As Halloween draws near, carved pumpkins are lining the sidewalks and windows of houses in East Lansing.

Pumpkin carving is a Halloween pastime, whether you are a carving artist or can barely make a design.

To celebrate the season and show Spartan pride, here are some steps to creating MSU-themed pumpkins.

You will need:

Pumpkins to carve

Tape

1 sharp knife

1 pumpkin carving kit, complete with utensils to poke holes in the pumpkin and scoop out pumpkin guts

Newspaper (not The State News!) to cover the area you are carving — because carving pumpkins can be a messy activity .

To begin, find a large picture of the MSU Spartan head, block S or another design to print.

1. Make a hole at the top of your pumpkin and pull out the stem.

2. Scoop out all the guts inside of the pumpkin. If you want, keep the seeds because they can be roasted for a snack.

3. Print out the design and tape all the edges to your pumpkin.

4.Using a utensil sharp enough to poke through the paper and pumpkin, begin poking spaced holes, tracing the edges of the design.

5. Once all the holes are made in the pumpkin, remove the decal and use a knife to begin carving. Follow the traced holes with the knife carefully to avoid messing up and cutting outside of the design.

6. Once finished carving the design, poke out the pieces and admire the hard work.

To display the pumpkin, insert a green light to shine on a porch or in a window.