In our Featured Shop series, we shine a light on a standout shop from Etsy’s talented seller community, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at their process and story.
Every fall, the holidays seem to sneak up on each other—Halloween first, then a quick breather until Thanksgiving, with the year-end celebrations right around the corner. Decorating your home without adding clutter (or disrupting your aesthetic) can be a challenge. But if you ask Sarah Gumbrecht, co-owner of GFT Woodcraft, the secret to effortless seasonal flourishes is incorporating versatile pieces like her best-selling trio of reversible wooden jack-o’-lanterns. “They’re the first item we listed, and they’re still our best-seller,” Sarah explains. “In September, when you’re just putting out your pumpkins, you can have the blank side facing out, then flip to the face side for October, then back to blank pumpkins in November.”
Explore the GFT Woodcraft collection
From their spacious woodshop in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Sarah and her husband Eddie cut, sand, stain, paint, and distress each of their festive creations by hand—from seasonal chunky log pumpkins and wooden witches to more evergreen candle lanterns and cake stands. Built to last as family heirlooms, the rustic-chic wares make GFT Woodcraft the perfect one-stop shop for autumnal and wintery decor. “My favorite part of the process is when something goes from an idea in my head to physically existing,” Sarah says. “Seeing it come to life is what I love most.”
Read on for more of Sarah’s top seasonal decorating tips for Halloween and beyond, and shop the GFT Woodcraft collection.
How did you get started designing and selling home decor?
My husband Eddie is a jack-of-all-trades—he does carpentry, plumbing, woodworking, and he’s also a mechanic. I had seen wood pumpkins somewhere, and asked Eddie to make me a pair for Halloween. He made them, and I painted them. We started making other things together, and a friend suggested we sell them. We started our Etsy shop in 2014 with our jack-o’-lanterns. After building our Halloween section, we moved on to items for Christmas, then weddings. In June, we started working on our shop full-time, and now we’re filling in the gaps for other occasions.
How do you two divide the work?
When we started, he did all the woodwork, and I did the staining, painting, finishing, as well as taking the pictures and mailing out the orders. A little while ago, he had some health problems, so there was a period of time where if I didn’t get comfortable working the machines, we would have had to shut down. Now, I also operate the chop saw, drill press, band saw, router, and sander.



How would you describe your aesthetic?
I think when we first started out, we had a more primitive, rustic style. But as the farmhouse style has become more popular, we’ve evolved and leaned into that. It’s still stained wood, and it’s still rustic, but it’s also modern, with cleaner lines.
What’s your creative process like?
We’ve never been “let’s sketch it out” people. Our ready-to-ship section includes a lot of items where we just had an idea, decided to make something, and then put it up in our shop to see how it sells. Eddie can make anything. So if I have an idea but I’m not sure how to execute it, I’ll chat with him, and he’ll help me figure it out. But we’re always physically in the shop, with the wood in our hands, making the thing while we’re talking about it.
What inspired you to work with reclaimed wood?
We bought a house in a rural part of New Jersey. We were putting up a fence and had extra wood left over. That’s where the materials for the pumpkins and log candles first came from. Now, we source our wood everywhere, from landscaping companies to people who are tearing up their old bar or deck.



What are your top decorating tips for Halloween?
Our blood drip candles are brand new, and they’re very Halloween-y without being gory—they’re cute and a little bit funny. The design was inspired by the wax drippings on regular candles. They’re perfect for Halloween parties, or you can put them on your porch for trick-or-treaters. We also have a shelf-sitter set featuring a witch, a vampire, and a monster, all making different faces.
Do you have any advice for transitioning decor throughout the holiday season?
For Halloween, you could start with a set of our pumpkins or jack-o’-lanterns, then add log candles—we offer them in many different colors—for Thanksgiving. When Christmas rolls around, you can introduce a set of wooden trees and some holly. We also make a set of risers and a cake stand for holiday pies.
Also, keep in mind that something that’s painted red, white, and green is specific to one holiday, but stained wood works with everything. Our stained trees with little white dots are marketed for Christmas, but they’ll look great any time of year. They can be used in a nursery, or even as wanderlust decor. Our distressed white pumpkins are another example. The neutral color means they can stay out through Christmas.



What’s next for GFT Woodcraft?
This year, I want us to become a zero-waste shop. When we make something, we often have leftover pieces, like little squares or strips of wood. That’s where our lanterns with square feet come from. The square feet are a byproduct of a different lantern.
We’re also working on some new products for fall. We’re going to offer log reindeer with little leather ears and wire antlers, and I have some new styles of trees coming out. I try to put up a couple of new things every week. When I make something and take pictures of it, I get so excited that I just have to list it.
Follow GFT Woodcraft on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Photographs courtesy of GFT Woodcraft.
66 comments
Anna Sypalo from XstitchbyAnna said 1 year ago
Love colors of autumn! Funny items:)
Kara from ACakeToRemember said 1 year ago
Great tips on making things work for more than one holiday, thanks for sharing!
Henrietta Talfourd-Jones from TalfourdJones said 1 year ago
Congratulations, love the wood lanterns
Sarah and Eddie Gumbrecht from GFTWoodcraft said 1 year ago
Thank you so much for for the wonderful article Sharon! It was a pleasure speaking with you!
Kristine from TheLotusShop said 1 year ago
I think your designs are wonderful! I love the shapes of you pumpkins and the colors are fantastic. Keep up the great work and congratulations on working on becoming a zero waste shop!
Tarnia Janisse from DaisyandCrumble said 1 year ago
What a gorgeous shop! I love the log candles ❤
DecadesOfVintage from DecadesOfVintage said 1 year ago
Great piece about one of my favorite shops! I love GFT Woodcrafts’s products. Simple, clever, timeless and so well made. I also like that they are a zero-waste shop as that just leads to further creativity. Congrats on this great piece
Brittani and Nanci Watkins from thehoneybeeshop said 1 year ago
I love this shop! It’s so creative and I love it all!
Laura Linz from PlannersbyLauraLinz said 1 year ago
I love your products AND your goal of being a zero waste store!
Brittani and Nanci Watkins from thehoneybeeshop said 1 year ago
I love it all! Adorable shop!
Amanda N. from FlowerAndEarthSoaps said 1 year ago
I love the log candles!
Julie Jansen from StellaErwins said 1 year ago
Amazing concept and beautiful work.
Marian from MePlusThee said 1 year ago
So impressed with the creativity and workmanship.
Nancy Meadows from NanasSouthernCharm said 1 year ago
I've always loved your shop so I was thrilled to see the article! I hope your husband is doing better.
Oksana from AmigurumiJoys said 1 year ago
I love autumn for beautiful colors and holidays))))) Great items! Thanks for tips)))
Sheila Clark from AlaskanKnitGifts said 1 year ago
Beautiful items! I especially love the log candles and all the wood pumpkins. So fun!
Dasha from toyscatsnightie said 1 year ago
I love autumn! And these autumn colors are so cozy. And the decor fascinates me!
Julie Jansen from StellaErwins said 1 year ago
Beautiful work and talented artists
Anastasiya from byKiama said 1 year ago
I really liked an idea of little Christmas trees) Congrats!
Natali from SunnyBunnyWorld said 1 year ago
Never seen wooden pumpkins before. They are adorable! All your wooden decor is so heartwarming))
Birgit from CassiaOrganics said 1 year ago
Absolutely stunning Shop! I love the reversable pumpkins, what an awesome idea!
Tatyana from TatiJewelryDesigns said 1 year ago
Great store,I love wooden products!
Aleksandra from CrochetHeroes said 1 year ago
Good article! It's really interesting) it looks great!
Victoria from ForgetMeNotNature said 1 year ago
cozy decor!
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 1 year ago
Great work!
Jennifer Tyson from LadyInPurpleBoutique said 1 year ago
I'm so glad to see one of my favorite shops featured! Congrats Sarah and Eddie! There are so many items I want for my house and as gifts too!
TropicalGarden from TropicalGarden said 1 year ago
Wonderful shop! Love the wooden lanterns:) Congratulations on the feature!
Cole Charlton from ColdStealCreations said 1 year ago
Very nice! Keep up the good work:)
Olga from OllaStore said 1 year ago
Great work! It is inspiring, I love the wood decor! :)
Thiago Bianchini from ThiagoBianchini said 1 year ago
Inspiring work... I love halloween and also love rustic wood decor! :)
Jes from SixthSpice said 1 year ago
Such beautiful designs! So inspiring! <3 Thanks for sharing!
Svitlana from WickerHandicrDesigns said 1 year ago
I fall in love with its colours, deep blue sky, windy breath, dancing leaves and romantic shadows. LOVE you, AUTUMN ❤️
Anna from LissiKids said 1 year ago
very beautiful wooden candles. I've never seen anyone like that! I really like everything in a rustic style.
Svitlana from WickerHandicrDesigns said 1 year ago
I fall in love with its colours, deep blue sky, windy breath, dancing leaves and romantic moments! Love you, fall!
Cathy from msbijouxbeads said 1 year ago
Love your shop, can't wait to see your reindeer logs. Lovely feature!
Niki from CaramelAppleBooks said 1 year ago
Love the Halloween decor!
Tina from sierramoontreasures said 1 year ago
wonderful rustic country designs for home decor! Thanks for sharing your inventive and original creations! Love it.
Julie Michael from ExpressionsNmore said 1 year ago
Creative charm, love them all.
Sharon from YearsAfter said 1 year ago
Very creative ideas using wood! Congrats!!
Posh Park from PoshPark said 1 year ago
Amazing works! Congratulations on the feature :)
Stacey Voss from GreatGiftsandParties said 1 year ago
Wow! Those are some beautiful items. I love the simple ones best. Although those Christmas trees are something I could definitely see on my mantle this winter.
Unique Boutique from UniqueBoutiquePlace said 1 year ago
I got to know them both years ago and still put out their pieces every holiday. They are wonderful people and so happy to see them featured!
ClassicMemories from ClassicMemories said 1 year ago
Very pretty items. Congrats on the feature.
Gwen Tator-Reedy from TatorTotsDesigns said 1 year ago
Congrats on being a featured shop! So inspiring and love your story. Keep up the great designs!
Anna Shpitz from PaSaKaStudio said 1 year ago
I love candy corn and everything related to candy corn!!
Victoria from FolkArtBuffet said 1 year ago
Very cute design! Simple and tasteful.
Nina from NVTdesign said 1 year ago
Come back from break soon! :) - Can't wait to get one of your lanterns..
Rosita from linentextile said 1 year ago
Really cozy items. Wish all the best for you on Etsy!
Olga from SvyataCrochet said 1 year ago
This is what I am dreaming about - lovely family business 😍
Renee from RandMhandmade said 1 year ago
Thank you for sharing! So many fun items!
Renee from RandMhandmade said 1 year ago
Thank you for sharing so Many fun items!!
Rada Danilovic from RadArtaDesign said 1 year ago
Very inspirational rustic design...lovely shop and beautiful story :)
The Creative Mermaids from TheCreativeMermaids said 1 year ago
Super sweet what a beautiful Shop !
Donna from ellis206 said 1 year ago
Love the candle holders!
Posh Park from PoshPark said 1 year ago
Amazing ideas! Congratulations on the feature!
Lidia Mikhaylova from SimpleArtForms said 1 year ago
Amazing! Thanks for sharing! wood lanterns are incredible!
President Antiques from PresidentAntiques said 1 year ago
That's what I was thinking...lovely autumn colors!!!
Virginia from OldPaperPerfume said 1 year ago
Its an incredible shop, love it! Congratulations! Lovely article.
Sally from SallysVintageKitchen said 1 year ago
Lovely shop! Congratulations on the feature!
Tatyana from TatiJewelryDesigns said 1 year ago
Amazing candle holders!
Natali from AllForABrightWinter said 1 year ago
Interesting and beautiful work. They can be used for any reason.
Judy Pilkington from JudysWreathshop said 294 days ago
I love these! My grandson would really like them.
Shelby Spencer from ShelbysDesignStudio said 293 days ago
cute fall decor, love the lanterns!
Barb from Blingyourdoorandmore said 293 days ago
Great wood gift ideas for all occasions.
Robert from Roberts1crafts said 183 days ago
I'm just starting a line of arts. I wanted to see someone else's prospective on here and what to expect. I like what I see in the shops I have seen so far. I sure could use some pointers from any of you. My specialty is wood art
Mariana from MarianasSkulls said 176 days ago
Very cool candle holders! Adorable shop!