Summerween: The Coziest (and silliest) Holiday You've Never Celebrated

Somewhere between sunflowers and shadows, between fireflies and flickering candles, lives a season we have dared to name Summerween.

It's a delightfully odd space where pumpkins meet popsicles; where spooky magic and golden sunlight collide. And here in Cottonwood Forest, and my studio, you'll find dragons enjoying "I-scream" and ghosts wearing their sunglasses.

What is Summerween? 

🎃 A playful, made -up "holiday" for those of us who love Halloween magic a little more than days in the sun, but still want to savor some of the joys of summer.

🎃 It's hot days and scary movie nights. Fireflies and jack-lanterns. Watermelons and witch hats. 

🎃 It's a chance to lighten up Halloween with fun, summer colors, and add some spooky vibes to your bbq.

But, Why?

Why not!? Because creativity doesn't flow with the structure of a calendar. Because us autumn people start getting impatient in July! Because spooky vibes never go away. And, because the creatures of Cottonwood insisted that we celebrate something different this year.

Here are 10 Whimsical Ways to Celebrate Summereween

1. Carve or paint watermelons.
2. Take a twilight firefly walk and tell spooky stories.
3. Freeze summer berries in a skull mold and add to your ice cream.
4. Make an iced pumpkin chai and sip it in the shade while reading a spooky novel.
   
5. Make ghost fruit kabobs. (Regular fruit kabobs with marshmallows w/ghostie faces)
6. Have a Spooky Luau: Make some Fanta and sherbet floats, carve watermelons, make and black and orange foods snack board, paint your tiki torches to look like ghosts, make your own leis with halloween colored flowers...
   
7. Make a Summerween Craft: Lace ghosts, a wreath, paper mache pumpkins...Pinterest has all the ideas!
8. Ghost photo shoot: Using a bright or floral sheet, dress up as a ghost and pose in summer activities.
9. Picnic in the cemetery (this was a go to picnic spot for my sister and I)
10. Go Halloween decor shopping, duh!

Now, off to your summer spooktacular! And don't forget that July 23rd marks the countdown of  "100 days to Halloween"! I'll be in my studio gathering all the spooky cute vibes for the dragons and whatever creatures I can conjure to join the fun! I've already spotted some water creatures (that only show up with the summer heat waves), like Nessies and Selfies, and I'm pretty sure something is haunting the studio...if only I can catch them...anyone know of any ghost traps?