Pumpkin It Up!

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‘Tis the season for pumpkin everything! This hardworking gourd is responsible for so many things people love about fall. For Creative Course Club this month we are sharing two techniques to paint your own watercolor pumpkins. Using the basic techniques shared on Creativebug we are introducing a few techniques to create a realistic or abstract ode to our favorite squash and gourds to add to your seasonal celebrations. Once you get some practice in you can create greeting cards or homemade art to share with your fellow fall lovers.

And as we enter the midst of October you don’t have to stop your pumpkin love at painting! There are so many ways to experiment with this fall fruit using the many titles available through the Library including eResources on Libby and always available titles on Hoopla (that means no wait lists!).

Below is a list of all things pumpkin inspired to show your adoration of this lovely squash. Step-up your carving skills with some how to books, or go all out with some inspired decorating ideas. Now you’re ready for snacks! From sweet to savory, the pumpkin does it all, especially with allspice. After setting the perfect fall mood and sitting down with a plate of treats its time to dive into a cozy pumpkin-themed mystery! The titles below will guide you in creating an enjoyable autumn evening.

The following title is only offered as a digital copy on Hoopla and OverDrive/Libby:

Easy Pumpkin Carving by Colleen Dorsey

Carve the perfect Halloween masterpiece! Whether you’re a first-time pumpkin carver or an experienced pro, create the best jack-o’-lantern on the block with this handy guide. Impress those trick-or-treaters with clever, easy-to-carve pumpkin ideas. Easy Pumpkin Carving offers tips and tricks for fang-tastic pumpkin carving with techniques that go way beyond traditional methods. Create luminary pumpkins and etched pumpkins, combine multiple pumpkins in creative ways, or embellish pumpkins without even touching a knife. With inspirational color photos and a dozen ready-to-use pumpkin carving patterns, you’re sure to have a spooktacular Halloween with this book.

Best of How To Haunt Your House: More Than 25 Scary DIY Projects for Parties and Halloween Displays

Ready for a haunting good time? Want to learn to make your own tombstones and cemetery, turn your child into a mummy, create Monster Mud and more? You’ve come to the right place! When the living set out to haunt houses, they scream for a unique look and feel. They want to create a spooky memory for visitors coming to party or trick or treat. With a bit of theatrics and light—and layers and layers of homemade cobwebs—today’s home haunters hunger to go beyond just setting out a jack-o’-lantern on Halloween.


Realistic Pumpkin Carving: 24 Scary, Spooky and Spine-Chilling Designs

Make Halloween magic this year and carve the best pumpkin on the block! This book will show you how to use easy-to-learn techniques to create awesome 3D pumpkin personalities that will astonish your neighbors, family and friends. Award-winning pumpkin carver Lundy Cupp teaches you how to use simple household knives and inexpensive tools to carve memorable pumpkin faces, from frightful and spooky to fanciful and goofy.


Purely Pumpkin: More Than 100 Wholesome Recipes to Share, Savor and Warm Your Kitchen

Bring these comforting, relaxing, healthy recipes to the plates, bowls and mugs of your home this year. The beginning of fall brings buzz and excitement around all things pumpkin. From the huggable lattes we eagerly await all year to the homemade roasted pumpkin seeds whipped up after carving a jack-o’-lantern on Halloween to the first (or third) slice of pie during the holidays, there’s a place for pumpkin in everyone’s heart.


The Pumpkin Cookbook: 139 Recipes Celebrating the Versatility of Pumpkin and Other Winter Squash

From Currant Pumpkin Oat Scones to Chicken Pumpkin Tacos, Pumpkin-Filled Ravioli with Fried Sage, Ginger Pumpkin Ice Cream and, of course, (seven!) pies, this comprehensive cookbook reminds us that the iconic symbol of fall is so much more than jack-o’-lantern material. These 139 recipes offer diverse and delicious options for enjoying pumpkin and other winter squash, such as butternut, acorn and kabocha, year-round.

Title also available on Hoopla Digital.


Pumpkin It Up!

There’s more to pumpkin than lattes and pies, so Pumpkin It Up! is here to help you discover sweet and savory ways to pumpkin up every meal. With both traditional favorites and unexpected twists, these recipes will please even the pickiest of pumpkin eaters. Stock your spice rack with Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice, keep breakfast classic with Pumpkin Pancakes, liven up dinner with Pumpkin Tortilla Soup and tempt yourself with Pumpkin Tiramisu for dessert. Whatever your pumpkin craving is, you’re covered!

Title also available on Hoopla Digital.


Pumpkin Spice Peril

Life is all sugar and spice for the Fairy Tale Cupcake bakers—Melanie Cooper is engaged to the delectable Joe DeLaura, Angie Harper and her husband Tate are savoring married life, and the bakery is bustling with happy customers. Until one of their most valued cupcake connoisseurs ends up dead.

Title also available on Hoopla Digital and Libby/OverDrive.


Town in a Pumpkin Bash

Halloween is fast approaching, and preparations for the Pumpkin Bash, Cape Willington’s annual autumn festival, are well underway. Candy is running this year’s haunted hayride in the hopes of making some extra cash. But when she discovers a real dead body near some fake tombstones, Candy’s side job becomes a full-blown investigation to find out who turned a holiday attraction into a real horror show.

Title also available on OverDrive/Libby.