Regardless of the fact that my crafting To Do List is plenty long, I can always seem to find cute new things to add to the list. Here are some of the fun Halloween crafts I've been seeing around blogland in the last few days:
2x4 Wood Scrap Spookies
Diary of a Preppy Mom made these incredibly cute Halloween decorations. If there was only a few more weeks before trick or treat day, these would definitely end up on my mantle.
Spooky Pillows
Army Wife Quilter expanded on a bat pillow idea and created these vampire and Frankenstein pillows. 
Flamingo Toes made these great Spooky Eyeballs from dollar store plastic balls. She even includes a free printable pdf of the eyes for us. I do love it when people share. 
By the way . . . I found a great new "tool". I wanted to stain the blocks but I was dreading pulling out a can of stain and a brush to get the look I wanted. I was smart enough to wander through the paint isle at one of my local craft stores and came upon this wonderful little thing . . . a stain pen. It worked like a charm!
And here's my newest twist on the I Spy theme - Holiday I Spy Balls. You can find these large plastic ornaments at any craft store (these came from Joann's). 
Find a few holiday themed items to put inside - don't add too many. Top it off with some Poly Pellets (again not too many . . . in fact, less than you would think). Hot glue the ornament halves together (probably the hardest part - you definitely need four hands for this step). Add some ribbons and a tag - and you have a holiday themed I Spy Ball. Here's one for 
A fun twist to the I Spy idea. My boys love them!
Very easy and relatively quick . . . a few strands of jute/twine (is there a difference?), a couple of 
. . . and some pumpkins and bats. And there you have a Halloween garland.
Witches are a favorite theme of mine . . . . my only real costume is a witch costume. I can't recall the pattern I used for this little gem, but she was fun to make. She has a hairy wart on her nose. Her "socks" are painted on, her hat is perfectly crooked, and that flaming red hair was not as hard as you might think. She sits across the room from Bea every year.
This haunted house is my favorite. I love the eyes peeking out everywhere and the spider's web above the front porch.
I have a few new decorations that are waiting to be made for this year. I'd better get to work!
Here's how I made the bag:
With right sides together, sew the two lining pieces together. Be sure to leave about a 4" opening in the center bottom seam (for turning the tote bag after you sew it all together). Turn the lining so the right sides are out.
Place the two outside pieces right sides together and sew completely around the sides and bottom. 
Now iron each edge in so it meets the original center crease.
Finally fold the piece in half (on the original crease line). Top stitch down both the folded and "open" side of the handles. 
Place a handle piece on the right side of the lining. I placed mine about 3 - 3 1/2" in from each side seam. One handle should be on each side of the lining. I just pinned the handles in place, matching the raw edge of the handle pieces with the top of the lining. Push the bulk of the handle down so it won't get caught in the top seam that you are about to sew.
Now with right sides together, put the lining piece (right side out) inside the outside piece (right side in). Line up the two top edges. Sew using a generous seam (1/2") all the way around the top. I reinforced the handle pieces well to give them some strength.
Turn the entire piece right side out using that 4" opening that you left in the bottom of the lining piece. Be sure to poke out all your corners. Close the opening in the bottom of the lining by sewing it closed. Nobody will see this so no fancy hidden stitching needs to be done.
Now push the lining piece back down inside the tote bag. Make sure your bottom and corners between the lining and the outside piece all match up nicely. Iron the top so that everything lies flat and even. Top stitch around the very top of the bag about 1/8 inch from the very top.
You're done. Here is a picture of the inside of the bag showing the pocket. My lining and handle fabric was really just various shades of black - I'm not sure why it looks green in these pictures.
And here is the finished bag. Perfect for carrying a couple of diapers and a package of wipes, or some soccer games snacks and water bottles, or some treats to a Halloween party . . . or whatever. 
