d' oeuvres, use your favorite Halloween cookie cutters to cut out different designs.
• Serve Jell-O^® brand gelatin, a favorite snack food. Add a Halloween twist by making red Jell-O and adding blue food coloring. This will turn the Jell-O black, but will not sacrifice the great flavor. Then place the black Jell-O in insect-shaped molds. Guests will have fun eating insect Jigglers^®!
• Serve spine-chilling snacks. "Miniature fingers" will be sure to be a scream. Spread a small dab of cream cheese on the tip of baby carrots. Gently press almond slices onto cream cheese to resemble fingernails. Finally, serve on a platter with a bowl of salsa for dipping.
• Create Halloween themed cupcakes. Use black licorice to make a spider, whipped cream to create a ghost and M&M^®'s and candy corn to make a spooky face.
• Munch on Mummy Dogs. To create this fun Halloween snack, wrap individual hot dogs in dough and bake until golden brown. Use yellow mustard for eyes, and serve on a decorative Halloween platter.

Ghostly Activities

• The ultimate pumpkin carving activity. Have a few Dremel Pumpkin Carving Kits on hand so guests can work together to create ghostly jack-o'-lantern designs with the included templates.
• The creepy guessing game. Use three shoeboxes with lids and cut out an area large enough to insert a hand without looking inside the box. Each guest will get a pen and paper and have to guess what is inside each shoebox. Fill one with skinned grapes (eyes), cooked cold spaghetti (brains) and cooked rice (maggots).
• Halloween costume contest. Create fun categories so that there are multiple winners. Categories can range from Scariest, Funniest, Most Original, Best Hand-Made Costume, Best Group or Duo and Best Overall.

You don't have to be a skilled artist to create the most admired jack-o-lanterns on the block. Dremel^®, the maker of the Dremel Pumpkin Carving Kit, recommends the following tips and tricks to ensure truly impressive pumpkin carving results.

Getting Started

• Choose a design before you pick the pumpkin. Having a design in mind will help you select the perfect pumpkin with the right shape and enough surface area.
• Know the best way to use your tools. The Dremel pumpkin carving tool is not intended to cut through the pumpkin, but rather should be used on the surface of a pumpkin after it has been cut and cleaned out. Any activity that involves the use of sharp objects, including the Dremel Pumpkin Carving Kit, requires adult supervision.

Transferring Your Design

• Use a template. Use either a pre-drawn template – available for download on the carving templates page on the Dremel Web site – or make your own. Enlarge or reduce the template on the photocopier to fit the scale of the pumpkin.
• Cut slits around the template to ensure a smooth fit. Cutting small slits along the perimeter of the paper will help you wrap it around the curved surface of the pumpkin.
• Avoid traced marker lines by using spray adhesive. Start by applying spray adhesive on the desired carving area of the pumpkin. The template should then stay in place while you carve your favorite Halloween designs.

Carving The Pumpkin

• Don't immediately remove the top of the pumpkin. If you plan to carve a "translucent" design that does not cut all the way through the pumpkin's surface, leave the top of the pumpkin in place. Instead, cut the opening in the back of the pumpkin to insert a candle, or an electric candle if using an artificial pumpkin.
• Use an ice cream scoop to clean out the pumpkin. An ice cream scoop is the ideal tool for quickly and evenly cleaning out a pumpkin. Unlike your kitchen spoons, it won't bend.
• Put the sharp knives aside. Try using the Dremel pumpkin carving tool – the 6-Volt Dremel Alkaline Cordless rotary tool. The motorized tool features a rounded-edge cutter that enables Halloween enthusiasts to etch designs into the pumpkin's surface, making it an ideal tool for carving intricate designs.

Making Your Jack-O-Lantern Last Longer

• Apply petroleum jelly to cut surfaces. A thin layer of petroleum jelly will help seal in moisture and prevent the pumpkin from drying out.
• Cover the jack-o-lantern with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Refrigerating the jack-o-lantern until you are ready to display it will help it last for several more days.

# # #