Carve Your Own Pumpkin

Carving pumpkins is one of my favorite things to do in the month of October and watching the Red Sox play in the Series is another favorite. I carved this pumpkin in 2004 when they won the World Series.

All I used was a really sturdy knife, a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds and gunk, and I had some pottery utensils that I used to poke out the design. I found a large Red Sox logo online printed it out, taped it to the pumpkin and started poking holes in the areas I was going to carve out. I didn't want to go all the way through since there were so many details I didn't want to chance breaking anything.

I found a really neat website that goes through the process of carving a pumpkin. They even give you tips on how to preserve your pumpkin, which is what I need living in the south, your pumpkin only lasts a few days.

DIY Ribbon Valance

Looking for an inexpensive creative way to decorate your windows? Well, you can create a valance using ribbons. This is such a great idea, I never would've thought of that. I found this idea on the Blissfully domestic website, check out the tutorial. I could see using this ribbon valance in a babies room, it would look so cute!

Candy Corn Crochet Pattern

Looking for some decorating ideas for your Halloween party or fall parties? If you like to crochet Lionbrand has a cute pattern for candy corn. They even have a pattern for pinwheel candy. If you don't want to be tempted with real candy laying out you can make these instead. You may have to sign up to be able to view these patterns if you haven't yet.

To Do List Holder

I love being organized and to do lists help! Christmas is just around the corner and I'm sure all of your lists are full. Over at A Little Hut Patricia Zapata has created a To Do List Holder and she's posted a tutorial. This holds your note cards or scrap paper and it gives you a hard backing so you can take it out in the grocery store and easily write on it.

Reusable Sandwich Wrap

For those of you who like to bring your own lunch to work...I introduce to you a reusable sandwich wrap! The Small Object blog has a tutorial on how to make one of these stylish and handy sandwich wraps. I usually bring my own lunch into work, I don't like to spend tons of money eating out, plus it's more healthy. I also don't like having to keep buying plastic sandwich bags. But, with this reusable sandwich wrap you can just wipe it clean and keep using it and it looks cute!

Kid's Sea Monster Collar

Etsy artist Lumpkin creates some really cute knitted outfits. I especially love this sea monster collar, she has an adult size in her shop as well. This would be great for when the weather gets colder and you want to add a little whimsy to your outerwear.

DIY Fabric Labels

For those of you that create things to sell on etsy.com, craft fairs or even for your own family members I've found a tutorial to make your own fabric labels. To add a little extra special touch wouldn't it be nice to have your own own label to attach to your craftings? PatchworkPottery has a great step by step tutorial and I was surprised you really don't need too many materials for this project. I posted about making a felt embroidery label a while back, but this one is probably much quicker.

First Day Of Fall DIY

Yay! Today is the first day of fall. I love the beautiful colors of the fall and the crisp, cool weather. To get started right away decorating your home for fall I've found a great tutorial. Betz White has a tutorial on how to create these autumn leaves and acorn decorations.

Netflix Origami

It's finally Friday and I'm sure most of you are planning on watching a movie tonight, maybe even a Netflix movie. Now if you are a Netflix member than you know about the piece of paper that gets torn off and thrown away from the envelope. Well I found this really cool website called Netflix Origami, where it shows you how to create different types of origami from that piece of Netflix paper. How clever is that?! Now you can add origami to your movie night.

Mosaic Table

Looking for an inexpensive way to create a mosaic table? Well the person who created this table spent a little over $30 and it makes for a beautiful kitchen table! I found this on Crafster, she goes through all the steps she took to make it. The table was bought at a Goodwill store for $10 and the tiles were bought online at wholesale for $20. I never would've thought of checking online.

DIY Wood Clock

Design Sponge has a tutorial that shows you how to make one of these wood clocks. All the major things you'll need are a wood disc, clock parts, power drill and a wood burning tool. I just love how this clock looks.

Shell Crafts

I have been collecting tons of shells, every time I go to the beach I come home with handfuls. One of these days I was thinking I could use those shells somehow in a craft. Well, the Martha Stewart website has 17 pictures that show how you can use shells in a craft. I really liked this one, attach shells to a string of lights and hang it on your porch. This would look lovely on a summer evening.

Nerdcraft: Handmade NES Coffee Table Controller

The author of the Ultra Awesome blog created this awesome NES coffee table controller. It can actually be used as a controller, it's wired up to a Nintendo. You can also open it up and use it as storage for all your video games! There is a video posted at the bottom of his post that shows how the table works and how it was created.

Floating Headboard

Apartment Therapy has a great tutorial on how to create a romantic headboard for your bedroom. I think this looks gorgeous, I definitely need to spruce up my bedroom it is too plain.

DIY Photo Flipbook

I used to be so fascinated by flip books, I loved going to the Disney store and looking at all the character flip books. I kinda forgot about flip books until I saw this tutorial on Photojojo. If you are into photography you gotta sign up for the Photojojo newsletter, they have so many great projects. But anyways, Photojojo has this tutorial on how to transform video frames from a point and shoot camera into printable snapshots to turn into a flip book. They got the idea from a flip book tutorial on the Curious Blog, but simplified it.

I like the leather spine from that tutorial. I would love to try this but all I'm missing is a drill! Make sure you have Photoshop CS3, if not you could always use the continuious shot function on your camera and take a few 100 shots of your subject moving.

Artist Spotlight: Nicole Gastonguay

I absolutely love amigurumi! I came across the amigurumi artist, Nicole Gastonguay her stuff is amazing, she makes anything you can think of from cheeseburgers to sardines in a can. She has had her creations up in a gallery and you can purchase some of them through her website.

Shoe Rack Tutorial

I just love to be organized, but I'm always kicking off my shoes in the entryway and they start piling up. This shoe rack I found on not martha would be perfect for the entryway, it holds just enough shoes, has a modern look and doesn't take up too much space. There is a tutorial over at not martha on how to create this shoe rack.

Mini Journals

Journals are a great way to put your creative ideas on paper to always have to look at. It's always nice to have one handy when that idea sparks. Well, I found this great website, Maquette, that has a tutorial on how to make all different kinds of journals.

No Knit Scarf

Soon it'll be time for scarf weather and Christmas is just right around the corner. Well we will start seeing ads for Christmas soon. But I'm sure there are a lot of you crafters out there that want to start on some scarf projects for Christmas gifts. This nice and cozy scarf is made out of thick yarn that you braid together. It's such a quick project that ends in a great result. Follow the tutorial on Martha Stewart Living. I can't wait to start on one myself.

Beer Sweater Cozy How To

Aren't these little sweaters the cutest things?! I'm usually not big on using a beer cozy...but that's probably because I live in warm weather all year round. Melissa Martensen created these cute sweater cozy's and was nice enough to post a tutorial on how to knit them, just in time for the cold weather.

Remote Control Pillow Tutorial

Are you always trying to find your remote for your tv? I'm always misplacing my remote, I think this pillow is a great idea to try and keep them all together. If you are into sports you can get a pattern of your favorite sports team to put on there. Julie-bird has a great tutorial on how to make this remote control pillow.

Mike Tyson's Punch Out Scarf

Thought I'd share this really cool scarf with you all. I grew up playing Mike Tyson's Punch Out on Nintendo, this is such a neat idea for a scarf. Unfortunately it is sold out on etsy.

Wall Squares Tutorial

I don't have too many decorative pieces on my wall, but that's probably because I'll be moving soon. I'm always looking for neat and inexpensive ways to decorate my walls. I found this patterned wall square tutorial on decor8. All you need to make it is decorative paper, foam board, spray adhesive, x-acto knife, and some acryllic paint to match your paper. Local craft stores such as Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michaels has a wide variety of scrap book paper that would be perfect for this project.

Candle Holder Tutorial

In response to reader megan bayliss's request I have found a great tutorial on how to make candle holders from tin cans. You can find a tutorial on Apartment Therapy all you need is an empty coffee can, can opener, spray paint and tea light candles. You use the can opener to punch holes and make a design in your can.

I remember making lanterns just like these in Girl Scout camp, but we punched small holes into the can. I'm sure you can take something like a phillips head screwdriver or something sharper to make smaller holes if you don't like the big can opener holes.

If anyone has any requests on a tutorial you'd like to seen on here let me know and I'll try to find it. You can email me requests at thebestofdiy@gmail.com

Cereal Gift Box How To

Want to save money this year on your Christmas gift wrap? Save all your cereal boxes and follow this tutorial on Instructables to make your own gift box. This is such a great idea, especially for those gifts that won't quite fit into a t-shirt box.

How To Make A Felt Bag

Fall is coming soon and it'll be time for a new handbag. A gray or red felt bag would make for a nice bag for the fall. I found a great tutorial on how to make these cute felt bags on Burdastyle.

Etch-A- Sketch Laptop Cozy

Betz White is such a talented designer and crafter, this Etch-A Sketch laptop cozy made out of felt is just one of her latest creations. There are so many cute things you can create with felt! Check out her cupcakes, she has an etsy shop where you can purchase them.

Woven Paper

I came across this really neat woven lined paper and had to share. I don't know how to use a tapestry loom, but I was thinking of trying to crochet one of these, it could make a really neat blanket.

Vintage Suitcase Table

I found another neat way you can re-use vintage suitcases, make a small table out of them! I found a quick tutorial on Curbly on how to make these cute tables. I love the round green suitcase, with the legs it looks like a stool.

Katamari Baby Bonnet

La la la la la la, la la la la la la. I love Katamari, it is the most addicting game! I could not believe it when I saw this crochet pattern for a baby bonnet. What a cool Halloween costume this would make! I can't believe there are other people out there like me who's played Katamari and crochets!

My Own Creation: Flower Scarf

Tropical storm Fay has been sitting in my neck of the woods for the past two days. I've been cooped up inside trying not to get soaked and I've had time to finish up a crochet project. I made this flower scarf in two days, it will be a birthday present for my mom. I know it's still summer but it'll be cold soon up north and a scarf will be needed. I got the pattern for this scarf in the Stitch N' Bitch Happy Hooker book, love that book. A while back I posted about a handbag I crocheted for a mother's day present, well the flower on the handbag actually matches the scarf.

Children's Rainbow Fabric Book

Fiskars Craft has a great tutorial on how to make a children's book out of fabric. Since my sister had a baby I'm always thinking of special handmade gifts I can make for my nephew. I absolutely love this idea! You could make an alphabet book, animal book all kinds. Jo-Ann Fabrics sells fabric quarters in all different colors and patterns, I've also noticed a huge selection of fabric quarters at my local fabric shop as well. This would be a book to stand out among all the others in your child's collection.

Flower Fairy Lights Tutorial

Flower Fairy lights are made from egg cartons and led lights. I can't believe how pretty these look and they are only egg cartons. You can find a tutorial on esprit cabane.

Bird Mobile Tutorial

Seems like a lot of people I know are having babies this year, baby decorations have definitely been on the brain lately. Design Sponge has a great tutorial on how to make this unique bird mobile for your baby's crib. I think this would even look neat to put on a porch outside if you aren't an expecting mother.

Invisible Book Shelf

Invisible shelves have been becoming more and more popular. I always wondered how it worked, well I found a really great tutorial on VideoJug on how to make one. It is actually very simple and you don't need many materials to create it. All you need are some screwdrivers, an L bracket, utility knife and a large book that you won't read anymore. I love how these invisible shelves look!

Tea Towel Crocheted Edging Tutorial

Craftblog.com.au has a great tutorial on how to make a crocheted edging for your kitchen towels. I love how this looks and it adds a little class to your towels.

Crochet Muppets Glasses Holder

What a cute creative, idea to crochet a Muppet head for a glasses holder! I wear glasses once in a while and I'm always putting them anywhere but my glasses case. If you are into the Muppets this would be a whimsical way to hold your glasses. I found a pattern for this on Crafster.org. I'm gonna have to make one and put it on my night stand, my glasses look similar but smaller and rectangular.

Owl Amigurumi Tutorial

Roxycraft creates some really cute amigurumi stuffed animals. I really like her collection of jungle animals. She sells all the patterns for her animals on the Roxycraft website. She also has a few free patterns on there like this cute "Woody the Owl".

Framed Silhouettes Tutorial

Simple Gifts has a tutorial on how to make these framed silhouettes. Creating silhouettes of your family and framing them makes for a nice decoration to preserve. I remember making silhouettes in elementary school but I never thought of putting them in a nice frame.

Baby Blanket Tutorial

Seems like everyone is having babies this year! Ever since my sister and one of my friends had a baby, I feel like I know a lot more about all the popular toys and accessories that are out now for new mommies and babies. Have you ever heard of "Taggies"? Well this blanket is just like those Taggie blankets. This blanket is perfect for your little one to grab on to, you can customize the fabric pattern to fit your style and choose a nice soft fabric for the bottom. If you are crafty this would make for a nice personalized baby shower gift that your friend or relative will love! I found this tutorial on Craftblog.com.au. I really need to get a sewing machine to make things like this!

Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Happythings has a great tutorial on how to make a simple drawstring bag. These would be great for gift bags at a party, match the fabric to the holiday or decoration of the party. The Happythings blog has a bunch of different tutorials on how to make drawstring bags, you can check them out here.

My Own Creation: Stuffed Panther Skinned Rug

Check out my stuffed panther skinned rug, which is for sale on my new etsy shop. I just finished this little guy last night. About 5yrs ago I created one of these out of a huge stuffed bear. I ripped open the stitches and took out the stuffing in the belly, arms and legs leaving the stuffing in the paws and head. Then sewed a fuzzy lining underneath. I decided to make another one, finally, because I had some relatives over and the kids absolutely loved it. They laid on it the whole time they were here.

I had a nice stuffed panther that I didn't mind using for this project. I ripped him open, got some pretty pink and black polka dot fabric to use for the lining. This would make a great addition to a baby's nursery, kids love laying on the soft stuffed animal. This one is small and would be perfect for a newborn to toddler.

I just recently created a new etsy shop and all my items will be under "Creative Craftings". I'll be adding my amigurumi stuffed animal on there as well. Also, a new design for my blog is in the works, so within the next few weeks expect to see some changes.