When carving pumpkins there are some key points to remember if you want your pumpkin to turn out looking great.

First, you’ve got to purchase a pumpkin. Now remember to pick one with a rich orange color and no rotten spots on it. Also, you need to remember to treat it like a watermelon; you’ve got to knock on it like a door. If it sounds hollow you’ve got a winner.

Next you need to “gut” it. Take a knife, one that’s a decent size, and cut around the stem. Make the hole big enough to fit your hand in. Now you need to use your hands to scoop out all the seeds and squashy insides of the pumpkin. Make sure to get all of the insides out. If you don’t like the texture of the inside of the pumpkin, you can wear rubber gloves to keep your hands clean and covered.

The next step is to design what you want to carve on your pumpkin. Do you want a happy pumpkin? Or a scary pumpkin? Maybe even a goofy one. It’s your choice, but by taking a pencil and sketching right on the pumpkin, you can get an accurate idea of what is going to be cut out of your pumpkin.

Now comes the moment you’ve been waiting for: the actual carving. You can use the same knife as before, or one that is smaller and is easier to manuever around corners. Take the knife, and firmly cut into the pumpkin. Trace around your sketch with the knife. After you cut each section out, pop the pieces out and marvel at your hard work.

To finish it off take a tea light candle, place it in your pumpkin, remember to light it, and put your pumpkin stemmed top back on.

Now if you take you time and do a nice job your friends are sure to be jealous of your great pumpkin carving skills.