Tag Archives: Haunting of Bly Manor

October Crafts

Merry meet all,

On this cool autumn morning, I took my big wreath and a can of black spray paint to the picnic table. I set the wreath down on the picnic table then painted it black using the spray can. It looks so cool now. I was careful to completely coat the wreath on both sides. Then I left the wreath to dry on my stone step and now it’s on the top of the bookcase. When it is fully dry in twenty-four hours, I will hot glue the black widow spiders, smaller spiders and the skull to the wreath. Note* I put a black plastic garbage bag under the wreath to avoid any stains or the wreath sticking to the bookcase. 

It looks like this now:         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will post a photo when it is done. It will look really cool and spooky!

Tonight I plan to watch The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix. I do love a good ghost story! The wind is blowing hard here. That autumnal chill is in the air. The sky is grey and overcast. It’s October for sure. I plan to enjoy every minute of it. I don’t have to work too hard to decorate my home since it looks Samhain all year long in here. 

Samhain has hit me – well, technically it’s still Mabon, with an urge to be truly creative. I saw down to do sewing today. The wreath, changing my room around, the corn doll, and the desire to paint my furniture black. My only problem with painting is how to keep my kitty from it. I plan to barricade my bedroom, set down the drop cloth and start painting. I plan to do that once I finish the cosplay costume. One thing at a time. 

But today like the other time, something went wrong. That has been my week in a nutshell. The hot water was gone, this and that. Ugh anyway I hope the worst is over. So I will finish the costume once I buy more black thread. But doing one project at a time lets me focus on it more closely. 

Once the black stand the bookcase are painted black and the paint has dried, I want to add Halloween stickers. The black color will make the stickers look more natural. The Halloween skull faces will hopefully look like they are emerging from the bookcase- black paint. I have spider stickers to add too. Again, I promise pictures when I am done. 

I placed photos of my beloved late pets and of my grandfather on my altar today. I lit sage and a candle. I welcomed them to my space. It’s a tradition to acknowledge and honor those who have gone before us at this time. Here is a photo of my festive fall altar:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this time of year! I bought the skull hung above the altar at Spirit Halloween. I wish it was real! 

Tell me about your aspirations, traditions or crafts you do now. That voodoo you do!

Stay spooky!

Spiderwitch

 

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Corn husk doll DIY

Merry meet all,

The Horror Writers Association is hosting its annual blog event, Halloween Haunts this year!! So far the blog post entries have been scarily good to read. I am participating in the blog event. My post will be up on October 11th. I can’t wait! I enjoy being involved in this event!! It is great to read what other like minded horror authors have to say about Halloween! Here is the link: http://horror.org/2020/10/halloween-haunts-barbasol-and-terror/

The leaves are turning, the wind is chillier, and pumpkins grace our decks and yards. It’s that magical time of year! I found two awesome magazines about Witches that I can’t wait to read. The first one is called Witches- Inside their Mysterious World. The magazine features a Witch walking through the woods with her back to the camera. Centennial Entertainment produced the magazine. The second magazine is about Witches too and it was produced by National Geographic. I can’t wait to read them! 

I made a corn doll to represent my gratitude for all the blessings I have received over the year. I’ll tell you how I made the doll so you can make your own. 

Gather together two skewers, Kleenex, rubber bands, a hot glue gun and glue sticks, corn cob husks (dried but not stiff), fabric for the dress, and yarn for the hair. If you want, you can watch a tutorial on youtube on how to make a basic corn doll. Here is how I made mine:

I glued two skewers together to form a T – for the body. I trimmed the skewer I laid across the first skewer. The horizontal skewer formed the arms. The vertical skewer formed the body of the doll. If glue doesn’t hold it together, use duct tape. Then, I used quilt batting to form the head and laid a Kleenex over the batting. I secured the Kleenex over the batting using a rubber band. I pushed that down the skewer till it reached the skewer laying cross ways. Then I layered on the corn husks which I first soaked in warm water. I used a hot glue gun and rubber bands to form the body of the doll. You can also try this cool trick for the hands of the doll. Twist a corn husk in itself then lay it over the doll cross ways. Tie it there with string or a rubber band. Then turn the husk over itself. This should give the look of those lovely billowing puffy sleeves. I trimmed the excess. 

Once you have created the doll to your satisfaction and everything is lying securely, it is time to embellish the doll. I fashioned a witch hat for her. I also had a stash of orange yarn which I used to make her hair. I hot glued the yarn to her whole head to avoid any ‘bald’ spots then glued the witch hat on to her head. It looks so cool! I trimmed the long ends of her hair to keep it even. I bound her in a black tube dress. I stitched on black lace at the collar and pulled her body through. Then I stitched the sides of the tube dress and even stitched on an apron. Her husk arms show but I plan to embellish her hands and add a dress soon. This is my corn doll in the photo below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you like her as much as I do. It was a lot of work to create the doll. She is quite charming. I have yet to name her. 

read://https_nurturestore.co.uk/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnurturestore.co.uk%2Fhow-to-make-a-corn-dolly-craft-for-a-harvest-celebration

The above link shows how you can make your own cork husk doll to celebrate the festive Halloween season. 

Here is the trailer for the most anticipated show on Netflix: (as far as I’m concerned!)

 

October is a magical month. Let’s make a vow to enjoy every moment of it. ! I vow. Do you? October is my favorite color. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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