You don’t want the same old Jack-O-Lantern sitting on your front porch this year, do you? Get creative and carve a cool face, scene, or design, that’s sure to wow all the kids and adults in your neighborhood. With the help of a stencil, the process is easy—maybe even easier than trying to freehand a standard Jack-O-Lantern face. You can create bats, ghosts, haunted houses, wrap-around designs, text, and more. Check out the links below and get carving. Halloween is next Friday!

Pumpkin Carving (Illustrated; Step-by-Step)

Halloween Pumpkin Palooza (Videos and Templates)

Original Pumpkin Carving Patterns

Carving Pumpkins and Squash for Halloween

Extreme Pumpkins

Get noticed on Halloween, or at other costume events, with this impressive DIY cardboard helmet. If you or your kids want to be a Star Wars storm trooper, a medieval knight, or any other helmet wearing villain or hero, you’re just seven steps away from having the hardest part of the costume handled. All you need is a thick cardboard sheet, white glue, a hot glue gun, spackling paste, sandpaper, a utility knife, lacquer or sealer, and paint. The Instructables will take you step-by-step through the process, which, with the use of a template, doesn’t appear to be as hard or as time-consuming as you’d think. With Halloween only two weeks away, now’s the time to get your project going!

“How-to Make a Cardboard Costume Helmet” at the Instructables

We’ve all had the unfortunate experience of getting a whiff of a stinky litter box, haven’t we? If you’re a cat owner, and especially an owner of indoor or multiple cats, you’ll appreciate this DIY project called the “Cat Jet.” The Cat Jet is a ventilation system that pumps the cat box fumes outdoors, much like a bathroom exhaust fan. In fact, the system uses a bathroom exhaust fan to accomplish its purpose. Other parts include a vent kit, an extension cord, and a timer. The average cost? Just $80. How’s that for a fresher smelling garage, laundry room, or bathroom? The Cat Jet can be set up anywhere that has access to an exterior wall or window, but place it carefully. You don’t want the litter box smells to be pumped out of the box and into your master bedroom window, should you have it open!

Instructions and article on the Cat Jet litter box ventilation system can be found here.

It’s summer, the weather’s perfect, and you’re spending as much time as you can playing outdoors — boating, fishing, golfing, surfing — you catch my drift. But while you’re out there having fun, your lawn is drying into a stiff, brown crisp. You know it needs frequent, deep watering, but the only time you can give it some relief is right after you get home from work and are sitting down to dinner. Which just happens to be the hottest time of day, and the worst time to water a lawn. Solution? Automatic timed sprinklers. But who wants to spend that kind of dough? Having an underground system installed by professionals can cost thousands of dollars. No worries. Lifehacker shows you how to get a green and healthy lawn for just $100 with Do It Yourself Automatic Sprinklers. All you need is one 4 cycle electronic timer, two hoses, a brass 2-way hose flow valve, and two sprinklers. Really. That’s all. Follow Lifehacker’s directions, check out the tips, and you’ll have a lawn worth envying, without any of the fuss.

“Grow A Green And Healthy Lawn With DIY Automatic Sprinklers”

Did your roommate “borrow” ten bucks again? Quit using your night stand, dresser top, or desk drawer, as your cash stash. All you need are two plastic soda bottles, two pieces of foam plastic, two rubber gaskets, silicone putty, scissors, and glue, and you’ll never have to worry about getting filched again. This video from the Metacafe will show you exactly how to use these materials to make a secret hiding place for your money and other valuables. And if you’re trying to save money, these hidey holes are a great place for “out of sight, out of mind” rainy-day caches. Just don’t forget the doctored bottles exist, or let someone else clean your room!

“Top Secret Bottle Stash”

Top Secret Bottle Stash.