Cheri of Creating and Cruising adds her entryway to the Target Halloween decor contest. Remember, you only have until the 21st to enter. Cheri not only festooned her entryway with spooky trees, she tells you how she did it here.

Cheri writes at her site:

“This year I filled my entry way with spooky trees. I covered the trees with cobwebs and spiders. I added a chair with tea stained material, a chandelier with melted wax, an empty dark frame covered in cobwebs, and spiders everywhere. In my china cabinet are mummy hands I made a few years back. They hold an old match and are pretty creepy.”

Click for more photos, and enter your own today!

While picking up a couple of bags of my favorite coffee the other day, I was absolutely taken with these beautiful posters by Nikki McClure. I found the simplicity of color, image, and language to be so fresh and motivational — a great rallying cry in these trying economic times. I’m in love with the black, white, and red Sustain and Process for my kitchen, but would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite from all the choices available. Poster prints are a mere $9 each, and are sold in packs of six for $35. There’s also a 2010 calendar chock-full of her images for $16, and plenty more paper-cut delights all found here. And since many of you readers have noted how the “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters have jumped the shark, may I suggest these beauties as a hip and affordable alternative? –Megan B.

Our latest entry comes from Allyson of Girly Gatherings. We’re only accepting entries until end of day Wednesday, October 21, so enter now if you want a chance to win goodies from Target. If you’re not skilled at sending photos, feel free to direct us to your site.

Ally writes:

Fall is my favorite time of year! This year, I decided to paint some of the pumpkins, I painted a regular broom with black and green stripes to make it look like a witches’ broom, made a lighted pumpkin topiary out of craft pumpkins, added a wheat wreath, lanterns with candles, and glittery hanging spiders to top it off. While my porch is definitely not creepy, I love it!

Click for more of Ally’s boo-tiful porch. (more…)

This is one of the cooler repurposed items I’ve seen in a long time — a street lamp turned floor lamp that has a great industrial vibe and a very original look. The Super Guppy Industrial Floor Lamp, which is about 5.5 feet tall and costs a whopping $2,400 at Factory 20, is the Monumental Untitled Concepts Collection’s version of the Marc Newson Super Guppy Floor Lamp. While I find it pretty hard to justify paying such a steep price, I’m feeling very inspired by this lamp — I wonder if I could track down a source for recycled street lamps? Wiring a table lamp is pretty simple, but I’m guessing these behemoths take a bit more electrical know-how. Maybe I could commission one through a particularly artsy electrician. Any suggestions? –Erica P.

I’ve had a thing for snail mail ever since my days at summer camp. We lived and died by mail time, and to this day I’m still excited to see what lies in wait in my mailbox. Magazine subscription? Don’t mind if I do! Dentist Reminder? Thanks for thinking of me! Electric bill? I’ll pay it, eventually! But a hand-written note is to a mailbox what blue sea glass is to a beach: a rare, special keepsake. (Especially as both mailboxes and beaches seem to be filled with trash these days.) That’s why I love the idea of this “card party” that a friend from camp threw for her husband’s 50th birthday:

A few weeks before his birthday, she emailed a big list of her husband’s loved ones and asked them to drop a note in the mail wishing him a happy birthday or recounting a memory that would make him laugh. I sent a card, and it was just one of the many that poured in daily for him in the week leading up to his birthday. Emails and Facebook reminders be damned — this year, I want to be the life of someone’s card party! –Sarah C.

Photo: Nessy letterpress card from Egg Press

To be clear, I want someone to make these for me — aren’t they the best? Feel free to volunteer in comments! Click for the candy apple how-to at MattBites.com. (Thanks to my foodie pal Brian for the link.) –Mary T.

Catherine of peace love sweater proves that quick and easy can be plenty appealing. Hers is the third entry in our Target Halloween goodies giveaway. If you want to enter, get your photos in by Wednesday, October 21 — it’s okay to send us a link to photos on your site, too!

Catherine writes at peace love sweater:

“My daughter asked if I could please do a better job of decorating for Halloween — so I decided this is the year to do more than just carve a pumpkin! …Simple! … but nice.”

Thanks for your entry, Catherine! See a few more photos here, and don’t forget to enter your decorations by October 21.

1) Sweaters aren’t just for bodies. Sara says of one of Megan’s seven colorful throws: “That giant cable knit looks so cozy, like a massive sweater.” Great thought! See them here.

2) With comfort food, terrible and good can be the same. Riye says: “Oooooh that sounds good. I think it’s in the same food group as the spam and cream cheese wontons (it sounds terrible but they are so good!) my friend Robin used to make.” Click for the crab meat canapes.

3) The SideSwipe mixer blade: good idea, bad execution? Joan A. says: “The SideSwipe people sent me another one (the first one had only lasted a few months), and said that not only were they improving their product, but also I had to adjust my mixer so the SideSwipe wouldn’t smash up on one side of the bowl. I have not been able to do that. This second one has lasted longer, though now I see that one of the nubbies is preparing to break off.” Read more comments on the SideSwipe Spatula Mixer Blade.

4) Green deck stain options may leave something to be desired. Chris says: “You might check out Natural Deck Oil, I’ve heard good things about it, but never tried it myself…I’m not sure there is any water based product that can replace a good penetrating oil stain on an exterior deck.” Thanks for the info, Chris. See the results of Penofin Aquafin.

5) The zippered sleeper pillow is a keeper, even if you don’t get to it just yet. You loved Sarah L’s easy DIY of a pillow from her daughter’s baby sleeper. Paulette says: “This is such a great idea! I have to say your line about ‘I am years away from getting to do a lot of the projects I set aside material for’ really resonated with me and the bins and bins of material I have set aside for various quilts for kids of friends, who just may be in college by the time they get their quilts. Sigh…” See the pillow project here.

Photo by R Stewart

Chocolate malted cupcakes (with Whoppers, no less)? Jamie of All Trades, how you tempt us.

Cooking pumpkins without wasting any at the Daily Green.

We wish we could just cut and paste Not Martha’s Halloween links and be done with it, but that would hardly be fair! See all the ghoulishness here!

Espaliered apple trees at mirrormirror.

A four-figure tax break for a four-legged friend? At NPR.

The $300 fan that’s worth every cent, at Gizmodo.

Yay for lunchboxes — great roundup at ReadyMade.

Does this not sound delicious? Roasted corn chowder with scallops and bacon at Edible Aria.

Coolest idea — spooky packing tape transfers at How About Orange.

More yum: Hearty Tomato Soup, Totally Awesome Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, and Flax Cookies at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions. (We need to stop doing blogwatch on an empty stomach.)

Stair runners that are super-cool at Casa Sugar.

Our second entry is frighteningly fabulous in a completely different way! This one comes from Karla from the inspiring site It’s the little things that make a house a home… So what do you think — can you beat Karla at the bats or out-scream Tracy? If so, you better enter now — otherwise it’s going to be a two-person contest! See all the rules here. (Remember, you can decorate your whole block, or just your cubicle at work. And our readers will choose the winner! Voting will take place in an upcoming post.) Click for more of Karla’s bat magic! (more…)