hCarve out your niche with 'Great Pumpkins'

hCarve out your nichewith 'Great Pumpkins'
The old familiar jack-o'-lantern has competition. Sculptor Peter Cole is raising pumpkin carving to folk-art standing with his book "Great Pumpkins: Crafty Carving for Halloween."
The book provides instructions for turning pumpkins, gourds and even potatoes into Halloween decorations that are spooky, artistic or just plain fun. His designs include such standard fright-night themes as a haunted house and a witch; designs inspired by the Mona Lisa, Picasso's portraits and Edvard Munch's "The Scream"; and even a likeness of Elvis in his hip-gyrating heyday.
Included is information to help you through the process, from picking the perfect pumpkin to keeping the mess in check. The book's pages are plastic-coated to protect them from pumpkin gunk, and they lie flat so you can follow the directions while you work.
"Great Pumpkins" is published by Chronicle Books and priced at $14.95.
Mr. Clean Magic Eraserrubs out household dirt
A new product from Mr. Clean lets you erase such problems as crayon marks and scuffs the same way you rub out a stray pencil mark.
The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is a cleaning pad that's designed to get into tiny surface textures to remove the dirt. It can be used on surfaces such as walls, floors, appliances, tubs and sinks, but it's not recommended for polished or glossy surfaces or finishes that are brushed, satin or dark.
Among its uses are removing soap scum from bathroom surfaces, crayon and scuff marks from walls and floors and fingerprints from around doorknobs and refrigerator handles.
The product just needs to be wet with water, squeezed out and rubbed on the surface. Like a pencil eraser, it can be reused until it wears away.
The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will be available this fall at supermarkets, drugstores, mass merchandisers and convenience stores.
Suggested retail prices are $2.19 for a package of two and $4.19 for a package of four.