DIY: your basic tool kit

What better way to get ready for summer than to set up your toolkit? Two sites have good articles on how to do that: lifehacker and diyNetwork.

I particularly like this portion of the lifehacker article: "The Cheapskate/MacGyver-ish Toolbox." Quoting the article:

According to Clint Eastwood's character Walt Kowalski in the movie Gran Torino, you can do half of your household chores with just three things: WD-40, a vise grip (adjustable pliers), and a roll of duct tape. As the Art of Manliness points out, the vise grips can stand in for pliers, a pipe wrench, wire cutters, a clamp, a ratchet, and, in a pinch, a hammer. Meanwhile, WD-40 has over 2,000 handy uses, and you know duct tape is an essential tool for every would-be MacGyver.

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If you're not sure what some of these tools even look like, take a look at the slideshow from diyNetwork's "Setting up a basic DIY toolkit." Here are locking pliers (AKA vise-grips or mole grips). Personally I find channellock pliers fast and easy to use.

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locking pliers/vise-grips, DIYnetwork

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If you're a crafter, your tools are usually specific to the craft at hand. But here's list--"Crafting 101: Basic Toolkit"--from BipolarGurl at Persephone Magazine that may be helpful.

-- Marge

DIY: Spirited Halloween decorations

Here's a small, but tasty, collection of sites with ideas for Halloween trappings.

The Halloween Howl-to at DIY Network has pumpkin-carving templates, fright-night projects, and more.  The Green Gelatin Shots With Spiders pictured below were found there.

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Manvi Drona, "Green Gelatin Shots With Spiders," DIY Network

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If your taste runs to the darker side of life, try the collection offered in mental_floss' DIY Halloween Decorations.  (Some are not so dark, just different.)  Two of the projects found there are below:

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Windell Oskay, "Cylon Jack-O-Lantern," Evil Mad Scientist

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Derek Greenwood, "Head in a Jar," Madhauscreative

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Sara W. posted the "Giant Spider in Spiderweb" shown below with full instructions on her blog Mom Endeavors. I like that it uses inexpensive parts you can find in a hardware store.

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Sara W., "Giant Spider in Spiderweb," Mom Endeavors

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'Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world.
                   ~William Shakespeare

--Marge

Halloween DIY: frou-frou tutus and other whimsy

While there are happy accidents, most creations start with an idea and proceed to a plan. Here are some ideas for this year's Halloween costume.  Mostly I'm offering parts of costumes for you to mix-and-match as you choose.  My idea of a cool costume is a black unitard (or tights and leotard) with some cover-up for eye-appeal 'correction' and an outrageous hat.  Maybe add an angel wing shrug ($26.80) depending on the theme of the outfit.

At weebly.com there are frou frou tutus--ready-made, custom-made, and kits.  Prices average from 15 to 30 dollars.
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frou frou tutu, weebly.com

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Relache's lens at Squidoo, "Make Your Own Fairy Wings," has advice and instructions on making and embellishing wings and links for buying them.  You can use stuff often found at home (provided you usually have duct tape and pink stockings on hand) in these instructions from DIYnetwork.
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Relache's fairy wings, Squidoo

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Here are "30 Outrageous Hats Designed By The Guy Who Made Princess Beatrice’s Hat," offered by Matt Stopera at BuzzFeed.  I like these two:
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An outrageous hat by Philip Treacy, BuzzFeed

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Another outrageous hat by Philip Treacy, BuzzFeed

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My best find of the day, though, is Savers Thrift Stores, a network of thrift shops.  There's a store locator (Anchorage has, count 'em, 3 stores listed!) and some really good costume ideas.
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Bad Fairy costume, Savers

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Have fun creating and more fun partying.

--Marge