Stop gouging at a pumpkin with a dangerous, hard-to-control paring knife. From rotary toolmaker Dremel comes a Pumpkin Carving Kit: a battery-operated carving tool, a cutting bit and six jack-o'-lantern templates. The high-speed, rounded-tip cutter offers greater control so you can carve intricate designs (or at least get the toothy grin right this year). At Lowe's and some hardware stores for about $20.
Spirited Halloween spending
Two-thirds of Americans will decorate for Halloween, spending $1.5-billion on the spooky season, or about $40 per household, according to Unity Marketing, which tracks consumer spending. It's the second-most-decorated holiday, after Christmas/Hanukkah and ahead of Thanksgiving. Consumers decorate inside and out for Halloween, Unity reports, and this year will go for the ghost-and-goblin look rather than fun and funky or harvest home themes.
Serving the goblins right
Well, you need something to put all that candy in, don't you? You might as well use these holiday-themed bowls and platters from Corelle. Cats, bats and jack-o'-lanterns decorate some; others are banded in black and orange. The assortment ranges in price from $3.99 to $7.99 at Wal-Mart.
A safer world for baby
Fire safety is one of our topics today, but this is also National Baby Safety Month. If you have miniblinds, get rid of continuous-cord loops, which can become dangerous nooses for the little ones. The industry stopped making these loops nine years ago but offers a free retrofit kit so you can cut the loop and attach safety tassels and a tiedown device. Call toll-free 1-800-506-4636.
A pet (safety) project
This came our way as a piece of hurricane advice, but it's an excellent tip year-round: Take a photo of your pet, then take another of your pet with you. If the animal strays, you'll have an image ready to go on posters to put up around the neighborhood. When you visit shelters seeking your pet, it will be easier for workers to identify your dog or cat if you can provide a good picture. An image that shows both of you will reinforce your claim that you're the pet's owner.
