Solar Jack-O-Lantern

I've made these solar powered Jack-O-Lanterns for a few years now.  And I love how they light up when it gets dark automatically. This is a simple tutorial for a pumpkin with a solar light (DIY). The safety factor of not having a candle is also a huge plus!

I love decorating for the fall and Halloween. Of course, there is nothing better than carving pumpkins! Except when your kids leave you to do them all yourself! One of the reasons I love carving pumpkins is I get to make roasted pumpkin seeds. Try my recipe! It's easy and delicious.

Why I love carving pumpkins this way

It's quick and easy. No sharp knives are involved!

I love that the light is a solar light instead of a candle. You also don't have to buy an expensive fake Jack o' Lantern with a cord that you have to plug in and keep dry.
Your kids will be impressed that you use power tools!

Supplies

Pumpkin - you can get a larger one or even a small pie pumpkin.

Solar light - an inexpensive one will do.

A Hole Saw Set - You don't need an expensive set. This is a similar hole saw set from Amazon. But you might be able to get one cheaper at your local hardware store.

I ended up buying this set, and it had everything I needed.

Let me save you from having to do charades at a hardware store.  Just a reminder, it's called a hole saw set. And you find these in the area selling drill bits.

So, let me show you how I turned my pie pumpkin and my $1.00 solar light into a solar Jack-O-Lantern.

Instructions

Step 1
Find a hole cutter that the solar light will fit through but is small enough so the top part won't slip through m(the part of the solar light that collects the solar power).

Step 2
Attach it to the power drill. This is what it looks like. There is a drill bit that drills a small hole, and then the larger hole gets drilled by the red hole saw.

Step 3
I cut my hole just behind the stem. I wanted to leave the stem on.

Step 4
Pull out the pumpkin part from the pumpkin. Good thing I can show you a picture because that sentence isn't a good description of what to do!

Step 5
I then switched to a smaller circle-hole cutter.

Yes!! I used my drill to cut the eyes out {gasp}. I know!! Well, the truth is, I don't have little kids anymore, and I don't have to fight with the pumpkin to cut out funny-shaped eyes and a weird mouth anymore. Round cut with a circle cutter is just perfectly fine in my world now!!

**I carved my pumpkin with a drill! Yes, I did!**

I also used it to cut out the mouth. I cut it so there would be jagged 'teeth'.

Step 6
I grabbed a spoon to scrape the 'pumpkin goo' through the mouth. It worked fine and took less than 5 minutes.

After I scraped the 'goo,' I used a small sharp knife and just thinned the pumpkin around the cut areas.

After I cleaned the inside and the edges, I popped the solar light in.

All done!

Perfect fit!
I left my newly carved Jack-o-Lantern so that the solar light charging surface was facing the sun for a few hours.

Ta-da! Isn't it cute! I was quite excited that it worked. I have carved Jack O'Lanterns this way for a few years now. Those little solar lights give off the right amount of light.

FAQs

The pumpkin was $1.99, and the small solar light was $1.00. Not bad for a $3 project!

Some other Halloween decor/decorations.

Fall Planter

Other solar light projects

How I use solar lights in planters
My indoor solar night lamp

First published October 3, 2016.