🍂 From Pretty Pumpkins to Spooky Nights - Fall Crafts

🍂 Fall Has Arrived in My Craft Room!

I have a confession. I am not ready to give up summer. 😂
You all know me ... give me sunshine, warm weather and a cold drink on the patio and I will happily pretend summer lasts forever.
But apparently my craft room did not get that memo. Because the minute September arrives and I start seeing pumpkins, sunflowers, rich autumn colors, cute little ghosts and Halloween goodies, something happens.
Suddenly I want to make ALL THE THINGS. 🎃✂️🍂
And Stampin’ Up! is certainly not helping my self-control this year! There are so many fun products available for fall and Halloween - from Designer Series Paper and coordinating suites to complete kits and home décor projects - that I thought it would be fun to gather some of my favorites together in one place.
Whether you love cute and spooky, warm and autumnal, or simply want an easy project you can sit down and enjoy, there’s a little something for everyone.
So grab your coffee, pull up a chair and come see what has caught my eye!

👻 For the Halloween Crafters: Frightfully Fun

Let's start on the spooky side of the craft table. If you love traditional Halloween colors and imagery, Frightfully Fun certainly understood the assignment.
The Designer Series Paper is filled with ghosts, cats, bats, spiderwebs, bare trees and plenty of orange, black, gray and white. But what I really like is that not every pattern screams HALLOWEEN.
There are coordinating stripes, stars, swirls and other patterns mixed in, which makes the paper much more versatile when you're putting projects together.
Use the bolder patterns as the star of your project, then bring in some of those quieter coordinating designs for backgrounds and layers.
What could you make with it? Ohhhh, where do we start? 😂
Halloween cards, scrapbook pages, treat holders, gift tags, party decorations, little boxes for the grandkids ...
And this is exactly why I love Designer Series Paper. It does so much of the work for you.
Start with a great pattern, add a sentiment and a few embellishments, and suddenly you've made something that looks like you spent three hours creating it. We do not need to tell anyone otherwise. 😉

Frightfully Fun DSP - 12"x12" patterned paper; product number 168168

🦇 Want the Whole Coordinated Look? Check Out the Frightfully Fun Suite

This is where Stampin' Up! really gets me. I love when things coordinate. Give me stamps that work with dies that work with paper that works with embellishments and I am one happy crafter.
The Frightfully Fun Suite lets you build an entire Halloween project around coordinating elements instead of standing in your craft room holding six different papers together and asking: “Do these oranges match?” 😂
You can make projects as simple or elaborate as you'd like. If you're a newer crafter, let the coordinating products do much of the designing for you. If you've been crafting forever and have accumulated enough supplies to open your own small craft store (ahem) start mixing the suite with things already in your stash. That's half the fun.

Frightfully Fun Suite - comes with everything shown; product number 168183

Frightfully Fun Suite - sample projects

🏚️ Haunted Home: A Kit That Becomes Halloween Décor

Okay, now THIS is fun. The Haunted Home Kit isn't simply another card project. You're actually creating a three-dimensional haunted house! And just look at the details.
Dark rooftops, distressed walls, glowing-looking windows, bats, a ghost, pumpkins, a black cat, fencing and even that wonderfully creepy bare tree.
This is one of those projects where the crafting is only half the fun, because when you're finished ... you get to decorate with it!
Put it on a mantel. Add it to an entryway display. Set it on a shelf with some pumpkins and Halloween decorations. Create an entire little spooky village around it. Then when somebody compliments it, you get to casually say: “Oh, that? I made that.” You may act humble while saying it. Or not. I support both choices. 😂
I also think a project like this would be fun to pull back out year after year. Instead of simply buying another Halloween decoration, you've made something yourself - and that makes it a little more special.

 

Haunted Home Kit - completed

Haunted Home Kit contents; product number 164376

🧙‍♀️ Witchy Whimsy: Halloween With a Little Crafty Flair

If haunted houses aren't your thing, how about a witch hat?
The Witchy Whimsy Hat Kit project is such a fun departure from traditional card making. You're creating an embellished witch hat filled with texture and Halloween details - spiderwebs, flowers, stars, a black cat and lots of layers.
It's spooky ... but it's cute spooky. And cute spooky is absolutely a category. I have declared it so. 😂
I could see this sitting on a shelf in a craft room, tucked into a Halloween display, or becoming the centerpiece of a little Halloween vignette.
Projects like this are also a great reminder that paper crafting doesn't have to mean making cards. Paper, stamps, embellishments and our other crafting supplies can become decorations, gifts, keepsakes and all kinds of things. Sometimes it's fun to make something completely different.

The Witchy Whimsy Hat Kit - completed

The Witchy Whimsy Hat Kit contents; product number 168672

🍬 Sweet & Spooky: Because Halloween Treats Need Cute Packaging

If you're someone who likes handing out little Halloween goodies, Sweet & Spooky Kit might be calling your name. Look at those treat packages!
Ghosts, pumpkins, bats, stars and cute little Halloween sayings like “Trick or Treat,” “Eek!” and “Hey Boo.” They're adorable without being scary, which makes them great for kids.
You could make them for grandchildren, classmates, neighbors, coworkers, teachers, a Halloween party or those extra-special trick-or-treaters. And yes, adults are absolutely allowed to receive Halloween treats. Again, I checked. 😂
What I especially like about a kit for something like this is the convenience. You don't have to design the packaging from scratch. You don't have to figure out dimensions. You don't have to search through your supplies trying to find coordinating pieces.
The hard part has already been done. You get to do the fun part - putting everything together.
This would also be a great project to make with children or grandchildren. Although if candy is involved during the crafting session, I cannot guarantee how much will actually make it into the finished packages. Proceed accordingly. 😂

Sweet & Spooky Kit completed

Sweet & Spooky Kit contents; product number 166229

🌻 Okay, But What If Halloween Isn't Your Thing?

Maybe you looked at the ghosts and bats and thought: Nope. Give me pretty fall. I've got you.
Because Stampin' Up! has plenty of autumn crafting inspiration that doesn't involve a single spiderweb.
Think sunflowers, pumpkins, leaves, florals, gourds and warm seasonal colors.
And these products can often carry you well beyond one holiday.

🌻 Sunflower Fields: Happy Fall Crafting

There is just something about sunflowers that makes me happy. They're cheerful enough for summer but transition beautifully into fall, which makes Sunflower Fields Suite especially versatile.
The gorgeous sunflower imagery works alongside warm autumn colors and coordinating patterns that could be used for so much more than one seasonal project. Think:
Birthday cards, friendship cards, thank-you cards, thinking-of-you cards, scrapbook pages, gift packaging and, of course, fall projects.
That's something I always consider when I'm looking at crafting products: How many different ways can I use this? If I can look at a suite and immediately imagine projects for several different occasions, that's a big plus for me. And sunflowers? Those are definitely not limited to one month on the calendar.

Sunflower Fields Suite contents; product number 168365

Sunflower Fields Suite sample projects

🎃 Painted Harvest Designer Series Paper: Autumn Without the Spooky

Now THIS is fall. The Painted Harvest Designer Series Paper gives you pumpkins, gourds, leaves, acorns, checks, stripes and lots of beautiful seasonal patterns.
What I especially love about collections like this is the variety. You've got those gorgeous larger patterns that can become the focal point of a project, along with smaller coordinating designs that are perfect for backgrounds, layers and accents.
You don't need an incredibly complicated card layout when your paper is this pretty. In fact, sometimes simple is better.
Cut the Designer Series Paper.
Layer it onto coordinating cardstock.
Add a sentiment.
Maybe add some ribbon or a couple of embellishments.
Done.
And because all those patterns coordinate, you could sit down for an afternoon and make an entire stack of fall cards without making the same card twice. That is my kind of productive crafting session. Preferably with coffee nearby.

Painted Harvest DSP - 12"x12" patterned paper; product number 168430

🌸 Floral Promenade: Because Fall Doesn't Have to Be Orange

Here's another one I wanted to include because I think we sometimes get stuck thinking that fall crafting has to be orange, brown, yellow and dark green. It doesn't.
The Floral Promenade Kit has a beautiful watercolor look with soft pinks, purple, yellow and green paired with natural kraft tones. And yes ... I spotted the purple immediately. You expected nothing less from me. 💜😂
The finished cards are beautiful for those times when you want someone to know they're loved, you're thinking about them or you simply want to send a little kindness through the mail.
And this brings me to something I've talked about before ...

Floral Promenade Kit completed

Floral Promenade Kit contents; product number 168673

✂️ I Really Do Love Stampin' Up! Kits

I recently wrote an entire blog post about Stampin' Up! kits because I think they're one of the easiest ways to enjoy paper crafting. And I don't mean they're only for beginners.
They're wonderful for beginners, but they're also great for experienced crafters who occasionally want someone else to do the planning. 😂
Kits are especially nice if you:
✔️ Are completely new to paper crafting
✔️ Don't own a lot of crafting supplies
✔️ Want something portable
✔️ Like having everything coordinated for you
✔️ Don't want to spend an hour deciding what to make
✔️ Want an easy crafting afternoon
✔️ Need a gift for someone creative
✔️ Want a project to do with friends or family
✔️ Simply want to sit down and CREATE

I love having all my stamps, inks, papers, dies and other supplies around me when I'm creating. But sometimes? I don't want to think that hard. 😂
Sometimes I want to open a box, spread everything across the table, make something pretty and enjoy myself.
There's absolutely room in the craft world for both.

Read my complete blog post about Stampin' Up! Kits HERE

🍂 Which Kind of Fall Crafter Are You?

After looking through all of these goodies, I have determined that fall crafters apparently fall into several categories.
🎃 Put Pumpkins on Everything
👻 Cute & Spooky, Please
🏚️ Give Me the Haunted House
🧙‍♀️ Whimsical Halloween
🌻 Sunflowers & Pretty Leaves
🌸 I'll Take Florals Over Ghosts
✂️ Just Give Me the Craft Supplies and Nobody Gets Hurt
And then there's me ... I'll take a little from each category. 😂

 

💜 A Little Note From Me

Before you go, I want to say something that I probably don't say often enough.
I've been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for many years because I genuinely love paper crafting.
I love making cards.
I love pretty paper.
I love opening a new box of supplies.
I love sitting down with an idea and watching it turn into something I can actually hold in my hands.
And I especially love that something I've made can eventually end up in someone else's mailbox and brighten their day.
That's why I share Stampin' Up! products with you.
I'm never interested in turning every post into “BUY THIS! BUY THAT!” That's just not me.
But I also don't want to forget to tell you that yes, you can shop these products through me - and when you do, you're supporting my small Stampin' Up! business.
And I appreciate that very much. 💜
If you see something here that catches your eye but you aren't sure what you need, please ask me.
If you're a beginner and have absolutely no idea where to start, ask me.
If you're deciding between two products, ask me.
If you have a pile of supplies already and want to know what new product would work with them ...
Definitely ask me.
I would much rather help you choose something you're actually going to use and enjoy than convince you that you need something simply because it's available.
Because ultimately, that's what all of this is supposed to be about.
Making something. Having fun. And finding a little creativity in your day.

 

🎃 One Last Question...

You've just been given an imaginary shopping basket. You may choose ONE:
👻 Frightfully Fun
🏚️ Haunted Home
🧙‍♀️ Witchy Whimsy
🍬 Sweet & Spooky
🌻 Sunflower Fields
🎃 Painted Harvest
🌸 Floral Promenade
What are you putting in your basket first? And yes, I said one. No, I don't particularly like that rule either. 😂

Happy Fall & Happy Crafting! 🍂✂️💜

until next time,

xoxo
~ Dawn

shopping link: CLICK