There is something about fall that makes me want to slow down a little.
The bright colors of summer begin to fade, the evenings get cooler, and suddenly the warm, earthy colors of the season seem to be everywhere—on the trees, in the fields, on porches, and in the decorations that start appearing around our homes.
That is where my fall star designs come in.
When I started thinking about creating stars specifically for fall, I didn't want to make complicated decorations covered with every possible autumn symbol. I wanted to keep things simple and let the colors of fall do most of the talking.
So I began working with burnt orange, mustard gold, warm brown, burgundy, muted greens, and natural wood tones—colors that remind me of changing leaves, pumpkins, old barns, warm wood, and cool autumn evenings.
And, of course, I put those colors on stars.
Some of my stars are flat wooden stars, with carved lines radiating from the center. Others have a more dimensional, carved look. I like mixing the two styles because they give me different ways to create displays.
But something else happened along the way.
I accidentally came up with a star that started looking a lot like a pumpkin.
I had been experimenting with my dimensional stars and different shades of orange when I stepped back and looked at the finished pieces. There they were—stars that somehow looked like they had crossed paths with pumpkins!
I hadn't really set out to make a "star pumpkin." It was one of those happy accidents that happens when you're simply playing around with an idea and seeing where it goes.
Put several of those orange stars around a real pumpkin, and the effect is pretty fun. They almost become wooden star pumpkins of their own.
And that's one of the things I enjoy most about making these. I don't always know exactly what a star is going to become when I start.
Sometimes I start with a piece of wood and a color. Sometimes a carving idea comes first. Sometimes I see something around me and think, I wonder if I could turn that into a star?
The experimenting is part of the fun.
Another thing I look forward to every September is setting up my cornucopia of stars for my market sales.
I gather up a bunch of my fall-colored stars—orange, gold, brown, burgundy and other autumn shades—and let them spill out of a cornucopia in a big, colorful display.
And this is where I get to have a little fun.
For my September market, I drop the price to just $5 each or 5 for $20. I'm not as concerned about making a big profit on each star. I enjoy watching people dig through the pile, pick out their favorites, mix and match colors, and create their own little collection.
Some people want one. Some can't resist five.
And that's exactly what I like about it.
It's less about making the perfect display and more about having fun with the stars, the season, and the people who stop by my booth.
For fall decorating, these stars can be used in all kinds of ways—a few tucked into a bowl of leaves, displayed on a shelf, mixed with pumpkins and other seasonal decorations, used as a rustic centerpiece, or simply placed somewhere that needs a little autumn color.
And because they're not tied to one particular holiday, they can carry you through the season.
Fall can become Halloween, and Halloween can become Thanksgiving without having to change everything.
That's the part I really like.
I'm not just making decorations. I'm experimenting with wood, color, texture, and the feeling that a simple handmade object can bring into a home.
And sometimes the best ideas are the ones you accidentally discover along the way.
That's part of the journey.
Crafting wooden stars with a purpose—for all seasons and reasons. ⭐
Follow the journey at starguydesigns.com.