Happy (early) Halloween!

We are officially 1 day away from All Hallows Eve! I'm planning a fun night in on Tuesday with some spooky classics like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "Hocus Pocus!" We don't normally get trick-or-treaters at the apartment, but I still wanted to get into the Halloween spirit so created some cute gift bags and stuffed them with treats for the 31st.

They're made from solid and metallic papers using scissors, an exacto blade, ribbon and a glue gun. I like to start my designs as illustrations on paper and trace them on a light box for the most accurate match to my original drawings. They make the perfect party favors for any Halloween festivities and are going to add a special touch to our not-so-scary flick night!

What are your favorite Halloween movies? I'm not usually one to stomach horror films, but I'm open to suggestions! Who knows...maybe this year I'll be feeling adventurous!

8 Days and Counting...

Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays since I was very little. It began with my mom hand-sewing all of my outrageous costume requests (one year I wanted to be a peacock) and now, as an adult, my seasonal enthusiasm has become personified in pumpkin spice lattes (no matter how cliche) and festive illustrations!

From it's classic color scheme to its cute witchy motif, this design was created to embody my childhood fascination with Halloween! I hope it brings you a comforting sense of nostalgia, or adds some seasonal flair to your upcoming holiday this year!

Do you have Halloween plans next week, or fun traditions to share? I know I'll be waiting up for the Great Pumpkin and crafting up a storm!

*If you haven't seen It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, please add it to your October movie list! It's a must-see!

Spellbinding - Behind the Scenes of a collection

I am so thrilled to finally be in October! Autumn progressing into winter is my favorite time of year. But living in Florida, I miss seeing the leaves turn color along with any practical need for cute winter boots. Since my hot, humid Sunshine state environment won't necessarily tell me it's fall, it's up to me to embrace the upcoming holidays not just with Pumpkin scented candles and seasonal books to read, but of course, with artistic gusto!

I knew I desperately wanted to design a Halloween pattern collection. Though I admittedly love the traditional black and orange colors that accompany the season, I chose to progress in a more earthy direction. My starting inspiration was the idea of wild crafting, which is the act of gathering herbs and plants directly from nature. Then, I looked at potion cabinets and imagined what bottles I'd find therein. What ingredients would be lining the shelves? I also thought about witch familiars or spirit animals that may be crawling, flying or slinked their way around a magical altar room. After all this brainstorming, the inevitable result was my "Spellbinding" collection.

(Below, you will find my thought process and early concepts from my sketchbook.)

(Discarded colorways and patterns before final revisions)

My goal was to create a collection that was stylish, beautiful and haunting. There ended up being a lot of art nouveau influence in these designs, which was a pleasant, unexpected surprise. I felt the swirls and organic shapes of this style complemented the nature aspect of my theme and added to the vintage overtone of this collection. May these designs inspire your autumn season and jumpstart your enthusiasm for the upcoming "witchy" holiday.