HECHTRICKS

To celebrate one of my favorite holidays I've come up with a few tricks that are a real treat! My first job after graduating from college was working on a talk show that covered every topic from pound puppy makeovers to dwarf bipolar models (no joke!). On Friday's we switched our focus from hot topics to hot items in our "Friday Buzz" shows which featured interesting products, movies, stars, etc. So, today I thought I'd do my own Friday Buzz with a few things I love from the people I adore.

1.) My friend, Michelle, owns a fabulous Jewelry company in Los Angeles (www.michelleroydesigns.com) and always does something interesting to her holiday decorations. This year she spray painted her pumpkins black and glued jewels to them (you can find inexpensive sparkly numbers at Michael's Craft stores).

2.) My mother loves to carve out mini-pumpkins and fill them with delicious holiday soups to serve at dinner parties.

3.) My best friend, Lora, loves to fill over-sized vases (www.potterybarn.com) with Hershey Kisses and give them as hostess gifts.

4.) Years of reading Martha Stewart Living Magazine has taught me to look at Pumpkins in a different light: I took one large pumpkin and several small pumpkins and turned them into interesting candle holders by carving out just enough to keep the candles straight. Once the candles melted over the evening the wax provided interesting texture, color and made for a dramatic centerpiece.

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Ten Minutes

COST: $3.99 for 5 small pumpkins and box of candles

STRESS LEVEL: Getting Lit on Halloween: LOW