This year in January, I decided to add some additional crafty activities to my creative endeavors. I began with a snow-person wreath in January and went on to include my late Summer one with lemons. The dream catcher and patriotic star were made last year and are still wonderful additions to the door decorating rotation.
As the calendar turned to October, the lemons were “aging out“. I wanted a spooky themed wreath but wasn’t sure in which direction I was going to move. In my previous post, I shared the mini skull crochet pattern from @HiruHandmade that I had found, and as I crocheted these, my wreath idea started to come together.
I found an old Halloween costume (ghost) that I had made for my youngest when he was 2 years old (he’s almost 40 now) and used it for the “bandage-like ribbon” on the wreath. The idea of using multi-colored skulls came to me as I was crocheting them, and I used “stash yarn” for these. They were made using Michael’s Impeccable acrylic yarn. I’ve used this yarn for other projects, such as these granny square drawstring bags.
Barriers to holiday crafting
The challenge around holiday crafting almost always comes down to TIME. Our lives are busy, and the calendar pages seem to turn quicker than we’re expecting. We have the BEST intentions, and then “life happens“.
As I noted back in January, I fully intended to make a Valentine’s Day wreath for February after so thoroughly enjoying my Winter/Snow-person wreath. Unfortunately, the next wreath I ended up making was the one with lemons, pictured in the montage above. That didn’t go up until late August, so older decorations filled in the months between.
I was DETERMINED to get a spooky wreath made and hung and am proud that I met that goal before the middle of the month. I’d like to plan for both a Thanksgiving wreath as well as a Santa one, but we’ll see how my plans and life activities end up cooperating.
Still, it is important that our crafting activities and time remain positive and supportive. So I will not engage in self-flagellation around not getting the other wreaths done this year. I will accept that sometimes life takes an unexpected turn, appreciate the older wreaths I had to use, and feel gratitude for the inspiration – and the time – I found to make this Halloween wreath.
Fiber arts are well-documented as supportive activities, but we must take care not to saddle ourselves with unrealistic and unnecessary expectations. I am getting better about practicing acceptance of the time issue, as well as embracing my own unique style. My wreath doesn’t look like the wreaths being modeled on social media, and that’s OK. It’s my unique interpretation of a Halloween wreath, and I like it (and that’s all that matters).
As we move closer to the holidays, let’s all make a promise to ourselves that we’ll be gentle in our judgment of others – and of ourselves. We’re all doing the best that we can.
Here’s to a fun, enjoyable, and peaceful holiday crafting season!
(C) 2026 Stitch ‘n Dish