Carved watermelon. I bet that wasn't the first thing to pop in to your head when you were planning your last party, was it? But it totally should have been. Pumpkins aren't the only things that you can carve. And carved watermelons make really great party decor and signage. These can be made ahead of time, really they SHOULD be made ahead of time. But they are quite easy and will be the star of the show.
I asked my friend Carole to create one for our pajama party in Palm Springs. And then, of course, I forgot to print out the phrasing before I left for the trip. But that really didn't matter. Carole was still able to carve the watermelon. You will need a watermelon, some simple carving tools – her's were for carving or cutting clay and purchased from the local art supply store, and the image or words that you want to carve. If you want a specific font, you can easily just print out the words on standard computer paper, just try to make sure that the words will fit on the size watermelon you bought.
Using the straight tool, (I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what any of the tools are called. This one is sharp on the end but straight, sort of like a straight pin but a little bit thicker) begin to poke holes in the watermelon all around the outline of the words. Many pumpkin carving books use a similar technique.
So here you can see the dots that you can then connect to shape the letters and words.
I really love this idea for signage at parties. You can use them on buffet tables, as centerpieces, just about anywhere. And it works not only with words but also with images. Carole has carved some pretty amazing things in watermelons.
Next, you will use the tool that looks a little bit like a tunnel or a “u”. With it, you will follow along your dotted line scooping out the speckled green skin. You do not need to go very deep in to the watermelon. You just want to remove the hard outer skin.
While it might take a few minutes to do, it is really easy. Once you are done, you want it to have a chance to dry out a bit. We left this one out overnight and by the next morning, it looked like the first image in this post. The carved out portion turns a little bit lighter and it makes the words pop. Aren't they fantastic!
This carved watermelon above was the first one Carole carved for me for an outdoor movie photo shoot I did a really long time ago. It shows perfectly how watermelons can live on past summer and slide right in to fall. (this last image is by Sadie James Photography). I feel like this is how I want to carve my pumpkins this year too. Just think of all the creative designs you could do! I'm so grateful to have creative friends who are willing to share their talents with me! Thank you, Carole!
CUTE!