Here is a way to make “Hippie Candles” as they were called in the 60’s. You need to first obtain the sand - either the beach, sandbox or you can make a box and fill it with sand just for this purpose. Size, of course will depend on how large your candle is and how many.

First, moisten the sand enough to where you can make holes in it without the sand falling back down into the hole. Then Dig your hole in the sand the shape you want it. The easiest to start with are tapers but pyramids and cauldron aren’t much harder. If you want legs on your candle - take a pencil (unsharpened) and poke hole for the legs in the sand.

When the shape is finished - hold a piece of wick over the approximate center and gently pour the wax into the hole, making sure the legs (if any) are filled.

Allow the wax to set, which can take a while. After testing wax to make sure it is ready, slip fingers into the sand under the candle and gently lift it out. Brush off any excess sand. If the legs are uneven, you can even them by sitting the candle in a hot frying pan. You are done!

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Homemade Rune Stones

Items needed:

25 flat, porous stones that are similar in size

1 fine point paint pen (white worked best for me)

A book or guide to look at while drawing runes

A pouch to store runes in afterwards

The first thing you need to do for this craft is find the stones you

are going to use. This can be a great opportunity for a family

outing. Pack a picnic and take the family to the nearest river or

creek bed, and start looking for stones! Rivers and creeks produce

some wonderful round stones that make awesome runes. But please

don’t forget to thank the gnomes and water spirits for their

sacrifice while you’re taking rocks from their home. And, just to

let you know, my runes are made out of river stones that I found

with my family when a girl. I held on to them for all these years,

and now I know why. ~lol~ (Pic to the right.)

But…if you don’t live near a creek or don’t want to invest the time

(shame-shame), go to the nearest home and garden store because they

sell them. Don’t purchase lacquered or glass stones because the rune

symbols you will be painting on them will eventually peel off. Look

for natural, porous stones if you want the paint to last for years

to come. (When I say porous, I don’t mean stones with humongous

holes. I simply mean stones that have not been finished with a

glossy coating.)

Now that you found your stones, take them home and wash any extra

dirt from them if you got them from nature. While they are drying,

take out your rune guide and practice drawing runes on a piece of

paper. Please take this extra step to practice to ensure you will

draw them correctly on the actual stones. Once you make a mistake,

it’s very hard to cover.

Now that your stones are dry and practice time is over, take out

your fine-point paint pen and carefully draw each rune symbol on

each stone. (One symbol per stone, in other words.) Once you have

each symbol drawn, you will notice you have an extra stone. Don’t

worry, because this will be the Wyrd, or blank rune. This rune is

not meant to have a symbol. It means “unknown fate”.

Allow the paint to dry, which shouldn’t take too long, and place

your runes in their pouch. I use a Crown Royal Whiskey pouch, but if

you’re handy with a needle feel free to make your own. Cleanse and

consecrate your new runes, and start doing some readings! Have fun!!

http://www.magickalpair.net/crafts.html

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Faery Tambourine

The gentle music and sweet fragrance of this tambourine is said to be irresistable to even the shyest faeries. Use it with a kind heart
to lure them from their hiding places.

Materials
* 2 feet (61 cm) of grapevine; honeysuckle, or other woody vine
* floral wire
* liter-sized soda bottle
* 4 yards (3.7 m) of 1/4 inch-wide (3mm) ribbon in one or more colors
* measuring tape
* scissors
* 4 jingle bells
* various fresh herbs and flowers

Instructions
1. You can buy small grapevine wreaths at craft stoes. but most faeries can tell homemade from store-bouth, and they tend to be more receptive to things you make yourself. Simply wind grapevine, honeysuckle, or a similar woody vine around the sode bottle. Avoid any vines that look hairy: it could be poison ivy! Wind the vine around the bottle several times, occasionally threading it through the inner part of the wreath and back out again. Secure the circles of vine to each other by tying small lengths of floral wire in four or five places around the wreath.

2. Measure and cut four 24-inch (61 cm) lengths of ribbon.

3. Double a length of cut ribbon. Thread the folded end through the top loop of a jingle bell and pull through enough ribbon to loop around the wreath. Add the rest of the bells in this same way.

4. Thread the ends of the ribbon through the loop and tighten, pulling the bell close to the wreath. Tie a simple knot in the ribbon to secure the bell.

5. Measure and cut a 36-inch (92 cm) length of ribbon. Tie one end with a small knot to the wreath. Wind the ribbon all around the wreath form.

6. Decorate the wreath with fresh or dried herbs, leaves,
berry sprigs, or dried or fresh flowers.

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How to make a Druid’s Wand

The Druids Wand can be used in divination when you have no specific 

question in mind, but want some idea of what is coming up in the next 

lunar month or twenty-eight days.

Making a Druid’s Wand is simple. Cut a straight, twenty-five inches 

long 

and half an inch thick branch directly from a tree. (Don’t forget to 

ask 

the tree’s forgiveness and give it your thanks.) Take your branch home 

and clean it - peel off the bark, use some sandpaper on the rough spots 

and cut it down to twenty and four-fifths inches long (a Druid cubit).

Taking your Druid’s Wand/branch, and using a ruler, mark off two-fifths 

of an inch on either end. One of these ends you will color black, and 

the other red. You can use either wood paints or suitable colored 

markers. This now leaves twenty inches of the wand blank. Again, using 

your ruler, divide these into twenty one-inch spaces making nineteen 

small circles around the circumference of the wand.

Your next task is to fill in the letters of the Coelbren of the Bards 

alphabet along the wand with black paint or marker. Start with the red 

end of the wand and letter your wand. You may choose to write the 

figures either horizontally or vertically along the wand.

When all of the figures are filled in, your wand is finished. You can 

apply a coat of sealing agent to the wand, if you wish, or you can 

leave 

it natural. It is recommended that you consecrate your completed wand 

before you use it. Since you will have to wait until before the next 

full moon to do this, you should wrap your wand in a piece of clean 

white cloth until that time.

After your wand is consecrated and ready to use, refer to A Witch’s 

Book 

of Divination for divination methods and interpretations.

© 1996 by John Michael Greer

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Make Your Own Magickal Prayer Sticks

In some traditions, a feather attached to a specially carved and painted
stick is a powerful way to make an offering and petition to the spirit
world.

The decorated stick represents the message, and the feather calls to the
spirit bird or totem to carry the message to the heavens.

You can make a prayer stick as a unique gift for someone special.

There are no set rules as to length, but the most common prayer sticks
tend to be made from a peeled willow branch. These are often carved,
painted, wrapped with leather or colorful fabric, or otherwise
decorated. All these things can take on special significance by simply
using your intuition or by relying upon a form of symbolism you are
comfortable with.
To activate the prayer stick, your friend need only plant one end of it
in the earth. As the feather flutters in the breeze it activates the
energies of the stick and your friends prayers will soon be on their way
to the heavens.

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GODDESS BOX

Make your own Goddess Box to keep your treasures in. Things that make
you ‘YOU’ and promote your inner Goddess.

Find or make a box that is attractive to you. Preferably during a Full
Moon, put all those special momentos inside…a picture of your
grandmother, charms, stones, crafts, souveneers, seashells, a greeting
card you bought for yourself because you loved the picture or
sentiment… anything that is special to you.

Get some cute stationary and cinnamon oil. Write wishes or goals you’d
like to manifest, one on each paper. Dab each page with cinnamon oil.
When you fold the paper, make sure the folds are going towards you, if
you’d like to accomplish this thing or bring it to you. Cinnamon oil has
a nice, powerful energy, and your Goddess Box will always smell
wonderful.
Place your box in the light of the Full Moon, whether outdoors, or by a
window to let it soak up all those Full Moon blessings!

You can, and should add to this box at any time! Maybe you find a great
rock out walking, write a poem, recieve a pretty ribbon on a
gift…anything. Look into your box anytime as well…when you need a
pick-me-up, or you’re just having a Goddess night.

Enjoy!

By, Summer Aine

from Bewitched Cafe

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Herbal Beads

tapestry or carpet thread (smooth, not fuzzy)
a darning needle
a button
a small knife
dental floss (for the finished beads)
a food processor or spice mill (optional)

1/2 cup flowers or herb leaves, fresh or dried
3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
water
10-15 drops essential oil (complimentary to your
herbs)

If you’re using fresh flowers (or fresh scented
geranium leaves),
take petals and discard the hard parts like stems and
such. Try to
use only the parts that are aromatic. Process the
herbs until they
are pureed or very finely chopped. The easiest way to
do this is in
a food processor. If you are using dried herbs,
process them the
same way or rub them through a sieve to make a powder.

Once you’ve pureed or finely chopped your plant
material, begin
adding the all-purpose flour. The amount listed is
approximate. You
will need more flour if your puree is soupy or your
chopped herbs
are very moist. You may need less if your plant
material is drier or
if you use powdered herbs.

If you use powdered plant material or if your plants
are dry, you
may need to add water. Start with 1 tablespoon and
begin mixing the
plant/flour mixture.

The dough should be about right when it looks like
craft clay for
kids (e.g. Playdough). Add a little more flour to the
mix if it
seems too soft or a teeny bit of water if it seems too
stiff. The
dough will definitely be too soft if you pull on it
and it easily
stretches like kneaded bread dough. I do most of my
dough mixing
right in the food processor, periodically playing with
the dough to
see if it feels workable.

When the dough seems right, begin by pinching off
chunks and shaping
them into beads. You’ll notice that chopped plant
material will
cause your beads to look course at this point. They’re
still quite
attractive this way! Another way to make the beads is
to roll a
chunk into a long tube or snake and then chop off
bead-sized bits
with a knife.

The dough remains workable for quite some time, but if
it starts to
feel very dry to the touch, it’s starting to harden.
Making the
amount specified above should keep them from beginning
to harden
before you’re done. If they start, try moistening the
surface of the
dough very lightly and working the moisture in
quickly.

Once the beads are shaped, you can add essential oil
to them if you
like. Adding the oil sooner usually results in poorer
quality beads
because the oil evaporates quickly when you mix
everything together.

Once your beads are shaped, knot the end of the thread
and string it
through the bottom of the button. Use enough thread to
string your
beads with room between them for moving around as they
dry. String
the beads carefully, being sure they have their holes
where you want
them (some people may not want the hole to go right
through the
middle). The beads will shrink slightly as they dry.

Hang the beads in a warm, dry place with plenty of
circulation and
away from lights. It should take about 3 or 4 days to
dry fully. The
size of your beads and the weather will make a
difference. Be sure
to slide the beads on the string every so often to
keep them from
sticking together or to the string.

When the beads are dry, store them in an airtight
container until
you’re ready to string them together. I’ve found that
dental floss
(not tape!) works best for stringing the beads
together.

Other Hints and Tips

Dried, scented geranium leaves held their scent
throughout the dough
drying process and required absolutely no essential
oil.

~author unknown

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Glycerin Soap Recipes

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Offering Dish

Items needed:
Sculpty or Fimo (found at most craft stores or
Wal-Mart)
leaf of desired shape and size
oven proof bowl approximately the size of the leaf
knife
acrylic pain (optional)
acrylic sealer (if you’re going to paint it)

Directions:

On a cookie sheet or tin foil, oll out the Sculpty or
Fimo with a rolling pin or flatten with our hand until
it is approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick.Smooth.
Press leaf on top of fimo so that impression is made.
Trim off the excess fimo from around the leaf.
Remove the leaf.
Carefully remove the fimo leaf from the cookie sheet
and place in the bowl so that the edges curve upwards.

Bake in the oven according to the direction on the
package - usually 200 or 250 degree oven for 20 - 25
minutes. Allow to cool.
Paint and seal with acrylic, if desired.

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I have read runes for years and I found making my own set as a valuable spiritual experience. This article gives great ingformation about the process.-L
How to Make Runes

The contents of this website are copyright 1997- 2001 by Corrine Kenner. All rights reserved.
Runes are remarkably easy to make, in part because their originators crafted runes with straight, simple lines and rudimentary tools. Almost anyone can re-create the primitive look of the ancient symbols. Here are some ideas that you can borrow and adapt to make your own set of runes.

Clay Runes
Divide a handful of clay or clay-like material into 25 equal sections, and roll each section into a ball. Flatten the runes slightly, either with your fingers or a flat, smooth surface like the bottom of a drinking glass. Use the dull edge of a knife blade or a clay-sculpting tool to carve a single runic letter into each piece of clay. Fire or bake the clay until it’s hard. If you like, you can then color in each runic inscription. Historically, it’s thought that rune makers used blood to color their runes; today, most people prefer paint or magic marker.

Wooden Runes
Find a tree branch that’s at least two feet long. The branch should be the same diameter along its whole length, so that each rune will be roughly the same size. Some say you should use a branch from a fruit-bearing tree, while its still in its blossom stage. You might want to find a fallen branch, or if your political sensitivities allow, you can cut one from a tree. (Cutting live branches can be a touchy issue among some rune experts. Some say it’s acceptable, especially if you ask permission or leave an offering of some sort. Personally, I think it’s okay to cut a branch or two from a tree in your yard, particularly if your motives are pure and the tree needs pruning anyway.)
You can peel the bark off the branch, or leave it on for a more rustic effect. Cut the branch into 25 even, half-inch sections. You might want to cut the sections slightly on the diagonal, so you’ll end up with a larger, more oval surface for each inscription.

Alternately, you can use 25 small, evenly sized twigs, or buy pre-cut, pre-sanded wood pieces from a hobby shop or a hardware store.

Use a knife or a wood-burning tool to carve a runic letter on each piece of wood.
When you’re finished carving your runes, you might want to coat them with a layer of varnish, shellac, or polyurethane.

Stone Runes
Go to a beach — some people say it should be an ocean or seaside beach, on Wednesday (Odin’s Day), as a storm approaches — and select 25 small stones that are roughly the same size and shape.
Paint a runic letter on each stone, then coat them with clear varnish so the letters don’t wear off. Spray-on finishes work especially well with stones, and can even give them an attractive, lustrous finish.

Shell Runes
As long as you’re at the beach, you might want to make yourself a set of delicate shell runes, too. Just find 25 small shells, and paint a runic letter on each one.

Leaf Runes
You can make a beautiful, temporary set of runes by painting runic symbols on leaves — especially colorful autumn leaves. When you’re finished, you can keep them with you for a time, like talismans, and then cast them to the wind for good luck.

Glass Runes
Visit your neighborhood craft shop or discount store and pick up an assortment of glass gems, the kind that are used in clear vases and bowls for floral arranging. Use a glass etching tool, paint, or a metallic ink marker to emboss each gem with a runic letter.

Paper Runes
Draw, write, or paint each rune on a small piece of card stock or heavy paper. If you like, you can embellish each rune with meaningful illustrations that symbolize that rune’s meaning and significance. You could even make collage-style rune cards, with pictures and images that relate to each symbol. You can decorate the back of each card, if you like, and laminate them so they’re easy to shuffle and impervious to everyday damage.

Tips and Hints

Here are some additional suggestions to keep in mind as you craft your runes:

· The most powerful, most meaningful runes are those that you handcraft for yourself or for someone you care about, with natural materials that you’ve collected.

· Don’t worry about making each rune “perfect.” But do try to make your runes roughly the same size, shape, and texture, so you can’t tell them apart by touch or feel.

· As you create each rune, say its name over and over to imbue it with the full force and power of that letter. Repeating the names will help you memorize the runes, master their pronunciation, and help you connect to the archetypal energies of each one.

· You may want to research color symbolism and design your runes accordingly, to imbue them with additional power and significance.

· You might want to sew a storage pouch for your runes. You might like choose a rustic fabric, like burlap or muslin. You might even be able to stitch together a piece of leather and a rawhide drawstring. You can paint, embroider, and embellish the pouch however you like.

· If you like, you can bless or consecrate your runes before you start using them. You can pray for guidance and enlightenment as you use the runes. You can envision them surrounded by pure white light, or you can bathe them in the light of a full moon. You can purify them by passing them through the smoke of burning herbs or incense, or you can sprinkle them with salt crystals.

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Growing Ostara/Easter Baskets
Supplies needed:
Empty 1/2 gal. Milk Cartons
Potting Soil
Grass Seed (fast growing if you have it)
Stuff to Decorate Carton
Take empty milk cartons, cut down to 4-5″ high. You can cover this with contact paper or construction paper and decorate.

Fill 2/3 full with potting soil, the generously cover with grass seed. Have children water daily; grass should grow in about 4-7 days.
With remaining carton, cut a handle to staple to the basket. Fill with decorated eggs.

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