Daily (often multiple times) for weeks now, I have been checking to see if Bloglovin’ was back up again this month. As of the time of writing, it still is not.

Prior to adopting Bloglovin, which is a free service with no cap (that I am aware) on the number of sites users can follow, I used Google’s feed reader.

This was a terrific feed reader and I would still likely be utilizing it were it not for the fact that Google shut it down ages ago now (despite impassioned pleas from users for them to keep it alive).

There are certainly other feed readers beyond Bloglovin’ out there. However, the majority of them only allow you to have a relatively small number of blogs that you can follow for free with their service (25 – 100 tends to be the norm across freemium feed reader providers).

Beyond that cap, they want to charge you to upgrade in order for you to be able to follow a greater number of sites. Such costs are typically applied monthly, quarterly, or annually.

Ideally, I would prefer not to have to pay for a feed reader. That said, if Bloglovin’ continues to be down for long periods (or never returns altogether), I will have to come up with some sort of alternate solution here – be it free or paid.

As will, no doubt, many others who have stuck with the Bloglovin’ platform over the years – even after its mid to early 2010s heyday.

To add insult to injury, not only is the feed element of Bloglovin’ down, but the very same error message (in the screenshot above) appears when I click over to the page that normally shows me the extensive list of blogs that I follow.

Nooooooo!!!

Therefore, if I cannot gain access to that list (which I do not have recorded anywhere else), I will need to refollow those of you who comment here through whatever alternative to Bloglovin’ that I end up going with.

I am hoping that things don’t come to me having to abandon Bloglovin’, but by the same token, missing out on commenting on many of your sites in recent weeks is not something I want to continue experiencing all summer (or longer!) by any means.

If I am a regular or even semi-regular commenter on your blog, could you please leave me a comment below with your site’s URL so that I can start composing a new list of my regular blog reads to use if/when I do have to switch to a different feedreader? (Thank you very much in advance!)

And by the same token, I know that a fair number of you follow this site via Bloglovin’. So that we don’t risk losing touch, please feel free to sign up for my newsletter (located on the upper right-hand sidebar of this site).

At present, this simply emails each new post I publish on Witchcrafted Life to your inbox, so you won’t be inundated with actual newsletters (though, one day, I may start sending the occasional one out) and will still be able to follow along here if you are not planning to decamp to a different feedreader yourself.

As well, if you happen to use or know of any reliable, enjoyable feedreaders that are either free or very well-priced, likewise please share it/them in the comments below.

(I will be investing a number of Bloglovin’ alternatives featured in this post on the subject, but would love to hear more about your faves and recommendations, too!)

And, as you likely deduced after reading the above paragraphs, this is the sole reason why I have not been leaving blog comments on many of your sites over the past 3 – 4 weeks. I am very sorry about that, everyone, and really hope to get this issue sorted out ASAP!

Now, on with our latest edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me.

In Leo Tolstoy’s renowned classic, Anna Karenina, he penned the line, “spring is the time of plans and projects.”

This is a sentiment that I very much agree with. However, I do feel that it usually rings even truer for me during the fall.

After all, they don’t call Samhain / Halloween the Witch’s New Year for nothing! And what new year would be complete without a few new hopes and ambitions?

As winter waned and the first telltale signs of spring returned – despite the ever-worsening state of my physical health (I do not have any positive updates to report there, unfortunately, and so will say no more on the topic for the time being) – I was suddenly struck with one of the biggest waves of creativity that I have ever experienced.

It struck me like a bolt of lightning sent down by my muse and, I am very happy to say, is still going strong.

I have been floating on a crafty cloud nine all spring long and have jotted down literally hundreds of possible project ideas over the past few weeks.

This has been a joyous state to experience and one that is doing wonders in the process for my mental health, which is a terrific added bonus.

Periods don’t like this don’t come along every day for a lot of us and I am trying to soak up and be grateful for every second of amped-up creativity.

Weather wise, despite the fact that snow stopped falling in our neighbourhood a touch earlier than most years (late March vs the usual some point in April), we had next to no proper spring this time around.

Cool weather tinted in shades of worn pavement and faded blue flannel filled the bulk of our days. Enough rain to have one wondering if Amazon sells ark kits torpedoed itself at the ground for days – sometimes even weeks – very nearly on end.

Now, to be fair, I rather adore cool, grey weather and share Wednesday Addams’ sentiment that it is, “so nice and gloomy”.

Yes, I am one of those souls who tends to find damp weather, mild temps, and the need for multiple layers well into June to be an enjoyable experience.

That said, I am not averse to sunshine and can scarcely wrap my head around the fact that with the Summer Solstice/Litha having come and gone for another year, the days will now grow shorter until winter’s rebirth at Yule.

I don’t know if I would personally go so far as to say that I feel seasonally shortchanged, but I am definitely looking at my receipt very closely as I exit the weather store.

To my mind, the best positive to experiencing a far damper and cooler spring than usual is that it has done wonders to keep the annual horrific wildfire season that consumes (quite literally) much of BC in its fiery bite each spring/summer/early fall largely at bay.

So long as I live, I doubt I will ever forget the incredibly vivid red and orange coloured skies of last year’s forest fire season, as we spent days on end hosing down our house and yard to try and keep any live embers in the air from igniting our property.

(See this post of mine for unedited photos of exactly what I am talking about.)

All the while, sitting for about a month on evacuation alert, our most important documents, electronic devices, and a few treasured items neatly piled near the front door to grab at a moment’s notice had an evacuation come in.

Mercifully, that did not happen. Nor was our home or yard damaged by the huge blazes that roared loudly mere kilometres away.

However, the record-shattering heatwaves last year did do damage to some of the lofty evergreens in our backyard, with a decent smattering of their branches still bleached a distinctly rusty brown hue.

This spring was unquestionably a nippier than usual one, but that does not necessarily guarantee that we will be in for a gentle next three months.

Few things can turn more quickly on a dime than Mother Nature’s mood and it is anyone’s guess as to where the temps, total hours of sunshine, and wildfire levels will each land when all is said and done for another summer.

In the introduction to the Winter 2022 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me, I made the war in Ukraine the focus of those initial paragraphs.

Though I was hoping beyond measure that come the next edition of MCM&M, his horrific conflict would be over, the realist in me knew that such was, objectively, quite unlikely.

And as we surely all know, this devastating sham (on Russia’s part) of a war still rages on fiercely. Its end even less certain than the outcome of a whole season’s weather report.

Though media coverage (as it is apt to do) has let up a bit regarding this bloody conflict, I continue to follow credible news sources very closely regarding the war in Ukraine and have every intention of doing so for as long as the fighting continues.

Far closer to home, this spring has not been without its fair share of serious happenings as well.

As some of you may recall for the spring edition of this series, my sister came down with Covid in the winter. Thankfully, she did not require hospitalization and was gradually able to recover. However, no sooner had she started to feel a bit more like her usual self again than she contracted this terrible illness for a second time.

Very luckily, it was milder for her than the first experience and she is once again on the road to recovery.

Still, it is almost unbelievable that she fell ill with Covid twice in such a short time frame. Though no doubt her immune system was weakened by the first bout (as surely just about anyone’s would be) and that made her more susceptible to contracting this virus a second time.

Again, while my sister is doing fairly well at this point all things considered, sadly, I cannot say the same for my paternal grandfather.

Earlier this month, completely out of the blue, he suffered two very serious strokes in rapid succession. Tests quickly revealed a blood clot in his brain which is too large to safely be operated on and so will need to be managed through medication.

Right now, his medical team is optimistically saying that in time, with PT, meds, and so forth, he may be able to regain about 70 – 80% of his pre-stroke abilities and motor skills.

Naturally, everyone in our circle is hoping and praying for that to ultimately prove to be the case, but it is far too early on at this stage to know for sure.

He and my grandma are both in their early eighties and have been married since the 1950s. They have weathered their fair share of serious health issues over the decades, but this is definitely the very worst medical situation to strike either of them so far.

I worry not only for my grandpa himself but also for my grandma and know this will, understandably, take a very serious toll on her.

Everyone who can is rallying around them and trying to help in any way possible.

Given that once a person has one stroke (let alone two), your odds of experiencing another one are quite decent, I don’t think any of us will ever feel like my grandpa will be safely out of the proverbial woods on this front.

Hopefully, though, he will be able to make a sizable recovery and continue to be active and enjoy life (including gardening, which is one of his biggest passions) for a long time still to come.

There is scarcely any good way to segue out of such a heavy topic, so instead of switching subjects again in this intro section, let us proceed with the Spring 2022 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me.

Which, for those of you who are joining this series for the first time, is a link love post featuring online content that caught my eye during the past three months, coupled with a peek into what has been transpiring lately in my own life.

Magick, Witchcraft, Paganism, and Spirituality

–How to Make Your Own Scrying Mirror: Scrying is one of my favourite forms of divination and ways to enter into a meditative state of mind alike.

Should you wish to try your hand at scrying or are already a fan who is looking to add a new scrying mirror to your spiritual toolbox, this lovely, easy-to-follow DIY scrying mirror tutorial from Moody Moons has you covered.

–How to Write Powerful Poetry Spells: Long one of my very favourite ways to utilize the written word in my spellwork, magickal poetry is a powerful, expressive, and deeply personal approach to creating spells that anyone – whether they consider themselves a poet already or not – can engage in freely.

This eloquent and insightful look at the subject is bound to have you reaching for the nearest quill and paper.

–Signs a Deity is Calling You: Not all witches/Wiccans/Pagans believe in and/or work with deities, but a decent percentage currently do or would like to integrate this element into their practice.

If you have ever wondered about how to know if/when a goddess (though the general premises laid out in this post apply to the gods as well) may be reaching out to you, this wonderfully in-depth look at the topic has got your back!

–Ten Reasons Tarot Is Super Effective and How To Make It Work For You: Over the past decade or so, I have enjoyed witnessing tarot (and oracle) cards skyrocket all the more in popularity. While, perhaps not surprising then, at the same time the general public is gradually becoming more aware of what tarot actually is (a powerful tool for insight, growth, guidance, and divination) and what it isn’t (a magical fairy tale type of way to instantly know the future).

In this post on the official Llewellyn website, author Sasha Graham guides tarot newbies through some of the wonderful perks of working with this much-beloved tool. And, by extension, reminds seasoned card slingers of some of the reasons why we are such devoted fans of this awesome item.  

–Threshold Magick for Troubled Times: A supportive and thoroughly apropos – given all the immense problems that are rife in the world these days – look at a great form of magick that can easily be utilized by just about anyone who has access to a (safe) threshold.

–The Secret Names of Magical Herbs and Plants: This enjoyable piece delves into the subject of why, historically, certain plants + herbs were known by alternative folk/magical names and how both those who may still need to conceal their practice today (as well as others who are out of the broom closet) can utilize these old school monikers for some of the world’s most magical green offerings.

–Witchy Apps to Keep on Your Phone: Truth be told, outside of a select few, I have never been the biggest of app users (or, for that matter, cell phone users, point-blank). However, there are a handful of apps that I adore and I am always open to adding more entries to that list.

Penned last October, this handy post from the blog #Lazy is a terrific roundup of some of the best and most relevant phone apps for those who veer in a witchy/Pagan/contemporary spirituality direct.

To no one’s surprise, I’m sure, given that I am a Cancer, the Moon app in particular nabbed my eye. Which one leaps out at you the most?

Cardmaking, Scrapbooking, Paper Crafting, and Other Crafts

–Altered Vintage Bottle Tutorial: As of late, I have felt a strong pull towards making altered items. While not new to the act, I haven’t created too many of them in recent years and (much as with pocket letters) have been missing doing so.

Having recently read Anna-Karin’s tutorial post for how to make a vintage-inspired altered bottle, I am chomping at the bit all the more to hopefully make some “off the page” papercrafting/mixed media project this year.

If you are as well, swing on by her post and lap up the creative gorgeousness at work there.

–DIY Farmhouse Candle Holders: It is safe to say that contemporary farmhouse décor had taken off like wildfire in recent years and that it is a trend which is fast becoming all the more of a classic in its own right.

Though my personal décor tastes don’t veer too much in that direction, I admire the style and find that smaller farmhouse-y pieces can often be a cinch to weave into a wide array of home decorating styles.

The selection that Andrea rounded up in this post is inspiring – especially since there is no stopping one from following the general premise but putting their own creative décor spin on these great DIY candleholders.

–Easy Repurposed Antique Chair Spindle Wind Chimes: Like many a crafty/artistic soul, I tend to be drawn towards finding ways to reuse, repurpose, or otherwise find uses for items of all sorts that still have life left in them.

By far one of the most ingenious projects of this nature that I have hit upon in recent months is this super creative approach to turning old chair legs into beautiful wind chimes. B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T!!!

–How to Make Beautiful Tissue Paper Pompoms: Beautiful is an understatement! These generously sized DIY tissue paper pompoms are flat-out gorgeous – while also being relatively easy to make.

You could whip up a few for year-round décor, create sets to cycle throughout each holiday season, use them for parties and weddings, or gift a bouquet’s worth of tissue paper pompoms to someone special in your life.

(On the same blog, Crissy’s beginner’s tutorial on How to Make Fabric Covered Flowerpots also leapt out at me.)

–How to Make Affordable Scrapbook Paper Wall Art: Though this post is currently eleven years old, the idea – turning beautiful pieces of scrapbooking paper into wall art – is no less at home in today’s DIY décor arena than it was in the 2010s.

–How to Make Paper Bead Jewelry: Much as with dried pasta, in our childhoods a fair number of us whipped up creative jewelry that involved making paper beads.

This resourceful type of DIY bead tends to cycle in and out of vogue a bit but has remained popular amongst plenty of crafters and jewelry wearers alike – especially when you end result is as lovely as the examples Amy shares in this great tutorial post.

–101 (free) Fall Sewing Tutorials: Much like the staff at many magazines, crafters often work on projects months in advance of a particular season.

With that thought in mind – and being a lover of all things autumn related – given that fall’s return is a mere three months away, I wanted to share this wonderful roundup post which features 101 different free autumn sewing tutorials for the sewers amongst my readers.

What’s Shaking in My Life and On My Radar

Having covered some of the heavier things that occurred in our lives this spring in the opening portion of this post, I will switch to more upbeat fare instead.

As mentioned above, my creativity has been going a mile a minute lately! And while my health does not allow me to keep pace with all of my crafty ideas, I have still managed to get in some paper crafting this season with (very realistic) plans for more as summer unfolds.

In addition, I have deep-dived again into another craft that I have adored and participated in since I was about 5 or 6 years old: cross stitching.

I love, love, love cross-stitching!!!

For me, it is relaxing, super enjoyable, and conveys a sense of the time-honoured tradition of needlework that has been an important part of countless peoples’ lives over the centuries.

Much as with the rest of my craft supplies and finished projects, the arson fire that we experienced in October 2016 annihilated my cross stitch stash and what was, up until that point, very nearly a lifetime’s worth of work. Dozens of projects spanning my childhood to my early 30s were gone in the blink of an eye.

And, though in hindsight I have no clue why I didn’t do so (perhaps because I started stitching many years before digital cameras hit the mainstream market? ), I had never taken photographs of them. Therefore, the only place they live on now is in my memories.

Life might knock me down, but I always spring back again and that sentiment applies to the majority of my long-standing passion as well.

Though I have done a small bit of cross stitching in the ensuing post-fire years, the bulk of my crafting attention has, objectively, been devoted to paper crafting. Rest assured that I do not see that changing anytime soon.

However, it can be a lot of fun to alternate between two or more different craft pursuits (which in this case, can sometimes even overlap – such with handmade cards that feature small cross stitch designs on them or stamp sets that mimic the classic Xs we all associate with cross stitchery) and I love that this recent surge of creativity has led me to connect with cross stitching again all the more.

Now, as a crafty witch operating on a very tight budget, I have been happily trawling the web for free and low-cost patterns that align with my current tastes in cross stitch designs.

Having hit upon a number of great sources (which I am thinking would make for a fun post here unto itself) and with some aida cloth and embroidery floss that I picked up a few years back, I now have a couple of fun new WIPs (works in progress) on the go.

I have also been binge-watching the cross stitchery side of YouTube as of late, where many who post about this passion tag their videos with the charming word “Flosstube”.

Doing so allows others with an interest in the subject to search for this term and be greeted with more video choices than there are colours in DMC’s current colour palette.

In time, as I have hopefully completed more projects, I plan to share some of them here with you – especially since I know that there are plenty of fellow cross stitchers amongst this blog’s readership.

In other news, this Friday was my little brother’s birthday (though as he is currently living outside of the country, it is not possible to celebrate it in person with him). A mere sixteen days from now, my own (GF) cake day will return.

Yep, we are both Cancers. Though being fairly close to on the cusp, I feel that he actually embodies a lot of Gemini characteristics.

Then, twenty-six days beyond that point, my sweet hubby will get to blow out his own set of candles.

The three of us are pretty much the only summer birthdays in our immediate family, which is a lovely point to share in common.

Fun, related fact: Hand on my heart, I was conceived on Halloween 1983.

Really, is it any wonder then that I would grow up to live a life where I #MakeHalloween365 and celebrate my most beloved (and spiritually significant) point on the calendar the whole year through?

And speaking of All Hallows’ Eve, from the day after my birthday onward, I gear up for spooky season all the more. Pretty much viewing July 11^th to October 30^th as one long, fabulously exciting countdown to the BIG DAY!

Which reminds me, with everything that has been going on in our lives and in the world at large so far in 2022, I have scarcely had a moment to sit down and ponder my Halloween costume for this year. Will I bust out a past fave again or opt for something new?

That is a question that I will hit upon an answer for in the next few months, as I prefer to have my Halloween ensemble planned out well in advance.

If you dress up for October 31^st, how early in the year do you tend to start thinking about your costume choice?

Alrighty, as few things in the universe make me as happy as Halloween season, this seems like a good place to wrap up discussing some of what’s been going down in my/our life lately.

Now, let’s hop with both feet forward into a fun mixed bag of various online stories that caught my eye, inspired me, or otherwise stood out over the past few months.

–Embroidery Artist “Paints” Lush Landscapes Using Only a Needle and Thread: Prepare to pick your jaw up off the ground when you gaze upon these stunning works of embroidery art created by the immensely talented Jade Deanna.

–Five Organization Tricks for Highly Sensitive People: Being an HSP myself, posts that relate to this topic are ones I tend to lap up with gusto. As well as often nodding along in agreement as my eyes scan from one paragraph to the next.

That was certainly the case for me when I read this Apartment Therapy piece absolute some great ways HSPs can successfully organize their homes.

–How Stanley Tucci’s Big Night Helped Kick off an American Dining Revolution: No doubt like many other people, I can clearly remember a lot of the more “grown-up” movies that my parents allowed us to watch when I was little.

For me, at the age of 12 – 13, one of those was The Big Night.

Though life (aka, my health) took my future in a different direction, growing up I was deadest on becoming a professional chef with their own restaurant(s).

As such, the plot of this now-classic film from 1996 imprinted itself in my memory all the more and The Big Night still remains one of my favourite movies twenty-six years after it was released.

This look at how The Big Night impacted something far broader – the modern food revolution – is an engaging piece that has a lot of merit to the premise it puts forth and which is apt to resonate with foodies, chefs, and fans of both contemporary dining and modern cookery TV shows alike.

–19 Ways to Get a Little Self-Care Outside: This post is a wonderful look at a plethora of different ways many of us can experience/engage in realistic self-care in the great outdoors. In addition, it is a lovely reminder to all of us that few places are more peaceful, soothing, or enjoyable than when we are in the arms of Mother Nature.

–Six Different Types of Stones Used for Graves: This one is for all my fellow taphophiles, history lovers, and family genealogists out there – as well as anyone else who may be keen to learn more about a handful of materials that were used to construct headstones throughout the centuries.

–10 Famous Authors and Their Favourite Libations: This charming post takes a gander at the favourite tipples of ten world-famous authors (from Maya Angelou to Oscar Wild) and may very well have you reaching for your own personal fave by the time you’ve finished reading it.

–13 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying Anything For Your Wardrobe: Living in a small house with laughably little in the way of closet space, I try to be very mindful of what I buy as I know wardrobe real esteem is at a premium.

Though I do not follow the “one item in, one item out” approach religiously, it does come into play sometimes – as do a number of the points in this handy post that is a must-read, IMO, for fashion fans with closets of all sizes.

The Promise of Brighter Days Ahead

It has long been said that hope springs eternal. One need only look at the course of human history to see the truth in that statement.

Many of us have an ingrained sense of hope that runs so deep it might as well be part of our DNA.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that we are pie-in-sky optimists, wildly pollyannaish, or naïve. Rather, that we hold tight to the possibility that the majority of difficult/stressful/even seemingly dire circumstances we encounter will prove to be ones that can ultimately be overcome or able to be well managed.

Hope has long made me think of sunrises. Just as our good friend Sol comes barrelling back into our lives each morning, so too does hope have an incredible ability to reappear time and time again.

It is a form of comfort, resilience, and self-preservation. We need hope and, in order to exist, hope itself in turn needs us.

Hope has been out in full force all the more across many of our lives in recent years. Between the pandemic, numerous serious global conflicts, the soaring cost of living (which inflation has failed – in much of the world at least – to keep pace with for decades now), a wide array of natural disasters, and plenty more, if hope was a tradeable commodity, it would be the hottest stock on the market.

I love hope. It has genuinely saved my life on more than one occasion and is something I steadfastly hold tight to in the face of just about any situation. Worst case, it doesn’t help. Best case it does and in the process, hope makes getting through dark, difficult times a little less challenging.

Spring and summer are seasons that lend themselves all the more to hope and the ability to look at the glass (of lemonade) as being half full.

In the sun-bathed months, it is sometimes a touch easier to deal with our worries and troubles, anxieties and stresses. Now always, and not for everyone, of course. But for some of us, that is the case and no doubt plays into why we are particularly fond of the balmy side of the calendar.

I adore each season and lean into the perks of all four. While at the same time, continually growing and learning as a person thanks to the challenges inherent to every one of them as well.

Summer’s return unto itself is rarely enough to set every wrong right. Thankfully though, it can help to lift our spirits and provide us with wonderful new memories, languid days of relaxation, and, I find at least, scads of nostalgia.

Both literally and figuratively, summer comes with the promise of brighter days ahead.

Rare is the summer my mood is not lifted at least part of the time and even the most difficult summers of my life have been peppered with fantastic experiences that I look back on with great fondness.

It is anyone’s guess as to what the state of the world or of their own lives will look like when, in roughly three months’ time, the summer edition of this post will appear here.

Hope tells me that at least a few things may be better. Or baring that, not considerably worse off than they presently are.

And in the process, it enthusiastically reminds me that we are a mere three months away from the return of pumpkin season!

No matter what the coming sizzling hot weeks may throw at us, that fact alone is darn near enough to keep a perpetual jack-o-lantern-worthy smile on my face all summer long.

At the same time though, I will try to savour the present season and appreciate the blessings and challenges alike that it holds in store for us.

From the bottom of my heart, sweet friends, I wish each of you a tremendously safe, happy, wellness-filled summer that is illuminated as much by hope as it is by sunshine.

Which of the links above caught your eye the most? What are some elements of summer (or winter in the Southern Hemisphere) that you are most looking forward to experiencing?

The post Spring 2022 Edition of Magick, Crafty Makes, and Me (Also, is Bloglovin’ Dead? – Please Read!) appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Nature – though not immune to human wrath of course – seemingly unaware of the hardships and tragedies unfolding across the globe at the moment, follows a rhythm nearly as old as time itself.

The months and seasons will transpire no matter what we do. They were here long before you and I were born, and it is a virtual certainty they will be here long after.

For those who observe it, the Pagan Wheel of The Year is much the same.

While there is little historical proof that any ancient culture observed the exact same eight festivals/sabbats annually, contemporary Pagans and witches have combined elements of traditional seasonal celebrations to create a powerful eight-part sabbat system that aligns with the beliefs/practices of many (though certainly not all) who fall under these wide banners.

One of the neopagan sabbats that we do know a fair bit about and which has roots stretching back for many centuries is Beltane.

This is – in the Northern Hemisphere – the traditional Gaelic May Day festival. Along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh, these four comprised the main seasonal festivals observed by the early inhabitants of Gaelic settled lands.

Today these annual dates, which each fall between an equinox and a solstice, are often referred to as “Greater Sabbats” and “Cross-Quarter Days”.

Fascinatingly, back in the time of the ancients who inhabited various parts of Europe, Beltane heralded the start of the summer pastoral season.

It was not, we believe today, a mid-spring celebration, but rather the unofficial start of summer.

This view was held by various other cultures around the world, too, who saw May – not the latter days of June – as being the time when spring began to pass the torch to summer.

It is primarily for this reason that the sabbat of Litha (the Summer Solstice) which follows Beltane has traditionally been referred to as Midsummer in various cultures (including many in Central and Northern Europe).

Starting at Yule (if not Samhain) straight on to Imbolc and to a degree, even during Ostara, many witches/Wiccans/Pagans work diligently to honour the power of light and warmth. Candles, fires, warm colours, and everything from crystals to foods in sunny hues are employed to this end.

We know that our actions do not actually cause each season to return, but by working in tandem with them and celebrating both the present moment and the months ahead, we strengthen our ingrained bond to each chapter of the year all the more.

Though it is at Litha that the sun reaches its annual apex, with the Summer Solstice being the day of the year with the longest amount of sunlight, I cannot help but feel that so much of what we have worked towards and eagerly anticipated culminates in Beltane’s return.

In this post, we are carrying on with the periodically occurring series here in which a slew of crafts, DIY projects, and home décor ideas pertaining to one of the sabbats is rounded up in a handy-dandy spot for all those who may be seeking ideas and inspiration on this front.

Thus far, this series has covered the following sabbats:

–Ostara

–Mabon

–Yule

As you no doubt guessed, Beltane will be the focus this time around.

Before we dive headfirst into the list of forty awesome Beltane craft ideas, however, let’s explore the celebration of May 1^st a little more.

Part spring, part summer, entirely lovely

Beltane has one foot firmly planted in spring and the other – which I like to imagine as sporting a chic sandal – in summer.

Sitting precisely halfway on both the calendar and The Wheel of the Year from Samhain (+ Halloween), Beltane is an intensely liminal period unto itself.

South of the equator, many who observe the sabbats in reverse order to those in the Northern Hemisphere, are embracing Samhain just as we throw open our hearts once more to Beltane.

For those who count down the nanoseconds each year until Samhain’s return, the knowledge that from May 1^st onward, we will be closer to the end of October than further away from it is enough to make us downright giddy.

I adore Beltane and find my connection to it grows stronger with each fresh year. In a lot of ways, I have come to see it as the Samhain of the spring/early summer and find that I do indeed get rather excited + happy as May 1^st rounds the corner again.

On the day proceeding Beltane, April 30^th, I observe Walpurgis Night. This event is not a sabbat, but it is a traditional Central European event that some – both inside and out of the contemporary Pagan/witchy world – continue to mark centuries after its roots first took hold.

A sizeable percentage of my ancestry hails from the lands comprising Central and Northern Europe, and my own eclectic witchy bases the majority of its practises and beliefs around the Paganistic traditions of these lands. Thus, Walpurgis Night jives with my path all the more.

I have come to look at it a bit like the Beltane equivalent of Christmas Eve. Though the two observances do, of course, differ significantly!

Beltane is a joyous, gorgeous seasonal celebration that is open to one and all, regardless of their personal spiritual journey.

We each have a right to celebrate and delight in the return of May and the road it will guide us on as we venture forth towards full-fledged summertime.

Some of the most common and potent Beltane themes, correspondences, and symbols include the following:

-Fertility and new life

-Family

-Farm animals/livestock

-Herbs, herbal medicine, and herbal magick

-Grounding/earthing

-Seeds and sowing (both literal and metaphorical)

-Flowers and green plant life

-Baskets (including traditional May Day baskets)

-Birds

–Butterflies, bees, ladybugs, and other insects that are key garden helpers

-Sacred bodies of water (and water in general)

-Faeries and other wee folk

-Youth and remaining young at heart

-Passion, lust, and love

-Handfastings and weddings

-Floral crowns

-Ribbons

-Knots and knot/cord magick

-Growth (both in terms of the natural world and one’s own personal growth)

-Cleansing and purifying

-Bathing

-Sunshine and light

-Bonfires

-Wreaths

-Music and dancing

-Hobbies and passions

–Rainbows

-Unity

-The Greenman

-The Maiden entering the Mother/Mature phase of her lifecycle

-Both the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine

-Strength

-Optimism

-Positivity

-Manifestation

-Giving, sharing, and helping others

-Seasonal foods and feasts

-Varieties of incense and essential oil [LINK] centered around seasonal plants, flowers, fruits, and herbs (i.e., lilac, honeysuckle, rose, thyme, rosemary, lemon balm, strawberry, etc)

-Honouring and tending to the earth

-Listing to and following your heart

-Divination and connecting with the spirit world/ancestors

-Trusting your intuition

-Burning away/parting with elements that are holding you back or no longer serving you well

-Adventure

-Growing further in one’s spirituality

-Uniting and permeating the mundane with a greater sense of the sacred

-Nurturing and compassion (very much including self-care and self-love)

-Balance

-Harmony

Other names and alternative spellings for Beltane include – but are not limited to – Beltaine, Belltaine, Bealtaine, Beltain, Beltine, Beltany, Bealteine, Bealtuinn, Bealltainn, Boaldyn, Lá Bealtaine, Latha Bealltainn, Cétamain (the Scotch Gaelic word for “May”), Céad Shamhain, Cétshamhainin, Mayfest, and May Day.

Colours associated with Beltane include (but, again, are not limited to) the following:

-Pink

-Coral

-Red

-Yellow

-Peach/apricot

-Orange

-Green

-Aquamarine/turquoise

-Sky blue

-Purple (particularly lavender, lilac, hydrangea, pansy, and violet shades)

-Gold

-Taupe/sand

-White

A case could be put forward that Beltane is the merriest of the sabbats. It is bathed in light, adorned with countless new blooms, and full of a positive, hope-sparking energy that is all but palpable.

And in some respects, it is for those whose hearts beat in unison with the shifting seasons.

If you would like to learn more about Beltane, please check out my previous posts focused specifically on the subject:

–12 Awesome Nature-Centered Activities for Beltane (Guest post that I wrote for the Witch of Lupine Hollow website.)

–15 Excellent Pantry Staple Foods for Beltane and Their Magickal Properties

–25 Books That Are Wonderfully Well-Suited to Beltane

Clearly, I enjoy list entries when it comes to Beltane!

Whether you observe Beltane as a Pagan sabbat or not, we can all embrace and let our creativity shine as vibrantly as the newly returned spring sunshine during these early days of May.

Many of these projects are well suited to Ostara and Litha (and even Lammas, too, for that matter), so there is little to say you must automatically whisk them off into storage come the Summer Solstice.

While the bulk of these crafts are not ones that were designed specifically for Beltane, each contains elements/themes that are squarely at home in this cheerful chapter of the year and therefore easily landed themselves on this list.

I had a stellar time scouring the web for these Beltane-appropriate projects and hope that they bring you no shortage of enjoyment and inspiration as well.

40 Fantastic Beltane Crafts, DIY Projects, and Décor Ideas for May Day

1. Green Man Mask: Embodying elements of both nature and the sacred/divine masculine, the Green Man is an ancient archetypical figure who symbolizes rebirth, new life, nature, and harmony.  

This exquisitely lovely mask looks complex, but objectively, is not that tricky to replicate yourself – especially if you have experience in working with polymer clay.

Whether you wear your completed Green Man mask, use it on your Beltane altar, incorporate it into springtime magickal workings, or set it out as a gorgeous display piece, this is one of those handmade treasures you are bound to reach for year after year.

2. Woodland Mason Jar Lights: What would a craft project roundup post be without at least one mason jar project?

But seriously, there is a good reason why this most humble and hardworking of canning supplies has become a mainstay not only in that arena, but also in the realms of home décor and crafting.

Take this beautiful illuminated jar project for example. It is easy, budget-friendly, and a cinch to put together.

And once you have done just that, you have a breathtaking way to illuminate any dark or nighttime setting. And one that would also, I cannot help but think, make for a stellar addition to just about any woodland wedding setting.

3. Knit Flower Basket Tea Cosy: I have a thing for cozies – toaster, hot water bottle, tea kettle, you name it! If it can reside in its own darling little house, so to speak, I melt faster than butter on hot toast.

This whimsical flower basket knit tea cosy is equal parts adorable and elegant, and strikes me as an excellent gift to whip up and give for Mother’s Day (which, here in North America, is coming up next month).

Plus, for all those tea witches and herbologists out here, this would be an especially lovely way to keep your favourite magickal brew warm.

4. DIY Magic Paintbrush: Clever, resourceful, and very pretty, this creative project breathes new life in old paintbrushes and can be adapted to fit any colour palette your heart desires. Why not go for a rainbow now, fall colours in a few months, and icy cool or rich reds + greens for wintertime?

5. DIY Beltane Incense Recipe: Making (typically, loose) incense yourself can be a potent and highly enjoyable way to not only deepen your connection to this beloved product, but also potentially come up with some awesome and very unique blends in the process.

Take Moody Moon’s lead and put together your own festive incense mix this Beltane season. Ensuring, of course, that it is burned in a fire-safe receptacle (such as this terrific little cast iron cauldron), as loose incense does not work well or safely with most types of stick incense holders.

(Also on this same site, be sure to check out the author’s delightfully delicious recipe for Beltane Faerie Cakes with Candied Violets.)

6. DIY Paper Bird’s Nest: The simplest of supplies are all it takes to create these sweetly beautiful paper bag bird’s nests that look like they took ages to make, but which are actually a (springtime) breeze to put together.

They are every bit as at home for Beltane/May 1^st as they are Ostara/Spring Equinox and Litha/Summer Solstice, and would also be such a fun and festive way to present small gifts to friends, relatives, neighbours, teachers, and so forth throughout the year.

7. Beautiful Beaded Wind Chimes: When I was a little girl, my paternal grandparents had several different sets of wind chimes hanging from the roofing over their deck. Each time the wind rustled through them, it sounded like pure magick to my young ears.

Decades on, I delight no less in seeing, hearing, and even making wind chimes. If you enjoy any of those things as well – or know someone who does – this versatile and very lovely beaded wind chime project may be right up your (breezy) alley.

Plus, it is a great way to use up some of that “bead soup” that so many of us crafters naturally amass over the years.

8. Garden Creatures Cross Stitch Pillow: Fun fact, cross stitch – along with papercrafting and beading/jewelry making – is one of my top three favourite crafts of all time. I have been making tiny “Xs” on aida cloth since I was five or six years old and while these days I rarely have anywhere near the time I wish I did to devote to this passion, I try to get in at least a wee bit of cross stitching annually.

If you likewise enjoy this classic form of needlework and are looking for a charming springtime pattern to stitch up, allow me to suggest this adorable garden themed one that can be turned into a pillow or left flat and framed, as you desire.

9. Lavender DIY Wands: By far one of the most popular sunny seasonal plants the world over, lavender and its telltale scent are just the thing to imbue a beautiful sense of nature into any Beltane or May Day celebration.

This lovely project utilizes lavender and ribbon to create elegant wands that you can put to work in a wide variety of ways. Use them to scent linens, group a few as a centrepiece, use them on your Beltane altar, give them as gifts, or if so inclined (they are technically wands after all) as part of your magickal springtime workings

10. Easy DIY Paper Flower May Day Wreath: While Kristy – the skilled designer of this project – uses a digital die cutting machine to create the flowers in her example here, you could easily replicate this darling May 1^st wreath using manually/electronically die cut flowers or simply hand-cut and shape several blooms from scratch.

No matter what approach you take, you are bound to create a great little wreath that can easily be left out on display the whole sunny season through.

11. Peas in a Pod Crochet Pattern: There is cute, and then there is uber kawaii. This ridiculously adorable “peas in a pod” crochet project falls squarely into the latter camp and is an awesome way to celebrate one of the season’s most delicious garden offerings.

12. A Beautiful Grass Heart Craft: Nature provides the supplies at the heart of this enchanting craft project and highlights the depth of creative possibility that resides in even the most humble of materials.

13. May Day Flower Baskets Made from Tin Cans: Rare is the time I am not enthusiastically on board with recycling or upcycling everyday items into something creative, clever, and – frequently – very handy.

This sophisticated-looking, very inexpensive project hits all of those nails on the head and leaves you with one or more pint-sized flower baskets that can be filled with the real deal, artificial blooms, small gardening tools, writing implements, or just about anything else that fits inside of them.

14. DIY Leaf Pinwheels: An excellent craft to make with little ones, these lovely pinwheels utilize real leaves to make a classic toy that can easily double as a centrepiece, home décor item, or even – if multiples are grouped together – a wonderfully unique bouquet.

15. Easy DIY May Day Baskets: The tradition of May Day baskets, or posies, stretches back for centuries, and holds no less charm and appeal in the 21^st century as it did for those of the past.

These festive hangings are a joy to make, place around your home, and give as gifts – be it for Beltane/May 1^st, Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, or any other occasion you feel they would be a natural fit for.

16. Mini DIY Butterfly Pinatas: There is no need to wait for a birthday party to bust out – and open – the pinatas – especially if they are quick and simple to make versions like this adorable mini butterfly version.

Just think, for example, how sweet and special would it be to put one of these on (or alongside) each person’s place setting at an Ostara, Easter, Beltane, Mayfest, Mother’s Day, Wedding Shower, or birthday party.

And while we associated pinatas with candy, you can technically fill them with other small items instead, too (i.e., small craft supply items, costume jewelry, or beautiful little crystals – make sure, though, that if you include anything that could easily break if dropped that you instruct your guests to open their miniature pinatas over a table or soft surface such as a sofa).

17. Pressed Flower and Leaves Bookmarks: Preserve some of the season’s loveliest little blooms and leaves with this creative, low-cost bookmark project that is perfect to do with kids or (other) adults alike.

And don’t worry, a laminator is not essential here. Clear contact paper can be used instead to deliver the same kind of long-lasting results when creating your homemade pressed leaf and flower bookmarks.

18. Ribbon Streamers: No life-sized maypole to dance around this Beltane, but still in the mood to connect with the symbolization and enjoyment alike that colourful ribbons can present?

May I suggest these vibrant DIY ribbon streamers which you can flutter in the breeze, dance with, securely hang up to flutter in the wind (though, do keep in mind the materials used may not be weatherproof, so bring them inside after your festivities are over), use as a Beltane/May Day decoration, or leave out year around an upbeat piece of rainbow hued home décor.

19. Printable Strawberry Treat Boxes: A printer and the most basic of craft supplies (white cardstock, ribbon or twine, and adhesive) are all it takes to construct these precious little strawberry treat baskets.

Use them for gift giving, send them off in lunchboxes with a yummy bite to eat and a handwritten note tucked inside, or gather several in a basket or bowl and use them as a sweet-as-the-real deal springtime home décor item.

20. Coffee Filter Dancers: Don’t you just love it when the most basic of everyday items can easily be transformed into something enchanting?

I certainly do and as such, instantly fell head-over-heels for this cute, creative, and unexpectedly elegant use of coffee filters.

Compose a handful of these pipe cleaner beauties and place them around a tabletop mini maypole or anywhere else around the house that you wish. They are enchantingly sweet and perfectly suited to springtime.

Plus, with the addition of paper wings, they could easily become faeries or angels.

21. Quaint Flower Socks Free Knitting Pattern: In a season famous for the return of open-toed shoes, knit socks might not be the first thing we think of slipping onto our feet. And yet, not every pair of knitted socks needs to be blizzard-in-January thick/warm by any means.

This sweet, #cottagecore perfect floral themed thin knit pair is a wonderful way to keep on wearing woolen socks long after the last snowman has melted for the year.

22. Make Mosquito Repellant Candles: No word of a lie, many is the year when, in the span of two weeks or less, we have gone from multiple inches of snow on the ground to all but needing to take a bath in buy spray to keep the plagues of mosquitos as bay.

For my entire life, I have been one of those people that mosquitos instantly gravitate towards. So much so, in fact, that when I was growing up some of my relatives used to state (only vaguely jokingly) that they would not get a single bite themselves so long as I was nearby.

Suffice it to say, as someone who adores the outdoors but does not want to be an all-you-can eat buffet for the local ‘skitters, I am always on the prowl for natural ways to help combat this pesky element of the sunny season.

These easy, attractive looing DIY mosquito repellant candles are just the thing to utilize from the first telltale high-pitched buzzing sound until the last all spring, summer, and autumn long.

23. How to Make Pipe Cleaner Daisy Rings: One of the crafting world’s most classic and versatile products springs (seasonally related pun intended) to life in this super fun DIY jewelry project.

Pipe cleaners are all you need to create one, two, five, or a whole garden’s worth of vibrantly hued daisy rings – that, while certainly well-suited to youngsters, can also be a blast to wear as an adult as well.

Plus, how great would creating these be as a make-and-take craft project during a child’s birthday party?

24. DIY Woodland Butterfly Wreath: There is just something about both wreaths and butterflies that suits spring every bit as wonderfully as tall stacks of strawberry shortcake.

If, like, me you can never get enough of either, this sophisticated butterfly themed wreath – which is a snap to make – is a marvellous way to inject a hearty dose of the great outdoors into your interior décor all season long. (Honestly, this project is gorgeous enough to happily leave out the whole year through, if so desired.)

25. Mini Maypoles in 3 Easy Steps: From well-known (and ever-so-creative!) Pagan blogger Moody Moons, comes this easier-than-pie approach to making darling little mini maypoles that can be used Beltane after Beltane. They are upbeat, festive, and meaningful all in the same go.

26. How to Make Lavender Bath Sachets: Themes of cleansing, purification, bathing, and water in general are tightly interwoven with Beltane. Celebrate and connect with them all the more by setting aside some time to savour a gorgeously aromatic soak in the tub care of these lovely DIY lavender bath sachets that are just about as easy to make as turning on the faucet.

27. Sweet Strawberry Painted Rocks: The immense interest in rock painting that swept through the craft world a few years ago is continuing to stay strong – and for good reason! Rock painting is fun, fairly budget-friendly, and endlessly versatile.

Case in point, these adorable little strawberry rocks. How fab would a handful of these be scattered across a table for a tea, garden, Mother’s Day, or birthday party? Or what about in a decorative bowl on the breakfast table to brighten the mornings of all who see them before heading off for their day?

(Note, while not specified in this lovely DIY tutorial post, if you want the painting on your rocks to really last over time, I suggest covering them with a layer or two of suitable clear varnish/sealant once the acrylic painting has thoroughly dried.)

28. DIY Mini Maypole Cakes: Unlike most of the other projects featured in this post, these mini bundt cakes themselves are not intended to be reused year after year.

However, so long as you do not include any perishable items on them, the cute little handmade maypoles that top them can certainly be utilized multiple times (just make sure they are cleaned of any food residue before storing them away until the following Beltane/May Day) – which is worth doing a happy dance around the nearest maypole over!

29. Crochet Magnolia Applique: This detailed how-to post guides you through all of the steps (and supplies) needed to create as many elegantly prettyu crochet magnolia appliques as your heart desires.

Use them to embellish clothing, wreaths, centerpieces, napkin rings, papercrafting projects, gift wrap, or whatever creative idea your mind can dream up!

Note: Calling all crocheters, the very talented Olena, who created this wonderful project has also made and shared scores of other crochet flower patterns on her site, many of which she links to in this post.

30. Rainbow Pinecone Fairies: Precious, colourful, and sweeter than springtime honey, these adorable little pinecone fairies are a cinch to put together, make for a great project to do with kids, and are no less at home on a bookshelf or dining room table as they would be on your Beltane altar.

31. May Day Mason Jar Gift with Free Printable Tags: Spread some festive springtime cheer to friends, neighbours, relatives, colleagues, or anyone else you fancy by surprising them with one (or more) of these super easy to make jars full of sweet springtime blooms that are both plant and holder in one.

32. Ribbon and Flower Crowns: Utilizing two items that have long been associated with Beltane/May 1^st, this enchanting craft project creates a beautiful floral crown that can be worn for years to come –  and/or put to work as a really lovely piece of seasonal décor.

33. Handmade Beaded Butterfly Brooch: Various colours of seed beads, thread, felt, and a suitable clasp pin (or even a safety pin) are all you need to bring this beguilingly lovely butterfly brooch to life.

Copy it as it sits now, or switch up the colours and/or types/sizes of tiny beads and create a whole flutter’s worth of butterflies to wear yourself, give as gifts, or pin in suitable spots around your home as whimsical seasonal décor pieces.

(Related side note: There are multiples terms in English for groups/flocks of butterflies. Two of my favourites are “flutter” and “kaleidoscope”, as both make perfect sense to me. Additional names for groups of butterflies include bivouac, flight, swarm, army, roost, rabble, and wing. Which one/ones do you like best?)

34. Flower Cross Stitch Mini Baskets: While, understandably, we tend to associate springtime baskets with Ostara and Easter, they are no less apt, charming, or beautiful at other points in the spring and summer as well.  

These sweet little cross stitch baskets are far easier to make than they may appear at first glance and can be used to hold a wide array of items from wrapped candies to spools of thread, small bouquets of blooms to servettes at a picnic, tea or garden party.

35. Decoupage Pansy Votive Holder Jars: In the past few weeks, I have suddenly felt pulled towards a craft that for all intents I have not dabbled in for many a long year at this point: decoupage.

Fittingly, I recently hit upon this delightful decoupage votive holder jar project that stars tissue paper pansies and creates a magical little light source for those delectably warm spring and summer evenings spent outdoors.

Naturally, these votive holders can be put to work inside the house as well – and you can certainly swap out the pansies for another type of flower or different type of image entirely. For example, how fabulous would these be with a swarm of fireflies depicted on them?

36. Painted Umbrella Wreath for Spring: Though the classic adage states that April showers bring May flowers, the fact of the matter is that in many corners of the world, May can be a pretty drizzly month unto itself!

Tap into the eternal association between springtime and rain showers care of this clever + beautiful wreath that utilizes an umbrella to hold your favourite seasonal blooms. Colour me smitten!

37. How to Make a Button Bouquet in a Salt & Pepper Shaker: This awesome wire craft employs a few easy-to-obtain items and creates a conversation-starting gem of a floral bouquet that will last long after the final rays of summer sunshine have gone into hibernation for another year.

(As well, you could always switch up the colour palette and create button bouquets for other holidays and special events, too. Naturally, I am envisioning a dark, gothy arrangement for Halloween and/or Valoween.)

38. DIY Homemade Rose Petal Bath Soak (4 Ways): Of all the blooms that grow across the globe, no other ranks higher for me personally than roses.

Naturally, I am far from alone in my passion for this stunning, richly aromatic flower.

This Beltane season, celebrate the purification and revitalization properties of water + cleansing by whipping up one of the four different versions of DIY rose petal bath soaks that are housed in this terrific, photo-filled how-to project post.

39. Soft Fabric Strawberries Tutorial: Easy enough to be hand sewn if you do not own (or wish to use) a sewing machine, these precious fabric strawberries add pep and colour to any setting and would be just the loveliest thing to give as a hostess, Mother’s Day, wedding shower, or other occasion gift all spring and summer long.

40. DIY Pentacle Wind Chime for Spring: Beltane and wind chimes are a perfect match in my books, as the latter utilizes melodic sounds created by the hand of nature to create an enchanting background to the sun-kissed months of spring and summer.

This awesome example can be made in whatever colours you desire, dressed up or down, and used both indoors or (in a suitable spot where the elements won’t wreck it) outdoors.

And should you be on the hunt for books about Beltane, you can find a number of them listed in my post, Your Ultimate Guide to Books on The Pagan Sabbats.

PS: If you are looking for ways to better organize your craft supplies + creative space to help make whipping up beautiful springtime projects like these all the more of an enjoyable process, pop on over to my recent post 50 Super Helpful Craft Supply and Craft Room Organizational Ideas.

Light, warmth, fertility, love, harmony, and optimism

These are common themes that run through Beltane each year. They are not the only ones though, and as with each of the sabbats, it is up to the individuals who observe them to work with the themes, concepts, and (if applicable) deities that you personally feel most connected to in your practice.

Interestingly, despite being one of the warmer sabbats in much of the Northern Hemisphere, fires – particularly bonfires – are an activity pertaining to Beltane that stretches back to the ancient inhabitants of what is today the UK, Ireland, and some of the Norse lands.

Traditionally, either on the evening prior to May 1^st or the night of Beltane itself, household candles and hearth fires would be doused or snuffed out. Inhabitants of the community would then gather together as a sizable bonfire was lit (often on a hill or other steeper vantage point).

Various rituals were often carried out in conjunction with the Beltane/May Day bonfire. One of the best known of which was driving livestock (particularly cattle) between two separate, but very closely situated, fires as an act of purification, blessing, and strength.

This tradition was documented as continuing to take place in parts of the UK and Ireland well into the 19^th century and it is thought that at least a few European farmers continue it to this very day.

Much as with livestock, humans would sometimes also walk between the fires or – assuming the flames weren’t too dangerously high – possibly even leap over fires at Beltane as well.

Torches alight with flames from these communal fires would be taken home to rekindle hearths, candles, rushlights, and oil lamps in the hopes of a bright future in the coming growing and harvesting months.

As these fire(s) burned down and it was safe to then do so, in some areas, people would anoint themselves and/or their animals with ashes. Others are believed to have also been scattered across fields and budding crops to help ensure a prosperous harvest in the coming summer and autumn months.

Acts such as these tap into the ancient practice known as sympathetic magic/magick (sometimes also referred to as imitative magic/magick).

In this case, the fires of Beltane represented the sun, while also acting as a form of ritual purification that helped to burn away negative energy, sources of harm, and lingering challenges from the previous year leading up until May 1^st.

These are all benefits that each of our lives is bound to be bettered by. Therefore, it is of little surprise that some people continue to light fires – be they roaring bonfires or the flames flickering atop tiny chime candles – upon May’s return.

Another common element of early Beltane celebrations was that of food and feasting.

Given the wonderful array of fresh produce returning to farmer’s markets and grocery store shelves (not to mention home gardens) these days, honouring the start of May with a scrumptious feast can be an excellent way to connect further with this meaningful point in the calendar.

Naturally, so can letting your creativity soar far and wide as well.

Whether you opt to follow any of the projects shared above, take a general sense of inspiration from them, or go down your own artistic path entirely, allow these revitalizing days of mid-spring (or early summer, as you please ) to fuel the proverbial bonfires of your own creative undertakings this Beltane season.

Do you view Beltane^t as being more aligned with spring or summer? Which of these festively lovely May 1^st craft ideas jump out at you most of all?

The post 40 Fantastic Beltane Crafts, DIY Projects, and Décor Ideas for May 1st appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Naturally, I am not alone on this front. Especially since the concept of spring cleaning stretches back for centuries (if not millennia), with various theories having been put forth regarding its origins.

These include the possibility of a big yearly cleanout to correspond with the traditional Persian New Year called Nowruz, which transpires on the first day of spring. As well as potentially stemming from the (likewise) traditional activity of thoroughly cleaning one’s home in preparation for the Jewish holy day of Passover.

Spring cleaning was cemented all the more in some parts of the world (chiefly the UK and North America) during the Victorian era, when the well-known author Isabella Beeton included a line stating, “spring is the usual period set apart for house-cleaning” in her extremely popular title, Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management.

In addition, I strongly suspect that spring cleaning developed organically amongst various cultures around the world. In an age before modern homes and cleaning supplies, it made a great deal of sense to spend some time at the beginning of spring tidying one’s house in preparation for the warmer months ahead.

Early spring (or early fall, south of the equator) is often a mild time of the year, situated between the harshness of winter and the extreme heat of summer.

We might have AC, Off spray, and vacuum cleaners at the ready these days, but up until a few short generations ago, these things had not even been invented yet.

Spring was a time to air linens, wash and/or beat rugs, do home repairs both inside and out, spruce up walls and trims with new paint (or wallpaper), wash windows – assuming one’s home had glass windows, that is; thoroughly sweep the floors, dust as many nooks and crannies as possible, and help to rid the house of soot that had likely amassed during the winter, when fires were a must to keep people from quite literally freezing to death.

Not only did soot stem from fires in stoves and fireplaces, but also from lamps powdered by substances such as oil and kerosene, both of which often required heating with coal, wood, or dried animal dung.

Understandably, it would have been both unwise and potentially dangerous to try and air a house out back then before the mild days of spring returned. Once they did, many worked diligently for days or even weeks at a time to clean, organize, and (possibly) jazz up their homes.

Today, a fair number of us around the world are privy to modern conveniences. We need only plug in an iron, vacuum cleaner, or steamer tool, reach for our arsenal of cleaning products and set to work tidying up our houses.

While some people prefer making or purchasing homemade cleaning supplies, a sizable percentage of us do avail of various ready-made 21st-century household cleaning products.

(On a related note, I recently read a post on Bob Villa’s website that suggests These Are the Only 9 Cleaning Supplies You Need This Spring, which I thought was well worth passing along here.)

At a very young age, I realized that those two acts – cleaning and organizing, respectively – were a very effective way for me to combat powerful states of being such as anxiety, stress, and (a touch later on in life) depression.

In fact, I have long said – only quasi-jokingly – that you can assess how stressed/worried/anxious/depressed I am based on how neat and clean our house happens to be at any given moment.

Even when I am in a solidly good place on the mental health front, I still have a propensity toward these acts. I love keeping our home squeaky clean and well organized (granted, having a high-energy 70+ lbs dog who loves to track mud, grass, and dirt into the house can sometimes make the former an exercise in futility ).

Given that we live in a fairly small house where every inch of space is at a premium and needs to be utilized to the fullest, there is no room (both literally and metaphorically) for disorganization, clutter, or mess.

Still, that doesn’t mean that these areas don’t need a top-up from time to time. They most certainly do and early spring – as well as the start of autumn – is the ideal time to tackle such projects.

As I know many of you are either knee-deep in your spring cleaning already or planning to start on it soon, I thought that it would be both fun and highly beneficial to many of my readers if I rounded up a slew of different craft room + craft supply organization ideas and hacks.

These excellent – and very handy – craft space organization tips hail from a wide range of online sources, each of which will be linked to so that you can click through and read more about a particular tip, hack, or DIY project.

50 handy craft room organizing and decluttering tips, tricks, ideas, and hacks for crafters and artists everywhere

1. Craft Paint Storage from Upcycled Cassette Tape Holder: Though they have been experiencing a minor revival as of late, it is safe to say that most of us do not listen to much music on cassette tapes anymore (fun as those days were!).

If you have an old cassette holder laying around (or are keen to pick one up for a song at a thrift store or yard sale), why not breathe new life into it by transforming it into a handy-dandy craft paint storage holder?

(I suspect that this type of craft supply holder would also work well for things like small bottles of glitter, embossing powder, flocking, mica powder, beads, sequins, buttons, eyelets, brads, rhinestone embellishments, flatbacks/cabochons, jewelry findings, pompoms, cake decorating nozzles, and many other pint-sized items.)

2. Craft Storage in a Dresser: Dressers are one of my favourite pieces of furniture. They make my organization adoring heart purr with delight!

And if you are short on space or simply want to bring more furniture into your craft room/area, dressers can be a top-notch answer when it comes to the question of how to store your craft stash, as Lora demonstrates wonderfully in this post.

3. Creating a Sequins Station for Your Craft Space: Widely used by a vast array of different crafters and artisans, sequins are a delightful little item that can pack a serious punch in terms of how they are able to transform a project.

Whether you are a shaker card fan sewer, beader, or otherwise, it never hurts to have your sequins stash needly organized. Enter this lovely and very handy idea that utilizes a coffee pod storage container to help you do just that.

4. DIY Craft Paint Organizer: So often we think of boxes, small crates, baskets, and the like as being used horizontally on a flat surface. However, as this awesome idea clearly demonstrates, many products of that nature can be turned on their side, adhered/attached to the wall, and used as vertical storage as well. Genius!

5. DIY Craft Vinyl Storage Rack: While certainly not a new material, craft vinyl has seen a massive surge in popularity over the past several years. This is in no small part to the popularity of electronic cutting machines such as the Cricut Maker.

If you enjoy working with this versatile crafting material and are looking for an affordable + useful way to store some of your rolls of craft vinyl, then this great idea may be for you.

6. DIY Drawer Dividers for Desk Organizing: Sometimes one of the most effective ways to reign in clutter and create an easy-to-maintain organizational system is to simply create divided sections in a well-contained space.

In this helpful approach, all it takes to make your own DIY drawer organizers is some scrapbooking paper or cardstock, adhesive, cutting tool, ruler, and pencil. It scarcely gets simplier than that on the handmade drawer divider front!

7. DIY Embroidery Floss Organizer Using Clothespins: Whether you are a cross stitcher, embroiderer, paper crafter who likes to stitch on some of their projects, sewer, or otherwise, chances are that if you craft, you have at least a few skeins of embroidery thread kicking around your creative space.

Why not corral them together, display them on the wall, and see what colours you have at a glance with this charming tutorial that guides you through making an embroidery floss organizer with clothespins.

8. DIY Gift Wrap Organization Station: If you enjoy wrapping gifts and have the space for it, a dedicated present wrapping area can be a true joy to work with the whole year through.

In this helpful DIY project post (that is absolutely brimming with lovely photos), Jen leads us through one very appealing approach to making a DIY gift wrapping station of one’s own that will not only organize your supplies but also make preparing presents all the more fun!

9. DIY Hanging Pegboard for a Closet: Whether you are seeking additional storage space on top of a wall-mounted pegboard or simply want/need a smaller organizational solution, Sahana’s clever approach has you covered.

Plus, this is an ideal option for those in dorms or who rent and are not permitted to nail/drill/etc into their walls.

10. DIY Hanging Storage System for Craft Supplies: A few items – including one or more fairly small curtain rods – are all you need to whip up this terrific craft supply storage system that puts more of your stash on display, thus, hopefully, making it both easier to find and more apt to get used.

11. DIY Murphy Desk: While many of us are familiar with murphy beds, chances are the concept of a fold-away murphy desk is considerably less well known.

Clever and practical in equal measures, this idea helps those with limited space (or who would like a desk that folds up and out of the way for whatever reason) create a functional desk that looks like a wall cabinet when not in use.

12. DIY Office in a Box: Does your craft space double as your home office? Do you run a business (be it a side hustle, part-time gig, or full-time job) pertaining to your creative passions? If so, you may wish to check out this highly effective approach to Creating an Office in a Box.

Not only is this concept both smart and pragmatic, but it is ideal for those who live in smaller homes or have limited space to devote to their craft spaces since there is no need for filing cabinets or banker’s boxes.

And, naturally, anyone else who wants to create an office in a box can do so as well. This concept is certainly not restricted to crafters, artists, and DIY enthusiasts alone.

13. DIY Ribbon Holder Tutorial: A few basic items from the local hardware store are all you need to whip up these stylish, budget-friendly, and thoroughly useful ribbon (spool) holders that can be customized in any colour scheme your heart desires.

14. Embroidery Hoop Storage Pockets: I melt faster than a chocolate Easter egg left out in the springtime sunshine for craft space organizational projects that utilize craft supplies themselves in their construction.

Case in point, this lovely idea that starts with a good-sized embroidery hoop and ends with a charming craft room storage pocket.

(On the same site, I enjoyed Ros’s post on 10 Ways to Get Your Sewing Mojo Back. These useful ideas can easily be adapted, if needed, and applied to creatives of all kinds.)

15. Extra Large Pegboard for Craft Room Organization: Pegboards are not only for locations such as woodworking shops and garages, they are also a wonderfully functional product that can help reign in clutter and organize your craft room as well.

They also have the added advantage of allowing you to see everything hanging on them at a glance. No need to rifle through drawers, boxes, tote bins, or other “hidden” storage containers to see find what you are looking for.

Not only that, but they are often ideal for those with limited space, as the fact that pegboards are typically mounted on the wall means that they are not eating up any floor space in a given room.

16. File Your Fabric: If you use sewing in your creative endeavours and are looking for a clever + very useful way to store it that does not take up much space, the answer – as this post delves into – may just be a filing cabinet away.

(Note: Filing cabinets are also excellent places to store other types of craft products as well, including – but not limited to – scrapbook paper, cardstock, sheets of stamps, metal dies, stencils, sheets of chipboard and grunge board, acetate, vellum, ribbon (usually wrapped around something sturdy like a piece of balsa wood or cardboard), sewing/knitting/crochet/etc patterns, sheets of stickers and rub-ons, relatively flat canvases, and many other items, too!)

17. $5 Ribbon Organizer: I doubt I am alone in finding ribbon (whether it is loose or on spools) to be one of the trickier craft supplies to successfully store in a way that ensures both easy access and the ability to house numerous ribbons/trims together in the same spot.

This wonderfully budget-friendly idea provides a great approach to doing just that via a mere two components that can be found at many stores both online and off. Soooo handy!!!

18. Framed Storage Pegboards: Standard pegboards are A-okay, no two ways about it. However, if you are looking for an approach that adds more home décor style to this workhorse of a storage solution, may I suggest Jen’s beautiful idea of framing multiple smaller-sized pegboards in the same room?

19. Glitter Glue Organizer: I am 100% for using spaces that might not spring to mind as storage spots right off that bat. One of those is (outside of the kitchen at least) under cabinets and shelves.

This creative idea for storing glitter glue does just that with the help of a metal baking sheet and magnets (sturdy Velcro dots with one side glued to the baking sheet would likely work well, too).

You could easily adapt this same approach for other similar small bottles of crafting products, such as Liquid Pearls and Tonic Studio’s vast array of Nova products.

20. How to Make a DIY Magnetic Tool Holder: Magnets can easily be one of the best unsung heroes of the craft room organization world. As Nancy shows us in this DIY post, it is a breeze to whip up an attractive magnetic tool holder that requires just a few basic supplies and which takes up next to no room in your crafty space.

21. How to Make a Faux Card Catalog from a Hardware Organizer: Genuine card catalogs – especially vintage ones – often cost a pretty penny. Yet they are, to my mind, one of the very loveliest ways of storing small items in your craft room.

If you are yearning for the real deal, but can’t find (or fit one into your budget), this gorgeous project will guide you through the process of turning a basic multi-drawer hardware organizer into a faux card catalog that is a true work of art.

22. How to Make Your Own (Beading) Tool Stand: Even when paper crafters (and other creatives) are not jewelry makers, they often have a few standard jewelry/beading tools on hand for times when they want to add jump rings, split rings, lengths of chain, and so forth to some of their projects.

Whether you bead/make jewelry or not, if you have such tools, you likely need a place to neatly store them away when not in use.

This low-cost, very effective DIY tool stand project that Claire shared does the job excellently.

23. How to Organize Your Baker’s Twine: Sweet, timeless, and fabulously versatile, baker’s twine is a craft supply item that a good many of us creative souls have in our stash.

If you have been on the hunt for a way to store your baker’s twine that is both practical and pretty, this option from Amber is just the elegant ticket!

24. How to Organize Your Craft Paper in 3 Easy Steps: Given that the word paper is quite literally in the term “paper crafter”, it is scarcely a surprise that many of us who fall under that header amass sizable stashes of this versatile crafting product.

If your scrapbook paper and/or cardstock collection is a bit all over the place, pop by this detailed post and get inspired to change that via Einat’s three practical tips for organizing craft paper collections of all sizes.

25. How to Set Up an Art Cart: A year or two ago, I added a three-level rolling cart to my wee little craft space and it has proven to be even more useful than I had dreamed to imagine!

At present, I keep my “hot tools” (glue gun and heat gun), some WIPs, a shoebox that I use as a recycling container, some of my adhesives, and numerous other items on said rolling cart.

If I had the space, I would gleefully pick up several more. Alas, one is already a stretch in that space, so I will just make do with a single craft supply cart for the time being.

They are an excellent item to have your creative space and a huge boon, as well, to those crafters who may move around the house from one room to the next in order to find a suitable creative space that works for them and the rest of their household.

If you have been looking to set up an art or craft cart and aren’t sure just where to begin exactly, let Rachelle guide you through the process with this handy how-to post.

(And then swing on by this Craft Gossip post that is chocked full of 21 Ways to Use a Raskog Cart to Store Scrapbooking Supplies.)

26. How to Store Scrap Fabric in Plain Sight: This storage idea is both ingenious and practical, as it creates a functional home décor item that doubles as a spot to store wee pieces of fabric in one well-contained spot.

This same concept could be extended to scraps of certain other crafting supplies as well. For example, ribbon or yarn. And if you were not planning to use the pillows for sitting or resting on, but merely as display pieces, you could even give it a go with small scraps of paper and cardstock.

27. Inexpensive and Easy Washi Tape Storage: There are plenty of different ideas out there when it comes to storing washi tape. Few, however, have struck me as being as practical and effective as this budget-friendly option that uses a mere two products to create a fantastic washi storage system.

28. Ironing Board Thread Spool Organizer: Objectively, ironing boards are rarely an item most of us think about upcycling. However, as this super cool DIY storage project post demonstrates, it might be high time we change that!

If you work with thread in any capacity and are looking for a unique, eye-catchingly pretty way to store quite a few spools in the same spot, this creative approach might just be the solution.  

29. Mason Jar Craft Storage: Though the epic hype over mason jars may have cooled a touch, I think it is safe to say that this versatile household staple is not going anywhere – and that is definitely a good thing!

Why not grab some classic mason jars and use them to store all manner of smaller craft items in your creative space?

From buttons to brads, thread to thumbtacks, these see-through containers are a lovely way to combine practical storage with timeless style.

30. Organize Crafting Tools and Supplies with a Jewelry Stand: If you enjoy combining glamour with functional storage, this idea is apt to tickle your fancy. All you need is one or more sturdy jewelry stands/trees and you’ll have a fantastic way to store some of your creative tools/materials in no time!

(Note: Various styles of kitchen mug tree stands can be used in the same way, too.)

31. Organizing and Storing PDF Printable Sewing Patterns: Equally useful for just about any type of printable pattern that you wish to have a paper copy of, this quick and easy method of pattern storage will have your collection in order in no time!

32. Organizing Small Embellishments with Pill Containers: Despite their diminutive size, tiny craft items can sometimes be amongst the most challenging to store in a way that shows off what you have and facilitates easy access at the same time.

Rounding up tiny embellishments in multi-compartment see-through pill containers can be an effective way to achieve that goal – and one that is all the more ideal for those with very limited storage space.

33. Over The Door Spray Paint Organizer: If you are seeking an alternative to storing containers of spray paint on shelves or in cabinets, scroll a bit into this inspiring garage organization post and behold the cleverness of using a wide pocket over-the-door shoe holder to do precisely that.

34. Preparing and Storing Embroidery Floss: If you don’t find that using bobbins (be they plastic, cardboard, wood, etc) works all that well for you when it comes to storing embroidery thread, this approach provides an easy alternative that has the added bonus of cutting down on the kinks that using bobbins can cause.

35. Pretty Crate Paper Storage Idea: This clever idea utilizes a basic slat-sided wooden crate and some hanging file cabinet dividers to successfully organize your paper and/or cardstock stash. Plus you can paint/decorate the crate to match your craft room’s colour palette or any other way you please.

36. Revamp Plastic Storage Drawers: Many a crafter (myself included) uses clear plastic storage drawer towers in their creative space.

If you’re not feeling the run-of-the-mill look of see-through plastic, jazz up your drawers with one or more of the eight inspiring ideas in this post.

(Do keep in mind, though, that the more you cover/paint the clear plastic, the harder it will be to see what is inside each drawer so you may wish to employ some labels on said drawers once you’re done upcycling them.)

37. Rotating Craft Caddy: Like a lot of crafty souls, I adore having my most-used creative tools within arm’s reach when I am working on a project. Enter the humble and very hardworking craft caddy.

If you are keen to DIY a fun, versatile version of your own, why not take Bethany’s lead and do just that care of some basic PVC piping, a Lazy-Susan, paint, and adhesive.

38. Simple Yarn Storage Solution: Another entry on this list utilizes cassette tape holders, whereas this one cleverly puts classic CD tower stands to work as a way to store your yarn.

These holders work well for an array of different crafting supplies, often including such things as ink pads, bottles/jars of paint, smaller-sized pads of scrapbooking paper, paper punches, fat quarters, and plenty more.

They can also be an awesome spot in which to store various types of packaging and/or mailing supplies if you sell online or enjoy sending snail mail to friends and relatives.

39. Small Space Craft Room Storage Ideas: One day I may pen a post on this same subject myself, as it is an area I have plenty of experience with.

It is always great to see and get other peoples’ takes on this topic and I particularly enjoyed Jen’s tip-filled tour through her own small crafty space. If you are looking for ways to get the most out of a limited amount of room, be sure to zip on over and lap up her wonderful suggestions.

40. Stencil Storage: Much like metal dies and sheets of stamps, stencils can be a tricky thing to store in a way that easily lets you know what you have – and where it is stored – in the blink of an eye. Enter Kat’s terrific approach that solves those issues in a way that takes up very little space, to boot. Win-win all around!

41. Store Copic Markers in a Wine Rack: Or any other type of marker or pen that holds up well to being stored on its side. To make this effective marker storage container, all you need is a suitable-sized wine rack and some clear (plastic, sturdy glass, etc) cups that are long enough to hold your felt pens of choice. Such a great idea!

42. Store Glitter in Salt and Pepper Shakers: A craft product as beautiful as glitter deserves to be on display where it can both delight and inspire you on a regular basis.

As Shirley shares, you can do just that with the help of some lovely clear glass salt and pepper shakers, which you fill with glitter and place in your craft room to be used at a moment’s notice.

(Great places to potentially find inexpensive clear glass S&P shakers include Amazon, dollar stores, thrift stores, party supply stores, some craft stores, big box stores, flea markets, yard sales, and restaurant supply stores that sell to the general public.

And in the same vein as clear salt and pepper shakers, clear spice jars can easily be used to store glitter, sequins, beads, and other small craft supply items as well.)

43. Store Rubber Stamps in Metal Rain Gutters: With their built-in lip, the style of metal rain gutter trim/edging used in this storage example really drives home how effective this fun hardware store organizational hack is!

44. The Ultimate Craft Supply Closet: Take it from someone who has lived in plenty of tiny abodes throughout their life, closets can be storage and organizational superheroes!

No matter if your home is big, small, or anything in between, if you have a closet to spare and are looking for a fab space-saving way to store your craft supplies, that might just be the answer!

Take inspiration from Haeley’s swoon-worthy example and let it serve as a creative springboard as you put together your own closet craft storage system.

45. Three-Tiered Craft Supply Stand: Tiered trays are a home décor staple in spots such as the kitchen and dining room, but they can just as easily be put to work in our crafty spaces, too.

This lovely DIY project guides you through a wallet-friendly way to make a very attractive triple-tiered craft supply stand that can house all manner of items you wish to house together.

46. Turn Clear Plastic Shoe Bins Into Cute Cheap Storage Solutions: There are certain combinations of words that have a tendency to appeal to each of us. For me, one such trio is cute + inexpensive + practical!

This DIY tutorial takes us through the easy-peasy steps needed to morph ho-hum plastic show containers into sweet, farmhouse-y bins (think chalk paint style labels) that would be at right home in many a crafter’s creative space.

47. Up Close and Personal, a Craft Cabinet Tour + Tips: Much like dressers, cabinets can be brilliant places in which to stash a plethora of crafting supplies.

When well organized and the space (inside them) is utilized to its fullest potential, you can often get a surprising amount of items inside of a cabinet.

If you have been toying with the idea of creating a craft cabinet or wanting to revamp an existing one, Diane has you covered with a treasure trove of useful tips and no shortage of beautiful photos to help steer you towards your own craft storage cabinet dreams come true.

48. Upcycled Baby Crib into Craft Storage: I have come across a lot of very cool + creative things repurposed into storage items over the years, but few strike me as being quite as original or ingenious as this approach to breathing new life into a (wooden) baby crib that is no longer needed.

I often see similar-looking cribs for sale on the second-hand market quite reasonably priced, so if this idea floats your boat, but you don’t have a spare crib kicking around, it may be possible for you to track one down for a steal.

Alternatively, if you or someone you know is a whiz with woodworking, similar pieces could be created from scratch and utilized in the same general way.

49. Use Airtight Containers to Store Craft Supplies: Chances are you have some tall craft products in your stash that are tricky to store effectively – especially if you want to easily see what you have at a glance.

If so, you might find the approach of using see-through airtight containers to be a great way of solving this storage issue. (Think pipe cleaners, paper straws, some lengths of knitting and crochet needles, jewelry-making tools, mini-sized rulers, pencil crayons, markers, and more!)

50. Use Dining Room Furniture to Store Craft Supplies: As Liz skillfully demonstrates, if you have the space, budget, and DIY inclination, turning household furniture – including dining room hutches – into gorgeous places to store some (or all) of your craft supply stash might just be the hit of useful pizzazz you didn’t even know your creative corner needed.

(Note: All 50 images in the above list – as well as those that I selected to use in the graphics throughout this post – are copyright of their respective creators. Please follow the coordinating link in each list entry to be taken to the craft project shown and described therein.)

PS: If you are looking for even more craft storage ideas and inspiration, be sure to check out my Pinterest board, Organizing and Storing Arts and Craft Supplies.

Done and dusted

Not only does spring work well for cleaning and organizing our homes from a weather perspective, but there is something inherent to the return of longer hours of daylight that often puts a fresh hit of pep into our step.

This in turn means that we have more energy to tackle the work involved with tidying and organizing.

Spring brings with it a powerful sense of renewal, rebirth, purification, and optimism. These elements can often be enhanced all the more by giving ourselves the gift of a clean, well-organized living space.

We may not hibernate like bears, but we do often spend a lot of time in our dens (aka, homes) during the chilly months and come spring we are eager to banish the lingering energy of winter.

To that end, some modern-day Pagans/Wiccans/witches use both the Spring and Fall Equinoxes (aka, Ostara and Mabon) to perform activities such as cleansing, smudging, banishing, and protection work so as to clean our homes both physically and spiritually.

In addition to – or instead of – cleaning our digs, spring can also be an excellent time to tidy up and organize other areas of one’s life as well. For example, our wardrobes, electronic devices (i.e., weed out unused apps, declutter our email inboxes, etc), vehicles, finances, relationships, and overall health + well-being.

If you have a crafty space – be it a dedicated room, a crafting armoire, a she/he/they shed, part of a room that you have commandeered for your creative purposes, or just about any other space in which you make art and/or crafts – spring is a marvellous time to tackle mess, declutter, and up your organizational game all the more.

You can bet that I will be taking inspiration from some of the 50 craft room organization tips and hacks listed above as I gradually continue onward with my spring cleaning this year.

Far beyond the days of early crocuses and disappearing snowmen, however, these craft space decluttering, organizing, and revamping ideas can be put to work the whole year through.

There are, I find, few things quite as satisfying and rewarding feeling as knowing your home is clean and orderly at any point on the calendar.

If your creative space is currently in need of tidying up and/or reorganizing, I invite you to join me in tackling some craft room organizing as the robins chirp away merrily outside and buttery April sunshine washes over our lives once again.

Do you undertake an annual spring cleaning? Which of the 50 craft room organization ideas listed in this post jumps out at you the most?

The post 50 Super Helpful Craft Supply and Craft Room Organizational Ideas appeared first on Witchcrafted Life.

Whether we are fortunate to ever have the opportunity to live in one of our dream homes or not, the interest and passion we have in the styles that appeal most to us often influence our worlds in myriad ways.

There are a number of different architectural styles of homes that resonate deeply with me. Chief amongst of which are most dwellings from the 18^th, 19^th, and early to mid-twentieth centuries.

I am also especially keen on rustic log cabins, elegant modern apartments + condos, just about anything with goth notes to it, and cottages of many types from around the world.

Long before terms such as #cottagecore, #darkcottagecore, #witchcore, and #fairycore had been invented (let alone turned into the social media darlings that they have become in recent years), I went weak in the knees for cottages – be they sweet and chipper or dark and broodingly mysterious.

To date, I have not had the pleasure of living in a cottage of any type myself. However, dear friends of mine – Lindsay and Jonas from the wonderful blog + YouTube channel + Instagram account, It’s a Charming Life – are blessed to reside in a cottage that sits alongside a yesteryear cemetery.

For a history-loving, cottage adoring, hardcore taphophile like myself, their abode is a dream home for me. And, I have no doubt, scores of others around the globe as well.

I have been greatly inspired by the cozy, whimsical, beautiful, and – as their online presence’s name implies – thoroughly charming world that these two sweet souls have lovingly created for several years now.

Also spanning multiple years is the wonderful snail mail correspondence that Lindsay and I have had the pleasure of sharing.

As 2021 started to wind down, but before we had become fully enmeshed into winter again, a mighty spark of creative inspiration struck me.

I knew instantly that I wanted to make a paper crafting project for Lindsay and her husband, Jonas, that celebrated not only the fact that they live in one of the most adorable cottages around but also their equally fantastic personal style which taps into many of my own favourite aesthetics.

Setting to work immediately, I went to my wee stash of chipboard and cardboard that I save from various types of packaging to use on craft projects.

A piece measuring roughly 9 7/8^th inches wide x 7 3/4^th inches tall felt like a terrific size for the hanging wall sign that I was envisioning in my mind.

Thinking not only about Linday and Jonas’s own passion for Halloween, but also the colour palette and vintage-meets-whimsical-meets-cottagecore style of their home décor, I set off on a creative flurry and scarcely moved from my office chair until this delightful All Hallows’ themed hanging wall sign was complete.

I then photographed it, securely wrapped it up for posting, and mailed it out to Lindsay and Jonas as a Yule / Christmas gift once December returned (along with the Gothic Haunted Christmas Tree Card that I shared here last month).

Cottage Spooky Cottage detailed Halloween Scene Hanging Wall Sign

Making cards and various other types of paper crafting gifts for friends, family members, neighbours, and others is one of my favourite elements of this awesome art form.

Naturally, I am far from alone on this front and creative folks of countless kinds likewise adore giving their finished projects away.

In fact, often the greater I love a completed project, the more eager and joyful I am to present it to someone else.

That was the case with this festive Halloween themed wall hanging (which is my latest contribution to the #MakeHalloween hashtag that I created and launched last year – and which I enthusiastically welcome you to use for any and all of your own Halloween / Samhain related creative projects, too.)

I began with a piece of plain (kraft coloured) cardboard for the base of this hanging sign. If you did not have any suitable cardboard to hand, very study chipboard, a lightweight canvas, or even a suitable piece of wood could be used instead.

If opting for wood (or any other material that is apt to be acidic), I would coat it with an archivally safe preservative spray, lacquer or similar product to help prevent the natural acids in the material of the project base from potentially damaging, over time, the materials you put on top of it.

Speaking of guarding things, I wanted to protect the side edges of this sign. As it was, after all, made with a cardboard base, not a canvas or wooden one.

To do so, I ran strips of orange sparkly adhesive craft tape (aka, adhesive ribbon) around all four sides.

I then set about creating layer after layer of Halloweeny goodness atop this versatile flat surface.

A surface which I looked at less like I would handmade card and more like a slightly scaled-down version of a scrapbook page (of the standard and widely used 12” x 12” or 8.5” x 11” sizes, that is).

As touched on above, Lindsay and Jonas are fellow Halloweenoholics and – much as at my and Tony’s home – they incorporate some elements of fall and October 31^st into their year-round décor.

I do not know whether they will opt to display this hanging wall sign all year or bring it out annually as summer starts to fade. Either way, I went with colours and themes that I felt would suit their fabulous cemetery adjacent cottage the whole year through.

A fair bit of die cutting went into this project, but there was nothing difficult about that aspect – nor any other – of this sign’s design.

The hours spent bringing it to life were amongst the most enjoyable of 2021 for me and when all was said and done, I was thrilled with the end result of this spookytastically charming hanging wall sign.

Since the start of 2021, I have been using a small (very basic/entry-level) lightbox to take photos of most of my paper crafting projects in.

The dimensions of this wall sign coupled with the size of both my lightbox and the lens on my camera, made photographing this project a bit tricky. This is why the background is white in some and woodgrain in others (I kept trying to find backgrounds to use in the lightbox that worked without showing their edges in these shots).

To showcase this handmade Halloween sign on the wall, I took down some of the art from a wall in my crafty space, placed the sign up, and nabbed a couple of (very low light) pics of it hanging there.

If you would like to create a similar project – or simply take some general notes of inspiration from this one – please read on for a complete list of materials used and detailed step-by-step project instructions.

Products used to make this wonderful festive Halloween hanging wall sign

-Sturdy piece of cardboard (Measuring approx. 9 7/8^th inches wide x 7 3/4^th inches tall)

-Black cardstock

-A slightly lighter shade of black cardstock (or use very dark grey charcoal cardstock instead)

-Medium brown cardstock

-Light to light-medium brown cardstock

-Dark orange (or terracotta coloured) cardstock

-Gold glitter cardstock – Glittersilk Cardstock from Darice

-Copper glitter cardstock – Glittersilk Cardstock from Darice

-White vellum

-Black and white spiderweb print paper – Haunted House Ghastly Words paper from Carta Bella

-Orange and black pat print paper – Halloweeny 12” x 12” paper pad from Recollections

-Good sized scalloped edge square or rectangle die

-Elegant decorative border die (or punch)

-Three small, slightly different sized flying bat dies

-Full and crescent moon dies (a basic circle die or punch can easily be used for the full moon shape)

-Haunted house die

-Spooky (haunted) tree die

-Rickety fence die

-Three small, slightly different sized jack-o-lantern dies

-Small witch’s hat die (you could also use a witch’s hat sticker or premade die cut shape here instead)

-Decorative edge scissors – Heartbeat Paper Edgers Scissors from Fiskars

-Good sized white or cream paper doily

-Dark orange ink – Memento Morocco Ink from Tsukineko

-Deep golden yellow/honey coloured ink – Distress Oxide Ink in Wild Honey from Tim Holtz (Note that anywhere Distress Oxide In is used on this project, you can sub in regular Distress Ink instead.)

-Aged golden-brown ink – Distress Oxide Ink in Antique Linen from Tim Holtz

-Golden-y brown ink – Memento Toffee Crunch Ink from Tsukineko

-Dark brown ink – Memento Rich Cocoa Ink from Tsukineko

-Medium brown ink – Distress Oxide Ink in Brushed Corduroy from Tim Holtz

-White gel pen – Uniball White Ink Gel Pen from Signo

-Black alpha stickers – Weekend Black Letter Stickers from American Crafts

-“Spooky” word sticker – Trick or Treat by Steven Duncan Element Stickers from Carta Bella

-Adhesive orange glitter ribbon/trim (Crafter’s Square brand from Dollar Tree)

-3/8^th inch wide black grosgrain ribbon (or another type of black ribbon or seam binding of your choice)

-Off-white or cream ribbon or seam binding

-Orange ribbon or seam binding

-(Optional) stapler and staples to adhere the ribbon “hanger” layers together

-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers

-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)

How to make a Cottage Spooky Cottage hanging wall sign for fall / Halloween

Begin by sourcing or cutting down a piece of sturdy, but not too heavy, cardboard to use for the base of this project.

Next, cover the front of the sign with a piece of medium brown cardstock the same size as the cardboard piece itself and ink all four sides (edges) with dark brown ink. Adhere in place.

Cut (one at a time) pieces of sparkly orange adhesive trim and stick them down on all four sides of the cardboard base.

If you do not have a similar product to hand (I picked this up at Dollar Tree two or three autumns ago), you could use things such as very sturdy washi tape, orange duct tape, glittery ribbon, or even pieces of glitter cardstock.

Using a ruler and white gel pen, draw a border of stitches around the outermost edges of the brown piece of cardstock on the front of the sign.

Next, cut a piece of dark black cardstock a little bit smaller than the brown cardstock layer and adhere it to the brown cardstock.

Take a piece of spiderweb print paper and cut it a touch smaller than the previous layer using decorative edge scissors (or a suitable border punch, if you prefer).

Ink the edges of this piece of paper with Wild Honey Distress Oxide Ink (or a similar colour of ink or felt pen/marker). Then, using a ruler and white gel pen again, draw a line of stitches around the perimeter of this piece of cobweb print paper. Adhere to the previous layer.

Select a suitable premade doily or die cut one from white or cream coloured cardstock. Lightly ink the edges with the same Distress Oxide ink used in the previous step.

If it is not long enough to span the length of the center portion of the sign, cut it in half and adhere one half near the top and the other half of the doily near the bottom of the sign, as shown.

Die cut either a scalloped edge rectangle or square from light black (or charcoal grey) cardstock. Likewise, if it is not long enough to span the length of the center portion of the sign, cut it in half and adhere one half atop each half of the doily.

Using dark orange cardstock, die cut two decorative edge pieces or use a border punch to create something similar looking.

Position each orange decorative edge piece atop the black scalloped pieces that you created in the step above. Adhere in place.

Next, die cut a piece of vellum using the scape scalloped edge rectangle or square-shaped die. Adhere so that it overlaps part of the orange decorative edges (again, if needed, cut in half and adhere on half to the top and the other to the bottom central area of the sign).

Take a piece of dark black cardstock and using the same decorative edge scissors that you used on the spiderweb print paper, cut this piece a little bit smaller than the central layers that you’ve created so far. Adhere.

Cut and then rip, or simply rip to begin with, a piece of orange and black print paper. Back the top and bottom of this piece with a piece of vellum so that the edges of both pieces align at the top and bottom of the paper/vellum. Adhere together and then to the base layers.

Using the same medium brown coloured cardstock as the very beginning base layers (front and back), die cut a scalloped edge square or rectangle. Using a ruler and white gel pen, draw a line of stitches around the edge of this cardstock panel.

Back the panel with dimensional adhesive (foam square, pop dots, etc) and position it at an angle ever-so-slightly higher than the center of the sign, as shown.

Use the alphabet stickers and “Spooky” sticker to spell out the words “Cottage Spooky Cottage” (or the phrasing of your choice that is able to fit in the space of the brown cardstock panel).

Next, it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work with (more) die cutting.

Using both light black (or charcoal grey) cardstock and copper glitter cardstock, die cut one layer apiece for three different-sized bats. Adhere together and position on the upper lefthand side of the sign.

Die cut a full moon (circle-shaped piece) from dark black cardstock and a slender crescent moon piece from gold glitter cardstock. Adhere together and position towards the upper right-hand corner of the sign.

Take light to medium brown hued cardstock (ideally a lighter shade than the medium brown cardstock used elsewhere on this project) and copper (or gold, as you wish) glitter cardstock and die cut a rickety fence shaped piece from both cardstocks.

Use Brushed Corduroy Distress Oxide Ink on the edges and grooves of the brown fence layer, then adhere both layers together and adhere this pair to the lower righthand side of the central portion of the sign, as shown.

Die cut two haunted houses and two spooky trees, one each from black and glittery copper cardstock, respectively.

Position the layers slightly off-centre so that both are visible. Adhere together and then to the lower portion of the sign (haunted house on the left side, spooky Halloween tree on the right).

Die cut three cute jack-o-lanterns from orange cardstock and three of the same sized pumpkins from black cardstock.

Use the dark orange coloured ink to highlight the edges and ridges of the orange pumpkin pieces. Position the two layers of pumpkins slightly off-center and adhere together.

Position and adhere small scrap pieces of gold glitter cardstock behind the faces of the jack-o-lanterns to give them the appearance of being lit from within.

Die cut a witch’s hat from black cardstock and likewise back it with a wee piece of gold glitter cardstock. Adhere together and then adhere the completed hat onto the head of the middle jack-o-lantern.

The front of this delightful Halloween hanging wall sign is now complete.

For the backside, cut three (or more, as you wish) pieces of ribbon, seam binding, lace or trim in similar colours as those used throughout this project.

Adhere these pieces together near their ends (a stapler actually works great for this, but a strong adhesive can just as easily be used) and position those ends at least 2 – 3 inches down the center of the sign on the backside.

Once you are happy with the length of the ribbon/trim layers and where they’re positioned on the back, adhere them in place to the cardboard base layer.

Lastly, cut and adhere a piece of brown or black cardstock to the entire back (minus the orange glitter tape edges) so that the ends of the ribbon/trim are concealed beneath the cardstock piece.

Alternatively, place the brown or black cardstock down first, then adhere the ribbon/trim as described above and either leave the ends visible on the back or die cut a suitably shaped piece (oval, rectangle, etc) from cardstock to place over the ends.

And there you have it, my dears, sweetly spooky, fabulously festive Halloween hanging wall sign to keep and use as part of your own fall (or year-round) décor or to give to someone special in your life so that they can do the same.

If you do not wish to make this project into a hanging wall sign, you could use a small painter’s canvas instead and hang the completed project from a nail or suitable hook on the wall instead.

And another idea would be to create this same sort of design so that it fits within the dimensions of a shadow box frame (which, assuming the frame had glass in it, would keep this project extra safe and protected from whatever life may through at it).

Sweet, spooky, and endlessly inspiring

As Lindsay and Jonas themselves discussed in their recent YouTube video, Ups and Downs of Cottage Life, residing in a modest-sized cottage – much like just about any type of home – is not always an endless parade of sunshine and roses.

However, it can be a wonderful, rewarding, creativity sparking and very meaningful experience that if one is blessed to have the opportunity to experience, may well be worth embarking on.

I have no idea if I will ever get to live in one of my dream homes (to date, the closest I have come is when, for a few years during my childhood, my family lived in a sweet little two-story Edwardian house that was built in 1909).

Whether that comes to fruition or not, I will continue to be inspired on countless fronts by the homes whose architectural and/or interior design styles speak most powerfully to my heart.

Unquestionably, that of Lindsay and Jonas’s house will continue to inspire and resonate with me for the rest of my days – no matter if they move on from it at some point or not, as everything they have shared online about their enchanting cemetery cottage will continue to resonate with me for ages.

These two lovely people embrace and embody not just things such as cottagecore, but also slow living, a deep love of and respect for the past, and the ability to decorate a home of any just about size in the ways that presently bring your soul abundant happiness.

Both they and their house epitomize the “Cottage Spooky Cottage” aesthetic and mindset, and it was my honour to be able to contribute a handmade piece of paper crafting home décor art to their super charming home.

Do you – or have you ever – lived(d) in one of your own dream homes? What kinds of wall hanging sign would most capture the spirit of your current abode?

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