What you'll need:
-1 turnip (rutabega)
-Apple corer
-Strong spoon
-Nail or Pencil
-6 to 7 inches of wire
-Light source ie: votive candle or chemical break-light
-Pumpkin cutter saw or steak knife
!!WARNING: PARENTAL ASSISTANCE REQUIRED!!


After you're done with this little excercise you'll understand why people switched to pumpkins to make these!

The advantage that turnip ghosts have over the pumpkin Jack O'Lantern is that they are more durable, portable, lighter & last much much longer than your average pumpkin. You can even keep a bunch of them fresh in your refrigerator days before Hallow E'en. They also make cool accessories to your costume. Picture a line of kids holding turnip ghosts walking down your street in the dead of night. The only two down-sides to turnip ghosts are 1.) They stink really bad, which is why they are used primarily outdoors, & 2.) They're very solid & tough to carve, unlike pumpkins.

You begin by taking the apple corer & punching a hole through the top of the turnip. Don't push the corer all the way in or you might get stuck. Turnip meat is very tough so be careful. You continue to carve your way into the center of the turnip until you have come within an inch of the bottom of the vegetable. Hollow out the interior of the turnip unti the hull is about half an inch thick.
Wipe off your turnips exterior and draw your scary face onto the front (or what you think is the front). You can use almost anything to draw the image, however I reccomend using a hard pencil or nail to etch the picture onto the turnips surface.

With a pumpkin saw or steak knife (AGAIN, BE VERY CAREFUL!) cut out your design, making sure that the cuts are deep enough to leave a little window to the inner hollow core you made.
Take a little votive candle or chemical break-light and place it inside the turnip.
Take the wire & poke one end through the edge of the opening & poke the other end into the other side, making a handle like a pail.
Wait til dark, take your turnip outside or to your windowsil & place it accordingly. Now illumanate it & stand back. You've just made an authentic turnip ghost!
& I bet your arms are killing you by now!

 

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All materials on the Paradox Tulpa Arts webpage are created/copywritten/protected by Juston DeCristofaro.