Flower Power

Metal cookie cutters create Flower Power, a fantastic floral design on pumpkins of all colors. Choose an extra pumpkin or two for cutting the flower shapes.

To find pumpkins in unusual mix-and-match colors, check out local nurseries or pumpkin farms.

Choose three pumpkins: one small, one medium, and one large -- each of a different color.

Also choose an extra pumpkin for additional cutouts (we used an additional white one for this design) and two cookie cutters: one in the shape of a flower and the other in a small circle (small enough to cut flower centers).

Remove the stems from the large and medium pumpkins. For all the pumpkins, cut off the bottoms and scrape the insides clean. Trace the outside of the flower cookie cutter on the small and large pumpkins in a pleasing arrangement. Mark a corresponding number of circle holes on the medium-size pumpkin.

 

Cut the desired number of flowers from the small and large pumpkins. To do this, push the cutter straight into the side of the pumpkin, using a small piece of plywood to provide even pressure on the cutter. Tip: Don't use copper cutters, which bend easily.

Push the cutter all the way through the pumpkin and remove the cut shape by pushing out from the inside. Using the circle cutter, remove an equal number of holes from the medium pumpkin.

Keep the shapes moist as you work by spraying them with water. Place the cut circles from the medium pumpkin into the holes in the other pumpkins to mix and match the colors.

Drill a hole in the center top of the medium and large pumpkins. Run a dowel through these holes -- stacking the large, then the medium pumpkin -- and into the ground to secure the tower. Place the small pumpkin on top.