Manifesting Fall: Halloween Ghouls and Pumpkin Spice Monstrosities

Jack-o-lantern and leaves

Have you ever smelled the Halloween costumes and décor shops? The staleness that wafts off polyurethane masks and cheap plastic décor, which is marked up 30% or so from the original manufacturing cost.  It makes acquiring these items almost a cop-out, akin to the surrender of skill. This year, I’ve taken to crafting a fair amount of Halloween and fall décor, depending on the result this yields and my attitude towards the end.  This could be a seasonal activity that I undertake each year during the holidays and celebrations. There is no better way to go about this task than to pair the projects with appropriate holiday books and movies about tales of ghouls, spooks, and specters.

As with most of my projects, the process started with a list of seasonal decor items to make, followed by a subset list of materials and where to procure these items, and then a list of sources to learn the skills needed to produce the desired object.

• Pictures to add to the atmosphere and general vibe of the season.

  • Maybe a few cross-stitch patterns, paintings, or both.

• Throw pillows or Pillow covers and quilts for fall-time coziness.

• Ambience lighting to complete the setting.

• Yard and Tree Props.

• Pumpkins (I eat them in November. The chilling weather seems to allow them to keep until I'm ready to eat them. I start processing as soon as I notice the squirrels and chipmunks start to eat them. It tastes pretty good, and four decent-sized pumpkins will yield a generous amount of pumpkin flesh.)

As grand as the idea was, my skill for my project is modest, if non-existent. ‘The lack of skill’ is always just another way of saying ‘learning opportunity’ (insert evil laughter and crackling).  Research and prep will be my principle for this one. I’ve picked a cross-stitch book for the wall décor. This was a good learning and practice exercise for future projects.  That being said, the backside of my first project was a mess, but three days later, I had completed a cross-stitch pattern.

Next up were two paintings. I ended up drawing a jack-o-lantern and a ghost with a cauldron of soup, which my husband named Spooky Soup. Before drawing, I look at a few reference photos of pumpkins and cartoonish ghosts. After drawing, I realized that I lack paint, but have color mica, pine resin, and glycerin. So, I guess I’m learning to muddle paint.

Spooky Soup

My original idea was six quilts, one for each couch and chair, but I think I’ll end up settling for just making one or two. Quilts are not only costly and time-consuming to piece together. But unfalteringly, I proceed on the first Quilt.

Pillowcases are a nice touch; crochet and knitting would be a mode to complete this part. There are some free patterns on Pinterest. The task involves an endless counting of squares in the patterns. Themes include pumpkins and general fall-time spookiness, as it's a seasonal celebration.

I wanted to add some cornhusk and straw dolls to the tree and maybe make some witches’ brooms. I also toyed with the idea of learning various book-binding techniques for some coffee table tomes. Starting too many projects at once can result in the completion of none, so these may wait on the back burner for next year.

I did have to concede defeat and purchase a few Halloween props for the tree and yard; some were picked up from stores or thrift shops. This was the easy part, but as for the rest, what is craft without challenge?  

Follow with your heart and make a mess,

M.E. Sui