Tired of carving the same old zipper grin on your pumpkin every Halloween? Buzzfeed.com has a list of “13 Brilliant Pumpkin Carving Hacks” to help you land the most creative jack-o-lantern in the neighborhood:

1. Cut the top and a section in the back in one piece: It makes for easier scraping, and it’s easier to put a candle inside.

2. Use dry erase markers instead of Sharpies: So you can correct mistakes before you carve your design.

3. Use a cookie cutter and a mallet: To hammer out designs in fun cookie cutter shapes.

4. Trace a stencil with a nail or a tack: To help with accuracy in your design.

5. Use glow sticks in place of candles: For multi-colored jack-o-lanterns.

6. Make holes with a power drill: It makes for a cool Lite-Brite effect.

7. Use glow-in-the-dark paint and masking tape: For the those who don’t want to mess with pumpkin guts and knives, use glow-in-the-dark paint and tape to make a one-of-a-kind creation.

8. Try fishnet stockings: Pumpkins look sexy when covered in cool fishnet patterns.

9. Preserve with floor cleaner: To keep the inside of the pumpkin from rotting.

10. Give them teeth: Insert plastic “bubba” teeth for a redneck pumpkin.

11. Use it as a punch bowl: Hollow it out, put a bowl inside, and fill with your beverage of choice.

12. Turn it into a keg: It’s perfect for storing beer at a Halloween party.

13. Skip the pumpkins and go with milk jugs: No carving required! Just fill the milk jug with twinkle lights!

 

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