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Saturday, April 13, 2019

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!

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