Pendulum Peddling

This lovely Tibetan quartz piece was created and sold
to an equally lovely young man in my local Heathen group. 

Return to Crafting Pendulums

I made my first pendulum sale since returning to creating them this year. I took a break after my son was born because keeping the crystals, tools, chain, charms, and beads around is a bit of a safety hazard and hard to keep on task with.

in my workshop

I am a fan of all things divination and making and selling pendulums allows me to combine my love of crystals, divination, and the same crafty skills I developed during my foray into jewelry making a few years back. I have a few great customers who adore their pendulums that I've sold at Renaissance Fairs and craft bazaars in the area.

What is funny is every time I show up with my pendulum display, most people know exactly what they are and comment excitedly that they always wanted one but didn't know where to buy one locally or hadn't found one they resonated with yet.
I love watching them hold these one of a kind pieces and see if it swings in the way of friendship for them.

8 of my one of a kind pendulums are now available on our Etsy shop. Each listing says a little something about the crystal we used and why. I hope you will find them as enchanting as I do.

Etsy Shop

Book Review: Witchy Crafts

Witchy Crafts
60 Enchanted Projects for the Creative Witch
By Lexa Olick

Create powerfully magical crafts, tools, and more with this unique book offering step-by-step instructions for sixty witchy crafts you'll treasure for years to come. Let personal energy flow through your hands and into these fun and imaginative ideas especially designed for witches.
Witchy Crafts is an illustrated two-part manual with Part One covering techniques, preparing your craft projects, and gathering the necessary materials. In Part Two you'll find all sixty craft projects with detailed instructions...
Along with color photos, step-by-step drawings, and correspondence charts, you'll also find numerous helpful tips. Learn how to craft by the seasons, avoid common mistakes, and form a craft group.

I sadly did not have the time to create every single one of the sixty projects in Witchy Crafts - I did do 6 of them from different sections to try and get a good idea of Lexa's instructional style and how workable each project was. The following 6 projects are the outcome, for good or bad, hah!

Witchy Crafts has something in it for every magickal crafter! There are crafts for beginners, crafts for experts, crafts for low budget, and crafts for when you want to go all-out on an altar piece or gift. Some of the crafts are huge and might take a week to make while others are tiny and could take less than an hour if you know what you're doing. There are crafts for every type of magickal practitioner as well, in my opinion. None of the crafts in this book have a definite religious brand on them and they can all be tweaked a little to suit your needs and style. 

Pentacle Purse

I was so excited to see some crochet projects in this book! I love to crochet and I'm all the time looking for witchy patterns online and in books.

I ended up gifting this purse before I could take a picture of the finished piece, sorry. 

Magic Wand Incense Stand

Here was the first issue I came across in the book. I just cannot seem to make a wand stand out of incense cones. I was so excited about this craft too - buying patchouli cones and glue sticks and working away in scented bliss at the craft table...only to have the glue burn me and stick to EVERYTHING and the incense cones fall apart and the stand break away just after my picture was taken. Ack! 

I double and triple checked the book and couldn't figure out exactly what I did wrong. It migth have been the glue temperature, it might have been the type of incense cone I used, it might have been Mercury in retrograde or a void moon...who knows. If you attempt this particular project and it works for you, please let me know so I can see where we differed! 

Kitchen Witch Wand

Probably my favorite of the projects I created.

The spoon was one of my cheapest craft buys ever - got a pack of 3 bass wood spoons at the dollar store for, you guessed it, a dollar. I used Aventurine and gold for the main color themes because I wanted this want to bring in growth, prosperity, and healing into my kitchen projects. The stone donut I bought at Stars of Alaska and the craft wire from Alaska Bead Company. 

I did, of course, have to add my own flair to the wand with replacing raffia/hemp with gold plated copper wire and doing a lil pyrographed sigil on the back. 

Sugar Body Scrub

I tried this out in 2 different recipes to which I added my own ingredients:
Latte: Add a teaspoon or so of used coffee grounds (does cause some coffee residue in bathtub to clean out later) and a couple of drops of patchouli

Calm: Add 5-10 drops lavender essential oil and some lavender blossoms (last part might cause lavender residue in the bathtub to clean out later)

These recipes are very different from each other in that the coffee recipe can add a caffeinated kick to your bath  while the lavender calms you down and relaxes you. I can't take credit for the first recipe at all (coffee and patchouli smell divine together btw) as I first tried it from a sampler bar at the organic foods store Earth Fare in Tennessee years ago - been in love ever since.

I'm Not Done Yet!

There are 60 projects in this book and I intend to try my hand at all of them eventually. Some of these would make such great Yule gifts for my witchy friends! I currently have on my crafty to-do list the Pentacle Wreath and Coasters, Goddess Cornucopia, all of the tarot projects (of course), the ritual capelet and clasp, and the Altar Fan. Yea, its a long to-do list...

Issues with the Book

Besides not being able to figure out what the hell went wrong with my incense cone wand stand...I did have a couple of other issues with the book.
When Lexa uses clay, such as in the Heirloom Chalice projects, she doesn't explain very clearly that baking the heirloom pieces like toys and buttons could cause them damage like melting and burning - big safety tip there. I know it should be common sense but I've seen enough craft projects in my time to know that people can get really into what they are doing and without gentle safety reminders they tend to forget that sort of thing.
In the chapter Marvelous Mixtures: Recipes to Delight the storage notes are lacking. When dealing with oils, especially base oils like cocoa butter and almond oil, I always consider the fact these might go rancid without proper storage. I was disappointed to find no notes on storing the lotion bars, sugar scrub, or milk bath and as to how long they should be stored for before going bad and no longer can use. This is something readers would have to look up on their own, so the book is not an all-encompassing resource for these crafts. 

Happy Little Chapter Extras 

I really loved all the little extra chapters added to the beginning and end of the book that sort of hugs the projects together.
The section on creating a craft group is wonderful for those witchy types that want to get together to celebrate and create. Its especially good for those of us who are solitary and hermits...ehem...to remind us to get out there and be around like-minded magickal people sometimes.
The Witch Trials and Errors chapter near the back of the book that covers different difficulties you might run into when creating these craft projects is super helpful. She covers allergic reactions, the need to work with non-porous materials like glass, and keeping your craft tools away from your kitchen tools.
I'm also a big fan of the charts in the Appendix. These are great and super simple references. I do, however, always recommend every practitioner create their own metaphysical correspondence charts at some point. 

Rating

While I really, really loved the projects and the whole concept of the book, I did have a couple of working issues with it. In the end I give Witchy Crafts 4 Stars

The Author

Lexa Olick has been crafting for over twenty years, creating artwork through knitting, crochet, felting, ceramics, sewing, and more. Her artwork has been featured in the online magazine Dark Romance, Dog Fancy magazine, and the Showtime series The L-Word. Lexa is also a talented writer who as received numerous awards for her screenplays. 
Visit her online at WitchyCraftsBlog.com

2 Natural Remedies for Our Growing Baby

One of the things about the first year of motherhood that nobody warned me about was how often caring for my son meant more than rocking to sleep, nursing, and changing diapers. I had no idea how self-destructive babies are. It seemed I was constantly running after my son as he rolled, scooted, crawled, and toddled into danger. Then, there were the times when I was too late, he was already crying.

Thankfully, years of treating myself and my husband with natural, herbal and energetic remedies had given me a leg up in the matter. I was able to combine the advice I'd read and learned from family about babies with what I already knew about herbs and healing. This gave me a handy medicine cabinet as well as confidence as a mother.

Olive Oil for Constipation

This natural remedy was one my mother-in-law recommended. I had no idea about it and am still not sure as to why it works.
For a baby who has constipation, rubbing olive oil on his feet, legs, and/or belly will relieve him gently. When I asked how, she shrugged and explained it was something she learned when she was taking care of patients at a home. A fellow care-taker did this for the elderly patients who had chronic constipation, massaging their legs downward with it and then their feet. My mom-in-law tried it on her kids and her sister's kids as well and it worked great.
I gave it a shot during those colicky days when my son hadn't had a bowel movement. It did work, like a charm as the saying goes. In fact, I learned that just a drop or two for his feet was more than enough. If i put it on his legs or belly, he went too much.
I later added a little but of lavender essential oil to the olive oil to help add a soothing, calming effect during the bad days when he was colicky and cranky.

Breast Milk for Conjunctivitis

When my son was eight months old, he had what looked like the beginnings of pink eye. Hoping it was just allergies, I called his doctor. The nurses at the office worked with me over the phone to take a picture of his eye and email it to them. After looking at the photo and talking to me about how he was acting, they explained that they didn't think it was pink eye. He didn't have the sticky discharge and crust around the eyes as part of his symptoms.
To relieve the eye redness and itch, they conveyed a remedy I had not thought of; breast milk. Squirting a little breast milk in the eye gives the area a safe dose of the body's natural antibiotics and cleans the eye out. Just a few times that day and the next and the redness was gone. My son stopped rubbing his eye and crying. The issue was taken care of.
The nurses also said that a squirt in the eye would remedy pink eye too in many cases. I was amazed and relieved to have a free and beneficial medicine near at hand.

*Please see your health practitioner for any health problems you or your child has. None of this is meant to treat or diagnose.
This is an excerpt from my book on my Spiritual Journey from Miscarriage to Motherhood.

Happy Autumn Equinox

Happy Autumn Days from Our Family to Yours!

Pagan Parenting: Choosing a Godparent

How to Choose a Pagan Godparent 

A tradition that is picking up popularity among Pagan Parents is choosing godparents. While godparents are usually only chosen among Christians, specifically Catholic, families, the idea of having a person to guard over the child...

Including 4 Steps for Choosing a Spiritual Guardian for Your Child

and 3 Magical Tools to Help Pagan Parents Choose!

Also, please consider stopping in for a moment and answering a few questions on this Pagan Parenting Survey!

I'm Writing a Book

I wanted to share with you, my darling Terrestrial readers, that I am writing a book. This is a project I've been rolling around in my head like a loose marble for some time now actually. I decided to share the idea and my journey with you not only so that I can build some momentum for myself but also to create some accountability.

My Journey from Miscarriage to Motherhood is the working subtitle for my book. I'm not quite ready to release the title I'm using until it is more set. As this working title suggests, this is a book that details my process of grieving, healing, pregnancy, and becoming a new mom. I will be sharing my spiritual journey during this time as well as the tools and resources I used.

Why am I Writing this Book?

When I had my miscarriage I had a very difficult time finding any resources that spoke to me as a grieving woman and a pagan. I also couldn't find very many resources when I was healing, when I became pregnant, and even fewer as a new mother who is also developing in my spirituality. Instead, each of these times in my life, my spirituality and metaphysical development always seemed separate when it came to the books I was reading, the sites I was visiting, and the groups I was part of. I thought this was strange because loss, motherhood, and creation of a new life all are part of a profound spiritual journey in and of themselves.

So, like most of the things I write and do, I was inspired by what I wanted to read and find. I am writing this book for any other woman who is going through similar trails and joys. It is my hope that more and more of these resources will become available to women and that we can grow as a tribe of spiritual mamas.

My Plan

Here is where accountability comes into play.
I was working on a bunch of freelance articles and pitching and using that as an excuse not to write on my book. My day is pretty full with watching and caring for my son so when I am writing I tend to be unable to focus on multiple projects at one time.
I will be in a couple of books, having a few guest posts on blogs that I adore, I turned in an essay for a pretty awesome publication that I'm waiting to hear back from, and I am hoping for other opportunities to work for pagan and parenting publications.
That being said, I am switching writing priorities.

My plan is to write the first draft of my book by October 30th. That gives me about a month and a half if I guess days of not writing properly. I know I can do this because I have written fiction first drafts in 30 days. This book will be easier as I don't have to take time to make up what to write, it already has happened - I lived it.
Here is also where I will not be holding back. Already there are sections that I have planned or that I have written that I am wondering if they will make the final cut. I wonder if they would be better suited for a different book or a different resource all-together. For now, I will write them and leave them where they are an muddle out the puzzle pieces of chapters and sections later with the aid of beta-reader eyes.

November I am taking time off my non-fiction writing to work on a fiction piece for NaNoWriMo.
I will return to this project in December, reading my first draft with an editing eye. After making the initial edits I will need to re-write it. The re-write will then go to my lovely beta reader.
After my beta gets the manuscript back to me, I'm hoping by February, I can work on the 2nd re-write.
Then it goes to another beta reader, to get another perspective.
By April I would like to be pitching publishing companies. I have a couple in mind already but am looking for a good list to consider where my book might be best suited.

To be honest I am not sure if my plan is far-fetched or not but I feel better having that on one sheet, my outline on another, and 20k words written.
When I feel stuck I just stop for a bit, look at my outline to see if there is another section I'd prefer to write at this moment or I think about what it will feel like to be done. I also think about what women in my position are looking to read. This spurs me on.