It is that time of year to carve that perfect pumpkin and show off your creative carving skills! Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind while creating your masterpiece.

• Select a large pumpkin for carving.


• Clean It Up - Wherever you decide to work, make sure you lay down some newspaper or other protective material while carving. Carving a pumpkin can get a bit messy and this makes for an easy clean up.


• Plan Out your Design - Now when carving your design, be sure to plan it out on paper first. You can then use washable markers to draw the design directly on the pumpkin. If this is your first carving, select a simple and easy carving pattern and when you become a more experienced carver than move on to more intricate designs.


• Have the Right Tools - In some specialty shops, they sell pumpkin carving kits. If you can not find one of these kits, try looking for a pumpkin saw. This will make carving your pumpkin much easier than with your average kitchen knife. It is also good to have on hand some smaller type of knives, especially if you design is a bit more detailed.


• Get Started - Cut a hole into the top of the pumpkin, be sure that you can put your hand through it as you need to scrape out of the flesh of the pumpkin and later to be able to illuminate it. It also helps to cut the bottom a pumpkin slightly so that the pumpkin will stand flat and won't tilt.


• Save Those Seeds - When removing the pulp of the pumpkin be sure to sift through it and save those pumpkin seeds! Roasted pumpkin seeds make for a tasty snack.


• Carve Away - Now that all the labor intensive stuff is out of the way, it is now time to actually carve your pumpkin. You can go ahead and use the design that you planned out on paper, or go ahead and sketch it right on the pumpkin itself. Once your design is in place, you can begin carving. Make sure you have all the carving tools readily available. Take your time and remember if you do make a mistake while carving, chances are you can repair it. But before putting all those tools away, check out your carving by illuminating it. You may see spots where your design needs a bit more cut out. This is a great way to check and make your jack o-lantern looks the way you want it to.


• Light it Up - Use a flameless candle to illuminate your jack o'lantern. Not only is it safer than using a real candle, but some flameless candles actually a have timer built into them. So you could have your jack o'lantern light up at the same time every night.


• Enjoy - Place your jack o'lantern where all can view your carving masterpiece! If you feel inspired enough, why not carve a partner for your jack o'lantern.