Inspiration Monday: Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is a time when adults get to be kids again and kids get to become their favorite heroes for a day. It is a time of merriment, laughter, and dreaming. The world is transformed and suddenly the scary is wonderful and the odd is celebrated. 

Most historians conclude that what we today call Halloween started as an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. During Samhain, villagers would wear costumes and light fires to scare off ghosts. Pope Gregory III in the eighth century declared that November 1st was All Saints Day and he incorporated many of the traditions of Samhain into this holiday. However, All Saints Day was not to ward off ghosts but instead meant to celebrate saints and martyrs. The actual name "Halloween" did not pop up until the 16th century and was a Scottish variation on All-Hallows-Even - meaning the night before All Hallows Day (also meaning All Saints Day). Our traditional ideas of Halloween with children trick-or-treating and candy are all modern conventions - coming about in the late 19th and early 20th century. 

Are you dressing up this year, or helping make a costume for a friend or loved one? If you are, one of the easiest ways to instantly make it "pop" is to add some fabulous accessories. We have created a couple of "costume" inspired designs to spark your creativity. This first set is based upon the character of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland:

Here is a fantastic necklace titled "Spider Queen" and would look great on a witch, gothic gal, or vampire this Halloween: 

If you're not dressing up this Halloween but want to show some festive spirit, try out one of these fun designs: 

You can find all the project instructions and ingredients for these spooky creations on our Free Beading Projects page. 


Have a happy and safe Halloween!