Happy-almost-Halloween, friends! This year, I decided to enter Hobby Builders Supply & Miniatures.com’s 5th Annual Halloween Challenge for the first time ever with a witch’s kitchen-themed roombox I’ve created. It was truly a magnificent experience working on it, and I feel like I’ve learned so much! Voting is open from 10/26/20 through 10/30/20, and you can only cast your vote once, so if you’d like to choose my entry as your favorite, please do so at this link. And now, without further ado, I present to you…

Halloween at the Hag’s Hearth

Tucked away in a dark, lonely wood, this crone’s kitchen is the envy of every Elphaba in town. At first glance, the hag’s hearth may look like a warm and welcoming country cottage, but peer a little closer, and you might find it’s not quite as innocently inviting as you once thought.

The hag pores over her Cauldron Cuisine cookbook by candlelight, carefully selecting the most harmful herbs, nasty nuts, fatal fungi and savage squash for her elixirs and enchantments.

Her trusty iron cauldron bubbles and boils with a perilous potion over the roaring fire in the hearth.

A witch is nothing without her trusty familiars. Her barn owl and black kitten are her constant companions whilst she toils away at the witching hour.

With a mere wave of her hand, the mop jumps to life, sudsing away any spills by the fireplace. Meanwhile, her black kitten observes from her cozy spot in the basket under the table.

The toad snatches a pesky fly from the air… the dragonfly and spider better beware.

The shelves are well-stocked with Crone’s Brand canned goods and copper cookware, but the remains of the hag’s last visitor serve as a warning to anyone who might stay for a bite.

A harsh wind blew acorns and autumn leaves in through the door, but the crone’s woodpile is stacked high to keep her warm on these cold October nights.

A spider weaves its web on high in the wooden beams, almost overtaking the abandoned bird’s nest that rests there.

The witch’s familiars, whilst loyal and true, are not up to the task of keeping the vermin problem under control. Alas, the rats scurry about, helping themselves to tasty morsels.

This creature of the night hovers near the ceiling, deciding whether to stay for the night in the warmth of the kitchen and risk becoming an ingredient in the witch’s next concoction, or to fly on to safer sleeping quarters.

As the brew continues to bubble, it changes hues… Perhaps it’s just about done.

The kitten curiously eyes the weathered and worn Grimoire, wondering what kind of mischief she can get up to when the hag isn’t looking.

Indeed, this witch’s kitchen is wickedly delicious, and I hope you think so, too!

I’d like to give a special thanks to the following artisans and suppliers for the fabulous items that helped me complete my vision:

• TinyNaturals: the perfect herb bundles and dried flowers
• Bridget McCarty: the adorable black kitten
• Evan Designs: the LED lights used in the fireplace, cauldron, jack-o’-lantern and lamp
• And of course Miniatures.com for hosting the challenge and inspiring me to push myself to create this piece!

I’d also like to thank my husband, Tom, for assisting me with the photos and video for this. Normally, I take all my own photos, but the lighting in this piece presented some unique challenges, so I’m very lucky to have a professional photographer in the house!