crafts – Marble Crow

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I’m not usually one to categorize myself with a single “core” or “vibe,” but I’ve been described plenty often as Goblin- or Crowcore. Honestly, I agree. My ideal aesthetic is “abandoned baroque theater slowly being reclaimed by an adjacent swamp,” and I apologize to no one.

The trouble is, I also like parties. When it comes to entertaining that matches my crowcore party vibe, I usually come up short. (Martha Stewart ain’t exactly jumping at the chance to chime in on this one.)
Besides, I’m not into filling my house with mass-market goods. I don’t like it when things are too matchy-matchy, and slow decor is my speed. Stuff that’s secondhand, handmade, or straight-up found in the yard? Yes.

During the big Mabon feast, I ended up having to bring my contributions in things like silicone bags and mixing bowls. (Which is a bit less “slow decor and thoughtful consumption” and a bit more “first apartment” than what I was going for.) So, since we’re getting closer to the autumn/winter holiday season, I figured I’d put together a list of Things I Find Cool for Fall Parties.
If you’re like me, maybe you find them cool also.
Enjoy!

1. Nice Serving Dishes

If food is art, a really nice serving dish is like an excellent frame. Not only will good serving dishes make foods look better, they’ll make them easier to serve. One thing I lack is serving dishes, but I found some by CreatingComfortLab that I really like. They’re a Ukranian-American company that makes all of their ceramics by hand, and they have beautiful dinnerware (I like their serving dishes in green or black, around $48-58 each).

A set of green oval serving platters on a gray background. A sliced kiwi and small knife sit on one of the platters.

If you prefer to thrift your crowcore party dinnerware, shops like GraniteStateAntiques have some beautiful vintage pieces, like this Pyrex forest fancies casserole dish. It’s a versatile piece that I really like, and looks great when mixed with newer, handmade dishes.

A gorgeous butter dish in black and beige, topped with morel mushrooms and patterned with multiple other mushroom species.

Nice serve ware isn’t just limited to plates, bowls, and platters, though. I also found this awesome morel butter dish ($65) by SweetArtAttackEllen. This shop has a lot of really fun, interesting designs, like this snail, moss, and turkey tail mushroom butter dish, and this spoon rest.

2. A Suitable Centerpiece

During certain times of year, all you need to do to find a good goblincore party centerpiece is go outside — there’re tons of pieces of interesting wood with really beautiful lichen and moss, cool stones, and fresh flowers. That isn’t an option for everyone, though, but artisans like AuroraMOSSDesigns use natural materials to create beautiful, interesting centerpieces for coffee tables and dining tables alike. Check this one out:

A light wood coffee table with an interesting centerpiece made of wood, moss, dried mushrooms, and pinecones.

Isn’t that gorgeous? It’s only one of many one-of-a-kind designs available, ranging from about $37 to $190.

If you prefer to make your own, you can also find small ornaments to help bring your centerpiece to the next level. I’m particularly fond of these handmade mushroom ornaments by juliecollings — mushrooms often lose their colors and shape during the drying process, but these can give you the same look in a more robust, longer-lasting form.

3. Eclectic Glassware

I like mismatched dishes — it’s much more my speed to have things that go together, rather than match. I also really enjoy vintage water goblets, in a whole array of shapes and colors. I keep my eyes peeled for them every time I go to a secondhand shop, but it takes time to build up a collection capable of serving a group. Sellers like SecondSongHomestead and ValmontVintage have a selection of colorful, eclectic vintage glasses available.

4. Candlesticks

I’m a sucker for brass candlesticks (mismatched, just like my glasses). They’re another thing I keep an eye out for whenever I’m looking through secondhand shops. When they’re old, they develop some unique and lovely patinas, but they also polish up beautifully.

candles on sticks — Photo by Gizem Çelebi on Pexels.com

As with vintage water glasses, it can sometimes be difficult to find specific pieces to round out the look that you’re going for. A nice group of brass candlesticks, filled with natural beeswax candles, is a really beautiful addition to a crowcore party table or buffet when you’re entertaining. If you’re hunting for a specific shape or style of candlestick, and can’t seem to find it, TheCherryAttic and pamscrafts7631 might be able to help you. They both have groups of assorted brass candlesticks, sold separately so you can pick exactly what you’re looking for ($9-30).

5. Candles

Some nice beeswax taper candles aside, there are plenty of other lovely handmade candles that can help set the mood for your gathering. I love this massive toad candle from HoneyHoleCandles (and these smaller ones by LuxArtCandles). I wouldn’t ever burn him — I just want to have him around. LOOK AT HIM.

A person in a beige sweater, holding a large black beeswax candle shaped like a toad.

If scented candles are more your thing, you might want to check out this Witch of the Wood soy wax candle (scented with balsam, cedar, vetiver, sage, and citrus) by MoonstoneandMyth, or this Petrichor candle by ValiantCandle.

6. Crowcore Snacks!

I mean, not for humans. I trust you probably have things figured out on that front. (If not, maybe try this post’s recipe for banana bread — it’s really good.)

These are snacks specially formulated for corvids — crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. AnitaApothecaryShop has a bagged blend for feeding your familiars, while OrganicRawRootsFarm has a whole starter kit for feeding crows. Pair it with a dish of fresh, clean water (they like to dunk their food), and you’ll likely have bird friends showing up in no time.

7. Tunes

The last thing a party needs is some ambience. If you’re into fantasy lofi, check out Medieval Lofi. If Pagan and witchy music is more your vibe, I’ve put together a playlist (that I listen to all the time):

For more autumnal favorites, check out Etsy’s list of Fall Entertaining and Decor picks. Happy partying!

Note: Some of these links may be affiliate links. They allow me to earn a small finder’s fee for stuff I would share with you anyhow, at no additional cost to you. It helps me keep the servers firing and the crows fed, so thank you for supporting these sellers and this site!

For the past few years, ever since reading Dana O’Driscoll’s Sacred Actions: Living the Wheel of the Year through Earth-Centered Sustainable Practices, I have been on a reskilling bent. To be honest, it’s also one of the things that helps ease my climate anxiety (and anxiety in general) — increasing my ability to be self-sufficient, gaining skills I can use to help others, and learning how to do things that I can potentially barter with if everything goes pear shaped.

Honestly, Etsy has been a huge help when it comes to this kind of thing. I’ve learned so much about fermentation, soapmaking, pottery, and so much more from kits and patterns that I’ve picked up there. (It’s also been a huge help for hard-to-find supplies, but more on that at another time.)

All of this is to say that I made a cool little guy, and I am going to take him on Adventures.

Image taken from the shop listing, by Tatiana Skalozub.

My Handsome Assistant bought me this kit from an Etsy shop called TSminibears. I’d had it favorited for a while, and he surprised me with it over winter. I was initially a bit intimidated — the finished doll is only a few inches tall, which means lots of tiny, fiddly bits to cut out (while maintaining the proper seam allowances, natch), sew, turn out, stuff, attach, et cetera. So, I put off starting it.

Finally, I got over my initial inertia, traced the pattern, and got to work. As is so often the case, actually starting to do the thing was the hard part. Once I did that, the process seemed to fly by.

The written instructions of this kit are fairly sparse, but that’s okay. The bulk of what you need to know is in the form of a YouTube video, where the creator walks you through the entire process of assembling the pieces, stuffing the crow, adding details, and so forth. As someone who’s had to both write and follow written instructions before, I know it can sometimes be difficult to describe exactly what steps you need to do, and what the desired result should be. This is especially true when it’s an art project, where so many things can influence the outcome and there’s a pretty broad tolerance for minor errors or stylistic choices.

I found myself choosing to skip a few of the steps, myself. I knew I’d probably want to make him some tiny clothes at some point, so I left off the bits that I thought might interfere with this. (For example, the feathers on his head. That might make wearing tiny hats or hoodies difficult. Also, not gonna lie, I kind of fell in love with his very spherically domed, Charlie Brown look and didn’t want to change it.) I stuffed him with a bit of wool with a tiny Herkimer diamond for a heart and, even with some steps skipped, I think he turned out awesome.

I mean, look at him.
He’s adorable.

I can’t wait to make him many tiny scarves.

If crows aren’t your thing (which, how dare), there are a ton of other kits for elephants, dragons, bunnies, a triceratops, and even a bizarrely cute cobra and weirdly endearing mussel. If you’d like to learn more about making stuffed toys and aren’t sure where to start, this is definitely a good place. Take your time, make sure you know which direction the faux fur lays, and follow the instructions on Skalozub’s videos, and you will also make a cool little guy.

Tag: crafts

Party like a Corvid