Halloween is almost here, which means two things: pumpkins and candy. If you are planning to decorate this year, you’ll need a scary pumpkin. Here are a few tips for carving them.

Spray water: once you cut the pumpkin, it begins to die. So keep a spray bottle handy and keep the pumpkin wet as often as possible.

Get a template: there is nothing wrong with getting a little design help–not all of us are artists. So grab a template from Google and make something great.

Refrigerate it: a carved pumpkin will only last 10 days or so. But if you are looking to add a few days to it’s shelf life, cover it in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for eight hours right after you are done carving. The cold will keep it alive longer.