September 27th - Oct 3rd, 2026
From the Studio
October arrives this week, and that means it’s officially time to get your spooky on.
If you’ve been holding back—waiting to bring out the ghosts, hang the garlands, or add those Halloween touches to your fall décor—consider this your sign. The pumpkins can stay, the warm fall colors can stay, and now we get to layer in a little more mischief.
Whether you add one spooky vignette or turn the whole front yard into Halloween, the waiting is over. 👻🎃
There’s no right. There’s no wrong. There’s just art.
From My Teacup
There isn’t actually tea in my cup this morning. There’s espresso. 😂
Some weeks are slow, cozy, sit-and-sip weeks. This is not one of them.
October is arriving, classes are coming, projects are waiting, and there are approximately seventeen things happening at once.
But I think creativity has room for those weeks too.
It doesn’t always have to be a quiet afternoon with three uninterrupted hours. Sometimes it’s ten minutes to hang the ghosts, twenty minutes to make something delicious, or one little project squeezed into a very full day.
That still counts.
In Person
Paint a Harvest Tote
Fall may be seasonal, but a great tote never goes out of style.
The tote bag is definitely having a moment, so we’re giving ours a Plum Forest fall twist.
In Paint a Harvest Tote, we’ll take a simple canvas tote and turn it into something you can bring back out every autumn.
Use it for the farmers market, library books, craft supplies, fall errands, or whatever else you somehow end up carrying.
And because this is harvest rather than Halloween, when the ghosts come down, your tote doesn’t have to.
Bring it back next fall…and the fall after that.
Beginner Friendly · No Painting Experience Needed
Creative Community
Spooky Midway Painted T-Shirt
This week we’re taking Spooky Midway somewhere wearable.
Creative Community members are painting a whimsical Halloween T-shirt using simple fabric-paint techniques designed especially for beginners.
Choose from playful vintage-inspired motifs like a friendly ghost, jack-o’-lantern, or black cat and make the design completely your own.
Never painted on fabric before? That’s okay.
Printable traceable templates are included, so there’s no need to freehand the design. We’ll keep the shapes simple, use easy solid-color painting techniques, and practice on a scrap of fabric before moving onto the shirt.
Difficulty: Beginner Friendly
Printable Templates Included · No Drawing Experience Needed
Creative Community members will find the project instructions and files inside the community.
.png)
Cricut Halloween Treat Bag + Gift Tag
Thursday, October 1 · 7 PM PT · Online
October starts Thursday, so we’re not wasting any time.
Join me for a beginner-friendly Cricut make-along as we create a simple Halloween treat bag with a coordinating gift tag.
Class includes a downloadable SVG file pack.
.png)
In the Kitchen
Caramel Apple Nachos
Apparently we’re not done with apples yet. 🍎
Last week’s apple donuts were a hit, so I’m not arguing with a good thing.
This week we’re keeping the apples but losing the oven.
These caramel apple nachos take only a few minutes to put together, which makes them perfect for the kind of week when you want something that feels like fall without committing to an afternoon of baking.
Home & Décor
The October Vignette
Here’s a decorating word worth keeping: vignette.
A vignette is simply a small, intentionally styled scene.
And it happens to be one of the easiest ways to take the fall décor you already have and give it its October personality.
You do not have to pack away your pumpkins and start from scratch.
Keep your fall base and add three Halloween layers:
Something dark.
A black candle, dark ribbon, little bat, or black accent piece.
Something unexpected.
A tiny ghost tucked between pumpkins, a curious little black cat, or something slightly whimsical.
Something that glows.
A candle, lantern, or soft strand of lights.
Try it on a dining table, entry table, kitchen counter, mantel, bookshelf—or even right in the middle of a tablescape.
This Week’s Challenge
Choose one little spot in your home and let October take over.
Here’s a decorating word worth keeping: vignette.
A vignette is simply a small, intentionally styled scene.
And it happens to be one of the easiest ways to take the fall décor you already have and give it its October personality.
You do not have to pack away your pumpkins and start from scratch.
Keep your fall base and add three Halloween layers:
Something dark.
A black candle, dark ribbon, little bat, or black accent piece.
Something unexpected.
A tiny ghost tucked between pumpkins, a curious little black cat, or something slightly whimsical.
Something that glows.
A candle, lantern, or soft strand of lights.
Try it on a dining table, entry table, kitchen counter, mantel, bookshelf—or even right in the middle of a tablescape.
This Week’s Challenge
Choose one little spot in your home and let October take over.
Make & Give
An October Treat Cone
Here is one of those little gifts that looks far more complicated than it actually is.
Take a square of heavyweight scrapbook paper or cardstock and gently roll it into a cone.
Secure the overlapping edge with strong double-sided tape or glue, punch two small holes near the top, and add a ribbon handle.
Fill the cone with individually wrapped treats.
For the Halloween touch, add a simple handmade tag—maybe a ghost, pumpkin, moon, or just the recipient’s name.
Hang it from a friend’s doorknob, leave one on a coworker’s desk, give one to a neighbor, or surprise somebody who could use a little smile.
It doesn’t have to be a holiday gift.
Sometimes, “I thought you might like a little something” is reason enough.
Whimsy Question
When does Halloween officially begin at your house?
A. September 1 — I have been ready.
B. The first day of fall.
C. October 1 — now we may proceed.
D. I wait until Halloween is practically knocking on the door.
I have a feeling we may have some very strong opinions about this one. 😂
💬 Let’s Chat
Got a question, an idea, or just want to say hello? This week, let’s keep the conversation going! Whether you’re sharing a pic of your project or just popping in to chat about what’s on your craft table, we’d love to hear from you.
Use our new hashtag #PlumForestCC when you share on social media so we can all see what everyone’s up to. This is your space, your community—so let’s make it a fun, easygoing place to connect!
September gave us the pumpkins, the apples, the cinnamon, and the first little hints of fall.
Now October gets to have some fun with them.
You don’t have to change everything.
Add the ghost.
Hang the bats.
Paint the tote.
Slice the apples.
Put one silly little Halloween thing somewhere that makes you smile every time you walk past it.
And if you’ve been waiting for October before going all-in?
This is your sign.
Happy creating,
Miss Lakyn
Plum Forest
Where Creativity Feels Like Home.