Who Is The Halloween Hobbyist?

Greetings fans and artists of STJ! My name is Kristen and I am proud to be a new reporter for the STJ blog. I am a Halloween art collector, a Halloween decorator, and I love to get crafty for the holidays. I will be sharing with you tips and news around topics of interest to STJ fans.

I have always liked Halloween. As a kid my favorite memories are of trick-or-treating in my Aunt Karen’s neighborhood in Bay City, MI with my sisters, cousins, and best friend Erin. No plastic bags or pumpkins for us – we used a cotton pillow case for maximum hauling capacity. I still remember one of her neighbors who dressed up as Frankenstein and laid in a coffin with a bowl of candy. I was so scared to get to that bowl, but I did it.

My interest in Halloween collecting started back around 2001. I fell in love with the Department 56 display at Hallmark. Not long after that I was doing searches on eBay and somehow I stumbled upon some original Halloween art. I was hooked. A decade later we have so many wonderful resources for art collecting – STJ, blogs, Facebook, etc.

I was lucky enough to meet the ladies of STJ at the National Halloween Convention in May. It was at that show that a seed was planted in my head to get more involved. In my next post, I will explore the Hungry Ghost Festival in China.