Meraki Studios Brings Handmade Creativity to Its Halloween Collection
Festive Designs with a Belizean Touch
Today’s episode of Open Your Eyes featured Meraki Studios, a Belizean small business creating handmade polymer clay earrings, as founder Astrid Xiu showcased the brand’s Halloween collection and the creativity behind its unique designs.
Inspired by Halloween, autumn and childhood memories, the collection features playful ghosts, bats, witch hats, pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, fall leaves and designs celebrating Día de los Muertos. The collection also includes popular characters from Harry Potter and The Nightmare Before Christmas, reflecting the interests that inspire Astrid’s creative process, including those of her son.
Turning Polymer Clay into Wearable Art
Astrid explained that she began exploring handmade products in 2020, during the COVID-19 period, when she wanted to create something more personal and add her own artistic touch to her work.
Each pair of earrings requires careful attention to detail, from shaping the clay and adding small decorative elements to painting and applying finishing touches. Some designs, such as the pumpkin earrings, can take two to three hours to complete a single pair.
Working primarily on her own, Astrid balances custom orders with the development of seasonal collections. While Halloween designs are created beginning in September, preparations for Christmas start in October to meet the demands of the upcoming holiday season.
Celebrating Belizean Culture Through Design
Beyond seasonal collections, Meraki Studios offers a Belize-inspired collection featuring designs such as Morpho butterflies, Belizean flags, a map of Belize highlighting its districts and jaguar earrings. The brand also creates custom pieces for customers seeking specific styles for special occasions.
Astrid shared that the business has received support from both local and international customers, with some earrings purchased as gifts and sent to destinations including the United States and Europe. The brand also uses gold-filled materials in its earrings to accommodate customers with sensitive ears.
Where to Find Meraki Studios
Customers can browse the available designs and place orders online, with shipping available throughout Belize. Meraki Studios also sells through selected retail locations, including Gallery 501 in San Pedro, Alaya and Soft Lash in Belmopan.
The business can be found on Instagram at @Meraki_BZand on Facebook, where customers can also reach out directly. With Christmas designs already in development and more seasonal collections ahead, Meraki Studios continues to bring handmade creativity and personal expression to Belize’s fashion scene.