My Craftiness Revealed

I'm not especially crafty, but I do like making things and I can follow directions with the best of them. I've wanted to try my hand at carving a watermelon for some time now (who knows how I come up with these aspirations?), and my sister-in-law's baby shower provided the perfect opportunity. I downloaded some instructions, asked Rob to help me draw the template, and went to town. Some things I learned about watermelon carving:

• watermelons are much easier to cut than pumpkins. If you can carve a pumpkin, then you can do a watermelon




• the inside of a watermelon is much easier to scoop out than the inside of a pumpkin - and it's less stringy, less smelly, and tastier. It's an all-around good deal.




• fruit salad just tastes better when it is served inside a piece of fruit. It picks up all the watermelony goodness.




• It's a good idea to have lots of paper towels on hand during the carving and transporting. They don't call it a watermelon for nothing.




• Wear an apron, or something other than the nice outfit you planned on wearing to the actual shower, while you are carving. See above reference to watermelon.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the outcome and if you want to try it, here is a good place for ideas and templates. (I had to promise Rob that I would carve the Viking longship for a future party if he would help me draw the template this time.)

And because T asked for some photographic evidence, here is my watermelon baby carriage:

Note the orange slice wheels with the hot lime hubcaps? Deliciously au currant, if I do say so myself. (Oh Lord, please bless me in my inveterate geekiness . . .)