September 23rd is the first day of autumn, but for crafters like me, the fall starts much sooner. September is crunch time for me, and I'm not just talking about those fragrant leaves underfoot. By September, I have to have my autumn and Halloween crafts finished or well on their way to being finished so customers have time to decorate with or gift them before the season is over. I also have to have my inventory ready for the fall festivals that happen across California (squeal!). It's a lot of work, and I often get confused about what time of the year it is as I'm finishing Halloween decorations in June, but I love fall so much that I don't mind.
Because my business is all about the handmade and heartfelt qualities of every item, my offerings each year depend on the supplies I come by. I'm often inspired by the random things I find at reuse shops or the scraps gifted to me from friends and family. This year, I was excited to turn needlework hoops I found at Oakland's White Elephant Sale into autumn wreaths, corks I found at San Francisco's Scrap into tiny bats and Frankenstein monsters I call Frankencorks, Halloween material into plush pumpkins with button stems, and wooden maple leaves into autumn paintings. I'll post a feature on each of these items later.
Autumn and Halloween bring back a lot of happy childhood memories for me, and these memories are in my mind as I handcraft each item. As I make each wreath, witch, bat, Frankencork, and pumpkin, I am playing in a big pile of brightly colored leaves, running from house to house in a penguin costume collecting yummy treasures and making people laugh with my penguin waddle, nearly drowning myself bobbing for apples, and sitting with my family carving pumpkins, covered in beautiful pumpkin gore. I hope the items I've made this year remind my customers of their own fond fall memories, and as they hang or gift what I've made, I hope a little of the magic I feel while crafting passes along with the item and cheers whoever sees it.
I wish you all a happy handmade autumn and Halloween! If you want to shop my fall items in person, come visit my booth at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival this weekend (September 19th and 20th)! If you want to shop online, don't forget to use BLOGPOST as a coupon code and get 10% off in my Etsy Shop! I'll have all my fall items available on Etsy soon!
Because my business is all about the handmade and heartfelt qualities of every item, my offerings each year depend on the supplies I come by. I'm often inspired by the random things I find at reuse shops or the scraps gifted to me from friends and family. This year, I was excited to turn needlework hoops I found at Oakland's White Elephant Sale into autumn wreaths, corks I found at San Francisco's Scrap into tiny bats and Frankenstein monsters I call Frankencorks, Halloween material into plush pumpkins with button stems, and wooden maple leaves into autumn paintings. I'll post a feature on each of these items later.
Autumn and Halloween bring back a lot of happy childhood memories for me, and these memories are in my mind as I handcraft each item. As I make each wreath, witch, bat, Frankencork, and pumpkin, I am playing in a big pile of brightly colored leaves, running from house to house in a penguin costume collecting yummy treasures and making people laugh with my penguin waddle, nearly drowning myself bobbing for apples, and sitting with my family carving pumpkins, covered in beautiful pumpkin gore. I hope the items I've made this year remind my customers of their own fond fall memories, and as they hang or gift what I've made, I hope a little of the magic I feel while crafting passes along with the item and cheers whoever sees it.
I wish you all a happy handmade autumn and Halloween! If you want to shop my fall items in person, come visit my booth at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival this weekend (September 19th and 20th)! If you want to shop online, don't forget to use BLOGPOST as a coupon code and get 10% off in my Etsy Shop! I'll have all my fall items available on Etsy soon!
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