The Perfect Pumpkin
Here's everything you need to know about picking, painting, carving and preserving your Halloween pumpkins this year First things first: To find the right pumpkin, look for a smooth, unbruised surface, firmly attached stem and a flat bottom to avoid wobbling. For ease in carving, choose a softer pumpkin; as a rule, the lighter the color, the softer the shell. Bring face or other patterns with you to be sure they fit.
By Victoria Reggio
  
 
 
 
Winsome Witch
More fetching than frightening, painting is a fast, fun alternative to carving (with less mess).
 

With a felt-tip marker, draw face as desired. Fill in with black paint; let dry completely. Note: Poster paint works best because it won't wash off outdoors.

Fold black waffle paper, sold in crafts stores, into a cone; glue overlapped edges and trim bottom. Cut a piece of gray or white ostrich-feather boa to fit around hat bottom; glue to hat. Glue hat on pumpkin.
 

The Inside Scoop
For great results carving, follow these tips from the experts at pumpkinmasters.com:
 

Cut an opening in the top or bottom (If top, save lid.).

Scrape away pulp inside until the area behind your planned design is 1" thick.

Draw pattern with marker or tape on template and trace. Poke starter holes along design lines with awl.

To remove whole pieces: steadily saw up and down with a craft or carving-kit knife from center of design out. Push pieces out with fingers, not blade. To scrape- carve designs, stop short of poking through and leave an opaque pulp background.
 
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Make the Fun Last
Heat from candles tends to dry out jack-o-lanterns over the course of a few days. But there are things you can do:
 

Coat edges with petroleum jelly to reduce shriveling.

When not being displayed, cover pumpkin with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. This will help prevent mold and dehydration.

You can revive a shriveled pumpkin by soaking it in water for 1 to 8 hours, then removing and letting it drain for 30 minutes before drying carefully with a towel.
 

A Rogues' Gallery
Invite glowing reviews with a rogues' gallery of mischievous faces. Then carve some pumpkins with letters you line up as words to establish a haunted-house feel. Or create a trio of creepy characters to welcome trick-or-treaters to your home.
 

Candle Power
When illuminating a pumpkin with a candle, be sure to anchor the candle securely and to cut a chimney hole in the lid or the top to vent smoke and heat. For a matchless option, use cookie cutters or stencils to cut out appliqués (like the giggling ghost or stars, right) from glow-in-the-dark paper, such as printer paper from brightec.com; attach with spray adhesive. Or paint repeated motifs with luminescent paint; we like Plaid’s Apple Barrel Gloss in orange, yellow or green from plaidonline.com.
 
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