Picking your pumpkin:
Pumpkin selection is easily one of the most important stages in pumpkin carving. Because pumpkins will eventually go bad, you will want to find a pumpkin that will give you the best chances of lasting through the big night.

• Try to have a stencil or image in mind when selecting your pumpkin. Some stencils will look better on wider pumpkins, while other stencil designs will fit tall, skinny pumpkins better.
• Light colored pumpkins are more ripe, making them softer and easier to carve. Unfortunately, they are also more likely to go bad soon. Keep in mind when you will be doing your carving.
• Check your pumpkin for soft spots, brown spots or breaks in the skin. All of these will reduce the life of your pumpkin.

Once you´ve selected the perfect pumpkin, store it in a dry, cool place until you are ready to start carving. If you keep it outside, be sure to protect if from animals.

Pumpkin Preparation:
It´s time to prep the pumpkin for carving. Pumpkin carving is messy. That´s what makes it so fun. So, here are some tips to help minimize the mess:

• Clean the pumpkin. Wipe the surface with a simple soft detergent and water.
• Use a large trash bag (check for holes in the bag!) Insert the pumpkin inside and pull the sides down to expose the pumpkin - this will allow the pumpkin's contents to fall into the bag. After hallowing is done just pull the bag up and toss it.
• Cut a hole in the pumpkin large enough to fit the Home Logic Halloween Goop Scoop™. Where you cut the hole is up to you. Traditionally you can cut around the stem. You can also cut the bottom. If you cut a hole in the bottom, be sure to cut a vent hole at the top to allow heat to escape.
• As you scoop, leave about a 1 inch thickness. If you scrape too thin, the pumpkin will shrivel.
• Save the seeds! See our recipe for Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Carving Time:
Now that the pumpkin is prepped and ready to cut, it´s time to get the tools to start cutting. We recommend Home Logic^® Halloween Carving Tools. They are safe, and easy-to-use. Click here to see our entire line of Pumpkin Carving tools.

• If you are using a stencil, start by taping the stencil to the pumpkin on the location you want to carve.
• Use a Home Logic^® Erasable Marker to trace around the stencil directly onto the pumpkin.
• Begin cutting by using slow, gentle sawing motions to work the carving tool around the outline.
• Wipe remaining marker lines with a damp rag.