Decorate for Halloween with a perfectly carved pumpkin.

Pick the Perfect Pumpkin
Look for a pumpkin with solid, event colors. Try to avoid pumpkins with surface rot or soft spots.
Pumpkin Carving Tools You’ll Need:
Pumpkin carving is easier when you use the right tools.
Poker: Tape your printed pattern onto a pumpkin and create small dots along the outline the pattern using this small tool.
Raker: Remove skin and smooth pumpkin flesh with a raker tool. This tool is also great for cleaning up carving areas or etching designs into the pumpkin flesh.
Shape Punchers: Make the perfect round eyes or fun facial features with metal tubes. While an apple corer will make gorgeous circles, a pumpkin carving kit can provide additional shapes.
Saws: Head to the Halloween store for a few skinny, serrated pumpkin carving knives, which are perfect for tight designs. For adults, a small etching power tool will save time, energy, and stress for carving intricate designs.
Pumpkin Scooper: Many Halloween shops will have variations of the perfect pumpkin scoop tool, but this scoop uses serrated edges to scrap and clean pumpkins’ insides, while a pointed tip can flatten a spot for a candle.
 
Click here for beginner pumpkin-carving templates like the one below.

Below are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing: