We had the pleasure of chatting with lifestyle blogger, Shannon, from Happiness Is ! May I also mention she’s an incredibly talented artist who happens to play the ukelele? (How cool!) Check out Shannon’s calligraphy pumpkin carving tutorial below, and head over to her blog to print out a free calligraphy stencil to make carving your pumpkin hassle-free!
Get to know Shannon
How did you name your blog?
I have the sweetest memories of the song, “Happiness Is,” from You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, which my dad used as the soundtrack to one of our old home movies. It’s about simple childhood pleasures.
What are three words to describe your blog?
Hopeful, inspiring, authentic.
What’s a home trend you hope doesn’t exist in 100 years?
Every year, I pray the “Keep Calm and (fill in the blank) On” prints will die, but they never do!
Favorite words to live by?
“With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?” – Oscar Wilde
If your life were a song, what would it be?
“Lovely Day” by Bill Withers.
Calligraphy pumpkin carving tutorial
Shannon decided to put her lettering skills to use with a simple, classy calligraphy “BOO!” She shared the printable pattern over on her blog, so gather your supplies and get ready to carve!
Supplies: 
- Pumpkin
- BOO PATTERN
- Lino cutter
- Masking tape
- Pin hole cutter
- Serrated knife
- Tea light
- Matches
Steps: 
- Download and print the BOO PATTERN. It should fit a medium to large-sized pumpkin. Feel free to scale it down if your pumpkin is small.
- Cut open the top of the pumpkin with a serrated knife. You can find a cheap carving kit here.
Scrape out the “guts” with a large metal spoon (I used an ice cream scooper), thinning out the side you’ll be carving. - Attach the pattern to the pumpkin with masking tape.
- Using a pin hole cutter, or a push-pin if you don’t have one, poke small holes through the paper, tracing along the lines of the pattern.
- Remove the pattern and carefully scrape along the dotted lines with a linoleum cutter. No need to cut very deep, just remove the skin. This tool is magic. You’ll never want to use a plain ol’ knife again!
- Place a tea light inside, and admire your handiwork!
Have any bloggers you’d love to see featured? Drop us a line in the comments section below, or email Taylor at taylorh@porch.com.
