What started as a contest in college became an annual October ritual of building a little universe inside a gourd. I make scenes filled with peculiar characters, twisted fairy tales, and miniature curiosities. Here you’ll find a gallery of my favorite whimsical pumpkin worlds featuring the joy of making something ridiculous. (Some turned out better than others.)
Most creative projects do best with some constraints. Here are mine: Spend up to $30 max. Use mostly found objects. No over-thinking, over-planning, or stress. Don’t get attached to the original idea. Be open to very last-minute changes. Don’t worry about designing anything to scale. Even the smallest throwaway objects qualify as diorama decor.
2025: Linus Finds The Great Pumpkin
This year’s meta-pumpkin is a message of hope: In a most sincere pumpkin patch, Linus finally witnesses the emergence of The Great Pumpkin.
2024: gen-X skating rink
Raise your hand if you were dropped off with $10 for rental skates, a grilled cheese, and a New Coke. Welcome to the Gen-X Roller Rink!
2023: jolene’s farm & Garden Shop
Jolene, our silver labrador, was my inspiration for the farm and garden shop, complete with corn maze and pumpkin patch.
2022: Lost episode of “columbo”
In a “lost” ’76 Columbo episode, “Case of the Killer Copy,” no blood…just mysterious death potion. A very clever Lieutenant already knows who did it.
2021: Analog cabin
Step inside to try some soap making, knitting action, garden tending, DJing shenanigans, or just hand-make random things (without a computer).
2019: Lost land of lemuria
19th-century legend: The lost land of Lemuria lurks below the Pacific. “Lemurians” thrive on light and crystal energy and what-not.
2018: freeform portland FM Radio
An homage to a great little community radio station in Portland, where my daughter and I shared a biweekly radio show.
2017: 1965 camper trailer
Handmade curtains, a fire pit made from hot glue, benches from berry baskets, and popsicle-stick picnic tables set in a forest scene.
2016: Sweet Suite Dessert Cafe
An enchanted food cart with a chutes-and-ladders entrance. Step right up and order a Dead Velvet Cake or Mice Krispie Treats.
2015: haunted fishing pier
Featuring sand from Nags Head and hand-sculpted paper-mâché waves, clay acquaintances watch the stingrays swim by from a haunted fishing pier.
2014: madame zalameda fortunes
Step right up and claw your way to your own fortune. Each envelope contains a small prize and a glimpse into your future.
2013: Freaky tiki tavern
I used a wicker basket, pineapple, and some creepy ghouls to fashion the Freaky Tiki Tavern, inspired by a trip to Hawaii that year.
2011: Magic 8-Ball
A functioning Magic 8-Ball gourd, filled with glycerin and a floating foam cube of fortunes. Shake for a mysterious reply!
2009: The headless Cinder-Horseman
In another twisted fairy tale, Cinderella meets the Headless Horseman unexpectedly on a dark, abandoned road.
2005: mean lady tarot trap
To help my daughter manage her fear of Snow White’s wicked stepmother, we trapped her and her tarot cards inside a pumpkin.
2004: Peter Pumpkin’s Prison
What ever happened to Peter Pumpkin’s wife after her unjust imprisonment? She devised a secret plan to escape….
2003: Haunted merry-go-round
A precarious engineering feat of carved horses and too many nails, I cradled this carousel on a train and won first place.
1993: Seedlings from outer space
Entered on a whim with my friend when we were college students, the flying alien habitat pumpkin diorama landed first prize.
Nimble Narrative 