Our Chihuahua Pumpkin Stencil Raises the Cuteness for Halloween

This detailed Chihuahua pumpkin carving is sweet, short, and sassy—traits that should sound familiar if you own one of these precious pups! This classic Chihuahua face features a pointed muzzle and fuzzy jawline formed by easy etching, as well as carved ears shining in all their long, tapered glory. Download our stencil pattern today (it's free!).

True to Chihuahuas' short stature, this stencil fits short, wide pumpkins best; it even prints out in landscape to better accommodate those glorious ears! But if your pumpkin is tall and skinny, reduce the pattern size with a photocopier to fit.

To carve:

1. Start with a pumpkin that's been hollowed out from the bottom. Select the side you're planning to carve, and scrape the interior pumpkin wall thinnest on that side. (We recommend about 1" thickness.)

2. Print out your stencil pattern and tape it to the side of the pumpkin, smoothing out the paper before securing.

3. Use a large pin to pierce holes along the stencil lines, puncturing through the paper and into the pumpkin skin and keeping pin holes about 1/8" apart. Remove paper stencil.

4. Use a gouge or scraper tool to remove the pumpkin's surface skin within the stencil areas surrounded by dotted lines.

5. With a thin, serrated knife, carve stencil areas surrounded by solid lines.

6. Light the pumpkin with an electric candle.