New Challenge?

As an artist, it's easy to just keep doing what you know...the only problem with that is that you grow very little. Personally, I feel that I need a new "challenge" of sorts. There are a few sites that I love, not just for their incredible artwork but for their ambition (check out www.skulladay.com and www.acollageaday.blogspot.com). So, what do you think? Should I try a 365 day challenge? I'm thinking it's time. But I would like some input from you. At first, I was thinking a pumpkin pattern a day...but I think I'd like to broaden my scope a little. How about 365 days of Halloween? Everything and anything Halloween, from ink sketches of ravens to bewitching pumpkin patterns, recipes for costume parties (gotta serve my chocolate obsession somewhere!) to monstrous little sculptures. Anything and everything that's Halloween related. Every day.

Now, I'll be moving to a new little art studio in the country soon, so let's take a little time to plan out this endeavor so I can get settled in first. I'm thinking that we should start.....July 1st? Tell me what you think. I'm listening.

Happy carving,
Lisa Berberette
The Pumpkin Lady

Spring Update

I know, I've dropped off the face of the Earth but I'm back and already working towards next season. Where've I been? I would love to tell you that I was creating world peace, saving starving orphans, or some other gloriously heroic tale. The truth is that we've been in our own private little world while several of our beloved pets have now crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Over the past few years, we've had three of our little herd of black and white cats develop CRF, Chronic Renal Failure. They've lived quite a bit, but sadly our days since this fall have turned to numerous vet visits, daily iv's, and bouts of no fun at all. And so, Happy and Spinner (whom I've shown before nibbling on bowls of pumpkin goo) have sadly passed on, with a third, Bobber, not too far behind in their paw prints.

For anyone who knows me well, they know that my pets are my family, and there's isn't a moment where they are not part of my artistic process. Lol even as I type this our Calico Manx, Paintball, is nestled in my lap. But time is passing, the tears are drying, and I'm back at work at my drawing board. I've just completed work for another article for Woman's Day and I'm working on lots of new patterns and, keep your fingers crossed, a whole new look for the website. So, I may have been down, but I am not out! There are lots of good things to come and lots more to share! This blog is going to take a new direction as I will not be writing just about pumpkins, but more about our lives in general. Goodness knows my life's resume reads like a side show poster from Barnum & Bailey and there's way more interesting things going on than just pumpkins! lol the show has just begun!

Happy Carving,
Lisa

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Tonight is my favorite night of the year! I'm out trick or treating with my son and lo and behold I see my patterns gleaming from front porches everywhere. I'm amazed by the talent I see! And honored that families would choose my work to become part of their holiday memories. I'm truly blessed by all the wonderful people I've met. I LOVE getting your emails...esp. when I hear that it's your first time carving and that in some way we've helped you create your first masterpiece...

This year was a celebration of ten years of The Pumpkin Lady - but don't think we're going to sit back now! Next year will be bigger and better than ever and we're already setting things in motion!

Cheers to another ten years!

Happy Carving,

Lisa Berberette
The Pumpkin Lady

You Tube How To's

We did it! Thanks to the wonderful help of Kyle Echols of Echols Photography, we were able to produce our first series of You Tube How To videos on the basics of pumpkin carving. What fun! I'm now addicted to the magic of You Tube. Though these videos may be the first, they won't be the last. Eventually we'll add more tips and tricks on pumpkin carving, plus a series of videos on holiday crafts and entertaining.

Now, people ask me, "What do you do the REST of the year?" Well, besides being a full time mom and full time college student, we plan as we can for fall. Spring is magazine time, that's when the magazines shoot their fall layouts, so I create designs in Feb. and March for that. Occasionally I may be contacted to do several pumpkins for a large display, like the portraits of the Presidents, and that in itself can take the remainder of the year. During the summer I design the pattern books for the website, and I start taking orders for personal carvings. Unfortunately, many people wait to ask me in October, when my work is already planned out, so I need to clone myself if I ever want to get it all done! Honestly, in October I'm usually in media mode, doing tv segments on shows like Martha, Fox, and The Food Network. (By the way, did you see the Food Challenge Outrageous Pumpkins episode? Catch it between now and Halloween and see yours truly as one of the judges...I was really impressed!)I'm also trying to answer as many emails as I can...hence the need for the videos! I'm often asked the same questions again and again, so, to saving my fingers for carving rather than typing, we created the videos. I can't imagine how fun it would be to have one's own show and get to do things like that every day....

hey Martha, ya need an assistant? besides carving pumpkins, I have a mean set of glittering skills I can show ya! Call me!

Are You Aware?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In honor of this amazing cause and all those who have been touched by this disease we've created two new patterns for the website....free! You can download a ribbon that can be carved out of the pumpkin, or a ribbon that you shave into the pumpkin's surface. Technically, the ribbons will glow yellow, however you could use a red battery powered light to change the color or pin some colored cellophane (or maybe even try plastic wrap) inside the pumpkin to change the color.

I realize that the ribbon stands as a symbol for many different causes depending on the color. I hope that you will use this pattern for your own personal testimony and have your pumpkins glowing from front porches for all to see this Halloween.

To download these free patterns, go to http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pattern.htm and then scroll down until you see the ribbon patterns.

Happy Carving!

Lisa Berberette
The Pumpkin Lady

Give a Little, Get a Lot

Each year for the last eight years - and always on the third weekend of October - my family and I volunteer our pumpkin carving skills at the Virginia Living Museum's Night of the Living Museum event in Newport News, VA. We literally schedule our season around it! (Yes, even appearances on tv shows get scheduled around it!)If you've never been, you should! It's a wonderful evening for families with itty bitties...kids under ten that are looking for a nonscary Halloween event. Families can come, in costume, and trick or treat in this incredible museum, complete with hands-on exhibits, live animals, and a planetarium!

On Friday and Saturday night(Oct. 17 & 18) from 6-9pm you can come learn how to carve pumpkins with my family (and get a dozen free patterns as our treat to you!) but I'm not the only one you should see. You can visit the Storytelling witch, the Spider Lady, the Jamestowne Bucaneers, the VLM Wizard, take a night trail walk, meet the animals up close and personal, observe stars, make crafts and get lots of treats...plus a whole lot more! Is it any wonder why we love this place?

And the other reason why we love the VLM? You won't meet nicer people anywhere else on earth. The VLM staff do a wonderful job of preserving Virginia's natural heritage and teaching children all over the state to understand and care about the world around them. For more info about the museum, go to: http://www.thevlm.org . Hope to see you there this weekend!

It's Party Time!

Every year, as an alternative to Halloween parties and trick or treating, churches everywhere hold their own parties. Hallelujah parties, Faith festivals, Fall festivals...they go by all different names but the basis is the same...Faith and Fall Fun. However, these gatherings require special patterns of their own, patterns that aren't Halloween related...and trying to find those types of patterns is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack! So, as we aim to please, we've developed a whole NEW book called Faith Patterns, where you'll find Christian themed patterns to use at your Fall Festival. You asked, we delivered!

And this brings us to another question....What do you like? Patterns are created according to the requests we receive. If we don't create an entire pattern book, we'll at least try to make it one of the free patterns on the site. Email us and let us know...

We're listening!