Announcing the 2nd annual TOH Pumpkin-Carving Contest

Last year, users completely blew our minds with amazing pumpkin carvings created using everything from X-Acto knives to Dremels to drills. One user even entered her fiance's proposal: He carved letters (and a question mark, of course) into 15 pumpkins! So, this year we've decided to kick off the fun a little early.

Go to youroldhouse.thisoldhouse.com/pumpkincarving to enter as many carvings as you'd like. The contest isn't limited to new carvings, so go on and give an old masterpiece a shot at glory; we know you took pictures of your perishable project. There are, of course, faaaaaabulous prizes up for grabs, PLUS winners will be featured in a thisoldhouse.com Halloween day photo gallery.

By the by, don't be intimidated by those fancy-schmancy carvings up there; a few of you wrote in last year to ask if the contest was only open to pro carvers. Truth is, it's anyone's game, since YOU (along with all your relatives and friends and colleagues and friends-of-friends and colleagues-of-colleagues and so on) can vote daily to determine the winner. Our winner—and most of our runners-up—last year were charming, amateur carvings derived from widely-used patterns. Which brings us to our next point: Pattern designs don't have to be original, but you must submit a carving that is actually yours. Last year we caught quite a few posers! Tsk, tsk!

If you have any questions about the entry process or the contest in general (once you've perused the full contest rules), shoot us a note at tohwebmaster@timeinc.com

Ready to enter YOUR masterpiece? Submit your photo and tell us all about your pumpkin (tools you used, how long it took to complete, etc.) at youroldhouse.thisoldhouse.com/pumpkincarving