One thing you need to know about me is I'm one of those Halloween fanatics. I have zero shame and no chill about it. Here's a meme I've been pulling up all month to justify my enthusiasm:

So, when August hits I'm so ready to go into full force LET'S GET SPOOKY mode. This year I decided to plan a special Halloween product. I wanted it to be something a lot of people could wear and enjoy all year long but still feel Halloweeny.  (As opposed to building like one or two elaborate/expensive head-to-toe costumes, which I'm definitely still available to do if someone wants to hire me for something coooooool.) I also wanted to make sure this Halloween product felt really, really special.  

I'm sharing my initial trials even though I was unhappy with all of them. The process is fun to share even though it gives this perfectionist anxiety. Forgive the messy process. I am always learning as I go. I tried brushing spiderwebs on with a few different leather paints and dyes. The big reason I wasn't happy with these tests was that they didn't FEEL special enough. I wanted a hint of luxury, texture, and dimension that these weren't giving me.

Then I remembered I had a leather burner craft tool and decided to give that a try. This little burn test is especially hard for me to share. I value high craftsmanship and this just a mess. The line quality! Yikes! But, it taught me many things I needed to learn. All successes are fueled by mistakes. 

It might not look like much but it led me exactly where I needed to go to start making the beautiful, luxe, hand-drawn special edition Halloween themed leather of my dreams. I had my heart set on a green and came across the perfect leather to test out next. I burned a handful of spiderwebs and it turned me right into the heart eye emoji.

It's everything I wanted it to be! I've never created a repeat pattern across a hide but I am so excited about it. This is might be the start of an ongoing creative adventure! Who knows! I love to explore. I'm so glad I kept trying out more processes on more leathers. The burned spiderwebs are turning out sooooo beautifully on this particular leather. 

I'll be rolling out these special edition Halloween chokers in the next couple weeks and I've never been more excited to debut a choker! If you're not already Halloween crazed, I sincerely hope these convert you. Come to the spooky side!