House Blessing/Smudge Box DIY

 

My very good friend and old roommate Kristina bought a new place and wanted to 

cleanse her house of any odd spirits and negativity. 

She found a smudge box on Amazon for $25.93 and asked if I thought

what it offered was worth the price. 

The package includes:

• 1 natural Abalone shell
• 1 wooden display stand (to hold shell)
• 1 gray feather (states its traditional for smudging)
• 1 Kokopelli good luck key-chain
• 2 White Sage sticks
• 3 Palo Santo sticks 

Even though the smudge kit may come at a moderate price 

(especially when you think about purchasing all of these items separately it adds up!), 

Kristina preferred a more authentic kit that I could put together in New Orleans, 

known for its witchcraft, Voodoo, and Hoodoo. 

So I went shopping in my altar supply box at home and in the French Quarter.

The items I did not have on hand I searched through many stores for the best price.

I went to the usual places I frequent like Hex, Nola Rock Co.,

& The Artists Market & Bead shop all on Decatur & Barracks St. 

I found some new places like Conjure, Voodoo Authentica, & Boutique Du Vampyre. 

There are many more places that sell the necessary supplies but on this 

day I ventured to these stores:

Here are the items I made or bought in the French Quarter:

• 1 White Sage stick - $4 (Voodoo Authentica)
• 1 Palo Santo stick - $2 (Conjure)
• 1 Mystifying Mints Ouija tin - $5.43 (Reverend Zombie's House)
• 1 Selenite wand - bought for $5 which was almost a foot long so I cut it in half (very easy to do) = $2.50 (Nola Rock Co. on Royal)
• 1 black Tourmaline - rough cut $2 (Nola Rock Co. on Decatur)
• 1 clear Quartz - rough cut $2 (Royal Street Stones)
• 1 black small altar candle - $1 (previously bought in Salem 2018)
• 1 brown small altar candle - given as a gift 
• 3 white tea light candles with herbs & crystals added (on hand)
• Bay leaf sachet - bought previously on Amazon 
• Feather stick with added stones/thread - found feathers 
• Full Moon incense cone sachet - previously bought at Walmart 40ct for $2 & came with metal cone stand 
• 4 Four Corners jars - glass jars with metal screw tops bought a 12pk  for $6+ at Michaels (with a 40% coupon) 
• Rice - $0.78 1 lb at Walmart
• Sea Salt - Hain 21oz. $1.78 at Walmart  
• Dried Lavender - 5 sachets $1.90 from Wish
• Dried Sage - from my garden $3+ for the plant at Lowes 
• Black & yellow wax - from a Halloween tea light candle - 8pk probably $1 
• 1 Match book - caught during one of many Mardi Gras parades 2019
• A handful of Salem rocks from Collins Cove bay 2018 
• Red Brick dust bag - homemade from a brick found under my house
• Cardboard Day of the Dead skull shaped box - held candles, matchbook, & rocks; Dollar Tree
• Cardboard rectangle box with magnetic closing lid - held all supplies; Dollar General $2

Total: Around $22 NOT including the Four Corners jars since I made multiple sets (3).

I wrapped most of these items in tissue paper, luckily I received a wonderful deep brown 
tissue paper from one of my purchases that day & used it on most of the pieces.  

Salem rocks, a matchbook, & three white tea candles inside the skull shaped box:

• The white tea candles were placed in an old sauce pot with enough water added to not exceed the side of the candle tin & heated to boiling. 
• Once most of the wax melted I turned off the stove & let the wax cool somewhere between translucent & opaque wax. 
• Then added dried lavender, wild yellow flowers, bay leaf pieces, & clear quartz chips (same chips as the ones on the feather stick). 
• Once the wax hardened, I wrapped each in tissue paper, also hoping they won't melt when shipped.

Altar candles - each candle color has a meaning, the colors I included are black & brown & are perfect for home blessings. Light these candles while performing the Four Corners home blessing or during smudging:

• black - safety, protection, banish negativity, pride, & shape shifting
• brown - home blessing, pets, animals, stability, locating lost items

The selenite wand is used in conjunction with the black tourmaline stone for home protection:

• Selenite (white/clear): good luck, protection, removes energy blocks, & powerful intuition stone & physic awareness. It brings a very protective, yet calming and angelic energy into your home to promote a peaceful space. Selenite crystals also have the ability to quickly unblock any stagnant or stale energy, 
• Black Tourmaline: protection against negativity = repels & blocks, transforms negative energy into positive. The powerful minerals absorb electromagnetic radiation, which makes it excellent for placing near computers and other electronics. One of the most powerful and effective crystals for anxiety, you'll feel instantly calm and relaxed by holding a stone in each hand.
• When combined: Selenite greatly magnifies the energy of anything that is placed upon it - Black Tourmaline; this makes a powerhouse protection combo. They have slightly different energy frequencies. Look at Black Tourmaline as the protective shield and Selenite as the guardian angel for your home.

Bay leaf sachet & it's uses:

• For protection, good fortune, success, strength, purification, healing & psychic powers, 
• Write a question on the bay leaf, burn it in an open flame, if it crackles & burns brightly the outcome will be positive, if it refuses to burn or smokes the outcome is negative. 
• Place a leaf under your pillow to induce prophetic dreams, also place between the bottom sheet & your mattress to attract luck while sleeping & a good night's rest. 
• Place one in each corner of your home to protect all that dwell there.
• Carry in your pocket to protect yourself against black magic.

The Mystifying Mints Ouija tin: the mints inside are the shape of a planchette (ouija eye) and are quite tasty (I have a tin for myself). Once the tin is empty, use it to place the smoldering Palo Santo or Sage stick in so you'll have a free hand to use the feather stick to waft the smoke into high ceilings. Be careful the hot tin does not burn you. Maybe use a pot holder!

Smudging: 

• Smudge sticks are used in ceremonies and rituals involving smudging, a practice that involves the burning of certain herbs (white sage, desert sage, cedar, lavender, palo santo sticks, etc.) to create a cleansing smoke bath, which is then used to purify anything from people to ritual and ceremonial space, to tools and objects. Sacred to many cultures, particularly Native Americans. 
• Sage are burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out evil spirits, negative thoughts and feelings, and to keep negative entities away from areas in which ceremonies take place.
• White sage is very common, also called salvia apiana, grown in parts of Mexico & California. Can be burned as incense sticks, tied up bundles, or individual dried leaves. Sage has a very strong potent odor similar to earthy tones & mint. 
• Palo Santo: translates to "Holy wood"  best when used for deep healing and clearing energy. Its benefits include relieving the symptoms of headaches, inflammation, emotional trauma, stress, colds and much more. Palo Santo has a citrus- like scent.

The feather stick contains one seagull tail feather (found in the sand in Long Beach, MS) 

and one blue jay tail feather (found in my backyard).

*I determined the origin of each other feather here*

The blue jay feather was hot glued at the base of the seagull feather, I added a metal Rune bead to 

the base and wrapped tan thread around the shaft.

Before I finished wrapping the end I glued on pink and green threads (with added quartz crystals) 

to the shaft and then wrapped the rest of the tan thread around it, finished the end with hot glue for security. 

The labels were cut from a brown paper bag that I received while shopping.
I made a simple outline tag, added fancy font with a black ballpoint pen, & used an 
X-acto knife to cut an X to string the cord through.
Simply tied the label around each wrapped item. 

All wrapped up

I added a rolled up instruction sheet to the box with all of the items included and their purpose. 

This photo was taken before I added instructions on using the red brick dust and the brown candle.

The sheet was made out of the same brown paper bag that was used for the labels. 

Front of instruction sheet

Back of instruction sheet

Everything fit nicely in a cardboard box approximately 8"x5"
After I laid everything down I added crumpled tissue paper to fit in the empty 
spaces so the items would not move around during shipping.
Also I plan on updating this when I hear back from Kristina to see if the wax & candles 
melted by the time it arrived in Orlando from New Orleans. Hopefully the tissue paper helped!

July Birthday Presents: Paintings

Well I moved out of my hometown a couple of years ago so sending gifts 

usually means selecting something from Amazon Prime

since the shipping is included but sometimes gifts from online feels impersonal. 

Dollar Tree sells multiple sizes in white canvas (not much bigger than a book).

They conveniently weigh nothing so it only cost about $1 to send each gift. 

Kristina's birthday gift

I don't think I have ever painted anything for Kristina that wasn't a skull or skeleton. 

She always receives an annually late skeleton christmas gift (see past posts)

White background, black skull outline I found online, & black

arrow stamps that I made out of a bent paperclip. 

Black skull outline & paperclip stamps

Elizabeth's birthday gift

We both share a love for all things Harry Potter 

and this painting has been on my list for some time.

 I researched a couple of youtube videos on Starry Hogwarts to paint my base. 

I like how it turned out but there's always room for improvement. 

Starry Night at Hogwarts 

DIY Herb Drying Pentagram Rack

Supplies:

• Sticks (find them in your backyard)
• Cotton twine (Dollar Tree)
• Something to hang it on: I had a black v-style shelf bracket (don't know the real name) from a previous buy, I believe less than $2. 

The sticks I used were about 20" long. It took my three tries searching in the backyard to find the perfect combo.

I ended up with extra sticks which is what I used for the photo diagram.

Align the sticks in a star position and have them interchange/overlap.

Tie the twine around once, wrap the twine as much as you prefer, and then tie the end and cut the string at the knot.

For the hanging strings, measure out 4-6 strings at equal length (approximately 18 inches) for each point of the star. 

Tie the 4-6 strings together at the end of each star and when finished with all 5 points tie all together towards the middle.

And hang!

Add your herbs!

I used the same Dollar Tree twine to tie the ends of my herbs to dry

On the far left point is dried basil and on the far right point is fresh basil, approximately 2 weeks from fresh to dry (brittle) 

UPDATE: DIY Spellbook Tea-dyed pages

Well I am starting over on my Stregheria....

The funny [not really] thing is I haven't even completed the first spellbook,

but I decided about half way through that I would make a new one

WITH LESS MISTAKES.

So a lesson I have learned while writing in the first book is that I should not have binded the book (sew in the pages) until I was finished with the artwork/spell writing.

I like to trace beautiful artwork or tough fonts onto the pages from my desktop screen (taken off the stand) but this has proven to be difficult when the book is bound. 

SO, I am starting over. 

Drawing out the pages first then binding the book after.

If I mess up on a page I can throw it out and start over instead of keeping the crappy page in the book or ripping it out (which is not an option in my mind). 

Also I'll be making a new type of cover, not with paper mache but with faux leather from a thrift store.... we'll get to that in a year or two 😁. 

The first step is to dye the spellbook pages with black tea BUT

this time I'm adding in a little extra to the water:

• 9 black tea bags (at first 5 tea bags weren't dark enough) 
• 2 chamomile tea bags - for health, peace, luck, money, reversing hexes, & purification 
• Handful of loose dried lavender - for love, purification, clarity of thought, visions, & wishes   
• 8-10 bay leaves - for protection, psychic powers, divination, success, granting wishes & good fortune
• Handful of dried sage - for protection, peace, sacred purification, & consecrating magical tools  

Heat the water to just before boiling & steep the herbs for 20 minutes.

Look at that steam

Set-up your kitchen factory and follow the steps from the previous DIY project (because I don't want to photograph the whole process again 😊) (make sure the tea water is cool)

*Be gentle with the pages when dipping them because they will tear easily

**Dip the page once & hang, once it has dried (about 40 minutes), dip the page again for a darker color

***I bet the tea is drinkable (before factory processed paper was added) but let's just go ahead & state: DON'T DRINK THE WATER!

Feeling Witchy: Protection Sachet bag

Feeling Witchy: Protection Sachet Bag

 For protection:

Carry with you, leave in your car, or home, bring with you on a trip!

Supplies:

• Quartz - for awareness, clarity
• Snowflake Obsidian - for spiritual protection 
• Dried basil - for home protection, peace, courage 
• Dried bay leaves - for protection 
• Dried mint - for protection, peace 
• Dried Cedar - for protection, longevity, & cleanses negative atmospheres
• Cinnamon (stick) - for protection, happiness  
• Garlic (glove) - for protection 
• Sachet
• *Add dill or parsley if using the sachet for travel or in your vehicle
• Drill and hammer to break down cedar (unless you have very strong hands!)

***UPDATE 2020, I found a four-pack of dried cedar bags (used for dresser drawers) that was already broken up (loose) and they worked perfectly. I also found it on clearance for less than $3.***

Disclaimer: I made 2 different versions of this sachet because the first time around I used what I already had in my house; garlic powder, cinnamon powder, and possibly the wrong cedar...

When I was packing the bag with the dry ingredients I noticed that the garlic & cinnamon powder fell right through the small holes (I knew it would happen but went for it anyways).

I wasn't sure what to do since I didn't want to transfer everything into a glass jar (also commonly used in making sachets/jars) since I didn't have one.

I used a piece of tape and stuck the powder ingredients to it and placed it in the bag... I did not like that look.

I also couldn't find any cedar trees around my area and kept searching at Lowes. 

I came across a Japanese Cedar tree and plucked a few sprigs off. But it didn't have the cedar smell I was expecting nor the look of a cedar tree.

After regrouping, I bought cinnamon sticks at Dollar Tree and used part of a fresh garlic glove and let it dry out a little. 

I searched Walmart for cedar balls or sticks in the laundry area because cedar is commonly used to ward off moths.
All I could find was cedar blocks used for hanging in the closet and figured it would do... Also they smelled great.

SO I have some pictures from the first attempt and my latest attempt: enjoy that confusion!

 Taken from a page in my spell book.

When packing this sachet take a few minutes to meditate and envision yourself cloaked in a security blanket. 

First add the herbs:

• I dried the basil and mint from my garden and crumbled it in the bag 
• I wrote on store-bought bay leaves with a red permanent marker and crumbled the leaves into the bag.
• I bought a 6-pack of cedar blocks at Walmart for $4 and cut them down (see below). 
• I dried a fresh garlic clove from a bulb bought from the store
• And the cinnamon sticks were from Dollar Tree. 

First version

Second version

That's Keanu climbing onto my table because apparently I wasn't giving him enough attention. 

Majestic... I know 

Lets break down the cedar blocks:

 I used a 3/16 drill bit and placed the block on an old shoebox.

 From there I drilled multiple holes on the corner of the block to make it easier to break.

 I broke of the end of the cedar corner with a hammer. 

 I ended up with a couple of more pieces after using the hammer and broke that down with the drill the same way. 

 Crumble the herbs:

 Bay leaves are commonly used for wishes: write your wish on the leaf and carry it with you.

I wrote on the leaf "Protection" and then crumbled it for the bag. 

 Add all of your dry ingredients: 

Bay leaves, basil, mint, garlic (cut in quarters), cinnamon sticks (broken in quarters), cedar chips, and I still add the Japanese Cedar sprigs from Lowes for good measure. 

 Hold the quartz and snowflake obsidian in your hands for a few minutes:

Think positively and wish for protection and good health.

Once you feel that the stones are "charged", bury them inside the herbs and tie shut. 

 Now carry the sachet with you or place it where you would like to be protected: home/car. 

I gave one to my mom and she sleeps with it under her pillow because she loves the smell. 

Which, by the way, is wonderful. The mixture of smells range from sweet cinnamon and basil to blunt fresh garlic and strong cedar and it actually pairs quite nicely.