Moving!

Things have been quiet on the internet for me because I'm moving in the real world! Yes, that's right, a new little abode to call our own with a separate space to devote solely to crafting! All my precious supplies and tools are tucked away in cardboard boxes and it's quite exciting to think of all the organizational possibilities and the vast amounts more space I'll have to spread my creativity on to. Be back soon!

The Dark Half

Good evening everyone. I'm wishing you all a Happy Samhain, Dia De Los Muertos, Dia De Los Santos, All Soul's Day, or whichever Ancestor/Spirit Festival you celebrate. This is the lower part of my altar for my favorite time of year. I painted the small cat painting in the back which at some point may be for sale in the etsy.

With the beginning of the dark half of the year I am always filled with bountiful inspiration. On it's way is a shipment of bottles from the Sunburst Bottle Company which are ready to be filled with all sorts of delights for the coming darker months. I've already drafted a label design as well which I shall debut in good time.

I hope the conjuring of your ancestors is blessed and for now I'll leave you with some pictures I'd like to share from recent outings and museum trips with the boy.

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that I'm still hanging around. For the time being my focus has shifted elsewhere but with the approaching Sabbat I feel it's time to reenter the blogosphere and pick up my tools to begin crafting again. I should have a small posting coming up within the next few days to show you what I've been up to.

Feels good to be back!

Don't forget to check out the Giveaway over at Carolina Gonzalez's blog!

More charms and uncreative titles.

It's been a long time, I know. But I'd quickly like to share some small things I've been up to. I'm tired so this will be short and quick.



These are some smudge sticks that just finished drying. They are made with Sage and Lavender and tied with purple cotton cord. The Lavender is from my own garden and I was nearly bitten by a large spider while harvesting some. I think it's Arachne telling me to keep up with my crafting!

Below are several more charms I've made similar to the one in my previous post. All of these are made with a mixture of bought and found, vintage and new beads and findings.


This one focuses on the Water element, being made with silver chain and several shell beads and freshwater pearls. The other beads are glass and amethyst stone chips and silver toned dangles to catch the light.


This one focuses on the Fire or Sun element and channeling masculine energy. It has amber colored glass, Red Jasper stone chips, and a mixture of brass and gold metals.



This one is my favorite and represents Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. The upper part is a wheat design with spring colored glass teardrop shaped beads, while the lower part represents the time during the year that Persephone spends in the Underworld with Hades. The red glass beads are shaped like Pomegranate seeds and I thought it appropriate to add them.

Evil Eye Amulet

Here's what I've been up to lately! I've been making charms and amulets, most of which I will debut a little later, but for now I'd love to know what you think of this simple charm! It is used to protect the owner from the Evil Eye, or those who look at you with jealousy and envy and can even curse or jinx you. It protects you from those who covet your belongings, success, and power, and repels the negative energy created. There are also two round Hematite beads on this charm which will dissolve negativity and help protect your aura.

These charms are simple but effective and can be hung in your house, above a doorway, in your car, in your garden, or even worn as a striking piece of jewelry!

These, I hope, will be a great addition to a shop I should be opening within the next few weeks. Love to get some feedback!

Hiking and works in progress

Last week I went hiking in Great Falls Park, Virginia with a few friends. It's about an hour or so away from where I live which isn't a bad drive for a place so beautiful. We ended up hiking about 6 miles before the thunder rolled in and we decided to call it a day. We scaled large rocks, shimmied along sheer drops, hiked through muddy bogs that sucked at our boots, and hopped across the river on slippery rocks. It was amazing. We only stayed on the Virginia side and next time I'd love to hike along the Maryland side.



Stunning trees while on the Swamp Trail


The swirling river...


Moss covered trees








I took this while sitting on a large warm rock in the middle of the river. I could have sat there for hours...



I've also been very busy with assembling swap and personal packages for the Summer Solstice round of the WWP @ Craftster.org.

I blended a few batches of Summer Solstice Incense, made a custom incense blend for a friend, brewed up some Four Thieves Vinegar, and did the first few steps of a batch of Kyphi incense. I went on a craft stash shopping blowout and bought a ton of silver charms on clearance to work on some charms and amulets using the many beautiful beads I have. I also started another knitting project using some vibrant teal colored wool I got at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival I attended several years ago. I still have yet to work through all the wool I bought when I was there. This is proof I need to knit more, haha!

Exploring scents and gypsy magic

So I've been absent for a while but in that time I've acquired a real job and have slightly abandoned most of my projects in exchange for commuting. Instead I've been stocking up on supplies and continuing research and general reading about certain paths and delving deeper into my own. Today I went and purchased the pictured mortar and pestle which is dense and heavy and spectacular for grinding tough resins. The ones I've used in the past didn't have the perfectly bowled bottom but this one does. I plan on wearing shoes when I use it since I know I'd break a bone or two if I dropped it on my foot!
I've only recently begun to brew things again and also pictured in the photo are two small bottles of Dragon's Blood oil I brewed recently. There's also some loose incense pictured here that I'm making for a friend containing Myrrh, Rose, Jasmine, Frankincense, Spearmint, and a few other fancy things. I don't like using anything unnatural or manufactured so my incense and oils are the real deal. The base I use for my oils is Safflower oil which is rich in Vitamin E.

I've also been doing some research on gypsy paths and religion and picked up a book at the thrift store called Gypsies: Their Life, Legends, and Lore by Konrad Bercovici. It sort of jump started an interest for me in their paths. The book itself is old and slightly archaic, being written in 1882, but is full of interesting wisdom. Occasionally older literature can be a bit of an arduous read but it flows easily. It tells a first hand account of their history through the author's experience living with the Gypsies for a considerable amount of time. It's interesting. Also was in the book store today and picked up a Llewellyn book called Charms, Spells & Formulas by Ray T. Malbrough. The book itself had recipes and such pertaining to Hoodoo and while most people snub anything published by Llewellyn, this book isn't too bad. It's useful and informative and contains many recipes and instructions for oils, incense, powders, etc, which is right up my alley. While I never try to go straight from books when it comes to recipes and spells, it's good for reference.




Pictured above is the top section of my altar again, this time in honor of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God. He represents light, warmth, life given by the Sun, and growth. While I try to stick to mostly the Greek Pantheon, there are a few members of the Egyptian Pantheon that tend to communicate with me well. Nut, Bastet, and Seshat are a few of them.

Secret Fairy Projects.

I've been struggling with a new job and school and have really had to discipline myself to finish the projects I've undertaken. This is one of the little projects I've done which will be sent to my partner in one of my most recent swaps over at Craftster.

Fairy Magic Trinket Bag

This one was really ambitious for me but probably the most fun so far. I actually traveled with this little project, taking it to the boyfriend's house and back since I really wanted to work on it as often as I could. I broke away from the typical square shape I usually use and started experimenting with different shapes through knitting. After drawing it all out and planning the shapes and designs, I knitted the front piece first using a mossy green wool. I then cut the rest of the bag from chocolate colored corduroy salvaged from some pants I thrifted. This is when I began the hand beading, letting the muses guide my design and color choices. Since my partner is really into fairies I wanted the colors and designs to emulate dancing fairies, laughter, and nature. After finishing the beading, I lined the bag with green felt and stitched it all together using a pea green embroidery floss.

I will be accepting commissions for these shortly if desired. I'd love to know what you think!

Mystic Trinket bag

It was a nice day out yesterday and I decided to spend most of it with my family, but into the evening I decided to make another trinket bag. These are such a fun and tranquil craft and I've already begun a third one.



I really wanted to focus more on the beading with this one. I knitted the main part of the bag with a lamb's wood/acrylic blend of worsted weight yarn using size 2 needles to get a really tight knit and solid base for the beading. The beads used are all glass beads, some of them were reclaimed from childhood jewelry and some of them were gifts. I just kinda went for whatever with the design as always. I then stitched up the sides using purple embroidery floss in both a whip stitch and back stitch.

I find that these are simple enough that I don't get distracted while making them and move on to something else like I tend to do with larger projects. I have a problem with that :)

Cold Spring

Today I'm devoting solely to some crafting and cleaning. So far I've organized my craft area and desk, watered the seedlings, moved around some furniture, and completely revamped my altar. I've been pretty productive so far.

Today I made a trinket bag with a really vibrant spring theme. I've had this cotton yarn lying around for a few years. I got about 50 yards of it at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and have never really found a purpose for it. I thought the colors, pastels wound with red thread, were really perfect for the season. I knitted up a quick rectangle with it and stitched it up with red embroidery floss, attached a braided handle to wear it around your neck or tie it to a belt or something, and glass and wooden beads for decoration. This was my first time adding beading to anything and I think it turned out well. I get a really good vibe from it, very strong and cheerful. I really plan on making more of these today. They take no time at all and they're really fun.

The seedlings are going strong! This is the Flax here, but many of the others have sprouted. I keep forgetting that Rosemary and Lavender have a longer germination period then most of the other seeds I planted so I was getting quite impatient! But now their little sprouts have poked their heads about the soil so I'm happy.

I wish the light was better in this room, but alas. This is the upper part of my altar. I just added this part today since I usually run out of space on the bottom part quite quickly. The upper part changes the most here. On either side of the vintage glasses used as tealight holders are two needle felted eggs I received in my last swap at Craftster. The pretty lady in the center is a vintage find from the 40's or 50's I believe and I sometimes use her as a Goddess figure. The little wreath behind her is woven Willow branches.

Below is the more working area of the altar. This is the cleanest it will ever be. Incense is burned down here, charms and amulets are charged, stuff is constantly being done on this part of the space. Either that or I do it outside. But for those times when I can't and the nosy neighbors are watching I do this stuff inside.



I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful day and for those celebrating have a wonderful Spring Equinox.

Another watercolor

Goddess of the Dark Blue Watercolor on Paper. 2009

These are really relaxing. The process is incredibly organic and even though more planning went into this one I didn't feel constricted. Fun stuff.

I'd love to hear what you think about it.

Watercolors

On a whim I decided to break out the watercolors after using them for my Craftster card swap portion. I love the murky mixing of colors and the transparent layers. It's all very fun for me and watercolors are more forgiving than you'd think. It's sort of a self portrait since I was in a selfish and strange mood last night.



Consumption by the Blue Boy Watercolor and ink on paper, 2009

I know it looks just like slap dash color, but it means something. I'll leave that up to interpretation, though. I might work on some more watercolor stuff since it's so organic and enjoyable. I dislike any craft that is too much of a hassle because it gets in the way of my process, of the flow from my brain to my hand.

Apologies for the shoddy picture, but I don't have a very good camera. I use my phone :)

Started my seeds today

So this morning I decided to get a jump on things and plant my seeds. It's such a beautiful day I thought it terrible to waste it on silly things like sleep. I planted half my seeds in the cut off bottoms of water bottles, and the other half in those newspaper starting pots I was telling you about. I really just didn't feel like folding all that newspaper. Heh. They're now sitting outside on my back porch in the wonderful morning sun.




Here's some strawberries. I hope they do well. I'd love to be able to pick these right of the vine and eat them. That would be wonderful. The beans are in there too, but they're hiding.

A Moth's Closet

So I decided to start another blog, this one being just for my clothing inspirations. I hardly buy new clothes anymore, most of them are vintage, thrifted, or made myself. I draw lots of inspiration from stories, art, nature, and I wanted a place to document it. Go check it out.

A Moth's Closet, or the button to the right :)

Under the weather

This is the grizzly scene at my desk. I've been really under the weather and have been consuming tea at an alarming rate. I have one of the three bugs going around, this is the "congestion, torn up throat, coughing and sneezing" one. There's also a puking bug too and I'm very glad I didn't get that one. What I hate the most about being sick is the fatigue. I barely have the energy to think of something to say so all of my projects have been put on hold until I feel better.

I made this mug around the same time I made the other three, but this one is mine. I have a bad habit of while making gifts and crafts for others, I always have to make myself a little something too. Isn't it always important to just treat yourself every once and a while? I think so.

I've started folding newspaper starter pots to begin my seeds in for this year. So far this years I have seeds for Rosemary, Lavender, Chamomile, Thyme, Poppies, Sage, Peppermint, Spearmint, Dhalia, Flax, Black-Eyed Susans, Cherry tomatoes, and String Beans. I'm really excited. When I transplant them, I plan on giving the Peppermint, Thyme, and Spearmint their own containers since they'll grow like little rabid beasts. This year is my first year trying vegetables too and I hope they turn out yummy. If they do, I'll definitely try more next year.

Until then, I'm going to nurse my disease. I hope I get better soon. Wish me luck!

Tidbits of floss and wood

I think everyone really underestimates the beauty of Carnations. People label them as a generic flower and even get insulted if they receive these instead of roses, but I think their beautiful ruffled petals are lovely. They promote healing and they were given to me by someone really special to me. They make me smile every time I look at them. I plan on drying two of them, and pressing the other two so their beauty will serve me in other crafty ways down the road.

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So I've been involved in mostly swapping recently, but in taking a break from those projects I decided to poke around with something I've been wanting to do for a while. I've made several wreathes, dream catchers, and even bracelets using branches, but never just a star. I decided to give it a go.




The twigs themselves are pine from my yard. The black and red cord is embroidery floss and the copper bits are some copper sewing thread I have. There's an assortment of beads on there, including some gemstone beads I have (Red Jasper, Hematite, Unakite), silver bells to keep those pesky bad spirits away, the black and gold glass spiral bead at the top, and a small gold toned honey bee.

This little project was really fun, and surprisingly quick. I think if I hadn't been watching television I could have finished quicker though. It now hangs above my main doorway. I've already made several more, but a growing headache will prevent me from sharing pictures this post.

Hope you enjoy.

I've been working on....

Stuff! Lots of stuff! Is everyone just as excited for spring as I am? I'm really looking forward to going outside and collecting branches and acorns and twigs and things, and just enjoying the sun. In the picture above are some smudge sticks I threw together after a trip to the store for some fresh herbs. One of them is Sage and Lavender (grown myself) and the other two are Sage and Rosemary. They're almost dry, probably another week or so.

Meanwhile it's still dark and cold out so I suppose I will just sit inside and craft. Heh. I've been working on many things, some personal, some for other people, most of which I can't show you since they are part of my swap over at Craftster.org.

These are some natural bobby pins I made the other day. Just kinda got in the mood of it and didn't wanna stop, but I ran out of pins. If I used any more I wouldn't be able to put up my hair. From left to right- star anise, small pine cones, acorns, and a bobbin (I know this isn't natural but I wanted to make it anyway, heh). And the typical action shot below of me wearing the acorn bobby pin. I have long hair and it's sometimes difficult to find stuff to do with it other than keep it down. So making these cute bobby pins was some great motivation to do some fairy-ish messy updo's. Like that glow of my 22" monitor on my face? It's the only way I get a tan :) Haha!






For Christmas my sister gave me this children's wood burner she found in her boyfriend's garage, so I've been practicing with it. I have a GIANT stash of wood pieces from when my mom used to do wood crafting so I only need to buy big things like boxes when I want to do something. The tip of the burner is a chisel tip and kinda clunky but I'm slowly learning to control it. I've been making little charms like the ones above. They're pretty fun and easy to do. I also did one and decorated one of my oil bottles with it.


This is my Sleeping Serpent Oil. Like the tag? I think it's adorable :). It's strung there with some copper wire, teal colored wool yarn with black embroidery floss twisted around it and a few beads. I actually carved out the stars on this one with an exacto blade so it's woodcarving too! Hah! I like how rustic it looks and I'm always thinking of ways to make my stuff prettier. The Sun and Moon charms above are going on some personal bottles of their respective Oils just like the one above. I might do this regularly since making these little wooden charms is easy peasy. And if when I open a shop this would be a cute addition to the bottle.

Here are the Sun(left) and Moon(right) oils doing their thing. I only brew oils in small batches right now because it's only me using them. I use Safflower Oil as my base because it's colorless, odorless, and lots of antioxidants and Vitamin E.

I also bought tons of seed packets because I plan on starting up my herb garden again, but in containers. Also I want to grow a few veggies since stuff like Tomatoes grow easily in containers and they are super yummy. I get most of my herbs at the Global Food market either dried or fresh, grow a couple, and plan on growing more. I really need to expand my stock of herbs but it's hard without buying them online. Might do some personal swaps to get some more herbs, eh? Who knows.

I know this was really just a quick overview of what I've had my paws in and I will be sure to keep you updated. Hope everyone else's crafting is going just as well :)