Sure, you rely on it to hang shelves and assemble furniture, but your drill is also the key to turning the pumpkins on your doorstep into out-of-the-ordinary Halloween luminaries. Studded with tiny bulbs in swirling or geometric designs, the gourds shown here make brilliant use of white and orange outdoor Christmas lights (for the most bang for your buck, use energy-efficient LED bulbs)—plus they look far more sophisticated than the average toothy jack-o'-lantern. Come trick-or-treat time, simply plug this crop into your nearest power outlet to illuminate even the blackest night.

1. Hollow out your pumpkin
Use a knife to carve a large circular opening into the bottom of your pumpkin. Clean out the inside thoroughly, scooping away the pulp and seeds with a spoon.


pumpkins with designs drilled into them, and lit with strings of christmas lights


2. Transfer your pattern
Rough out a design on paper first, then mark the dots on the pumpkin with a permanent marker. Try a swirling or geometric design, or randomly space dots on the pumpkin shell.

drilling designs into pumpkins and lighting them with strings of christmas lights


3. Drill holes in the pumpkin
Gripping the gourd securely near the stem and using a drill/driver, bore holes where you made markings. Be sure to hollow out all the dots you drew for your pattern.

drilling designs into pumpkins and lighting them with strings of christmas lights


4. Pop in the lights
Insert a string of small lights through the pumpkin's bottom and push a bulb halfway through each hole. Run the lights' cord from the bottom of the gourd to an outdoor receptacle.
drilling designs into pumpkins nad lighting them with strings of christmas lights


 

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