Hey Goblins, uh

Did you know, that you can make an AWESOME journal for your adventures ALL ON YOUR OWN from a cereal box and paper/scraps that you likely have at home/can get from friends or family/you may find around your environment?

They’re called Junk Journals and they’re my entire life.

Im gonna do my best to walk you through how to make one! First, get you a mini cereal box! I use boxes from those cool multipacks of cereal that you can find at Walmart!

And then cut it out so it looks like this! (I already had one cut, so I’m gonna use that)

That “nutrition facts” side is gone become your spine!

Next, find some paper to use to decorate your cover! I was lucky enough to be gifted a bunch of scrapbooking paper, so I’m gonna use that, but you can also use newspaper, paper from books/magazines, junk mail, napkins, paper towels (excellent texture), etc!

Go ahead and glue that paper to your box (to cover the cereal logo) and cut it out! It’ll look like this;

Next you need to find your pages! Again these can be anything! Junk mail, envelopes, receipts, food wrappers, magazine/book pages, scrapbook paper, computer paper, construction paper, ANYTHING. Just grab a whole bunch!

You’re gonna want to fold them in half and cut them to the size of one of the covers of your box, and layer other pages inside of it to make your signatures, like this!

Each signature should be about 7-10 pages. You don’t want them too thick, otherwise the inner pages start sticking out when folded in half. You’re gonna have a LOT of these signatures, as you wanna fill the area in the spine as best as possible. For this one I’m using 7 page signatures. Here’s a pic to show just how much paper you’ll need

Each of these signatures are 7 pages, 6 signatures have only filled about half of the spine, so I’ll need probably 6 more.

Next you gotta figure out how you want them in your journal. Personally, I like to sew them into the spine, but you can also keep them in the spine with rubber bands, so you can have removable pages! (Be weary that rubber bands may break over time! So you may want to always keep extra bands near it to replace in case one snaps. This is why I prefer sewing them in) I find it best to look up on YouTube how to sew in signatures, just because having someone walk you through it where you can see what they’re doing is easiest. If you can’t access YouTube, there’s plenty of text tutorials on how to sew in signatures online, or you can message me! I’m not gonna go too into detail, but here’s the jist;

Okay so I’m a forgetful gob and I hecken forgot to take pictures as I was going along kahshshshsh

But essentially, I sewed in the pattern similar to the one I drew. The dots are where the needle goes all the way through to the back. I also like to use rubber band as an extra mode of support but you can do one or the other. I also like both cuz I can tuck stuff in em between the pages. Since I didn’t take more pictures; I’d really recommend looking up a how-to on YouTube or w/e if my badly drawn diagram isn’t clear enough (heh sorry about that)

Next, I glue fabric to the spine. It spruces it up quite a lot and holds the rubber bands in place, plus it give more support to the spine since there’s gonna be a lot of strain on it.

Only 10 photos per post, so I gotta post this and reblog it with the rest.

Here’s the journal with the fabric on the spine, I decided to go ahead and glue the excess to the rest of the cover too, cuz I liked how it looked ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Next step?

DECORATE the pages! I haven’t decorated this one yet, but here’s some pages I have completed!

Have fun with it! Make tuck spots and hideaways. Add folders and envelopes and make tags and things that dangle. Decorate the covers and the spine and make it your own! Add things as you find them! Anything! Even candy wrappers! This is really the ultimate goblin journal!

I hope y’all enjoyed this mini tutorial =3

Honestly @gayestgoth I’m not sure how you don’t think it’s goblin. In my opinion, using garbage to make something cool is very goblin. And not only that, you can make these with ANYTHING.

Here’s one where I decorated the cover with actual leaves

I regularly use materials and litter that I find while out in the woods. I pick up all sorts of paper, receipts, scraps, cloth, advertisements, broken beer bottles, etc to use in my journals. And because I’m picking these things up, there’s less litter in the woods. PLUS I’m recycling. And I press plants into them.

Half chewed papers? Go for it! I set the corners of pages on fire before cuz I liked the burnt look! (Do with caution) chew ya own papers! Make it unique!

And shinies?

I’ve got plenty! I use all kinds of clips, wire, beads, buttons, pins, coins, etc in my journals. Half of which, I find in the garbage.

Hell,

I found the upholstery fabric I used for the cover of this journal in the garbage!

So how is this goblin?

How is it not?

Types of Herbal Remedies

I’ve compiled a list of types of herbal remedies, with brief instructions on how to make them. Choose your herbs carefully, as some are poisonous, some will interfere with health problems and medications, and some can cause allergic reactions.

If you are concerned about any health issue you have, or worried about herbs reacting with your medications, go talk to your doctor. This post is not intended as medical advice.

Compress

This is usually cloth that has been soaked in a herbal infusion so that it can be applied topically. Useful for skin issues, muscle pain, joint pain, and general aches.

You can make one by soaking cotton wool in a warm infusion of your choice, wrapping the balls in a piece of clean cloth, and applying to the affected area. Once the cloth cools down you can soak it again in the warm tea and reapply.

Infusion

This is basically the herbalist term for tea. The herbs are usually dried and ground before being steeped in very hot water and then strained out. If you use a bag then you can skip the straining.

Tincture

This is similar to an infusion but much stronger, and with alcohol instead of water, which helps to preserve it.

Put your herbs in a jar. Cover them with alcohol (most people I know use vodka). Put the lid on the jar and shake it daily for a month or so, then strain the herbs out. I tend to keep mine in the little dropper bottles, as you normally don’t need to take much at once.

Decoction

I like to think of these as a stronger infusion. You need four times as much boiling water as dried herb, and you want to simmer the mixture for about half an hour before straining.

Syrup

These are herbs mixed with a sugary substance, which makes them easier to consume and helps to preserve them a little. They’re a good way to get your herbs in if you have a sore throat, as they are often quite soothing.

You’ll need a couple ounces of fresh herb per pint of water. Put them on the stove and heat until about half of the water has evaporated. Then you need to add about five tablespoons of sugar/honey/maple syrup per pint of water you used originally (so if you put two pints in the pan, you need ten tablespoons). Keep stirring for about twenty minutes, then take it off the heat and bottle it up. You need to keep syrups in the fridge, preferably in a dark coloured jar or bottle.

Balm

Essential oils and beeswax, basically. Add about twenty drops of essential oil to a cup of melted beeswax, stick it in a jar, let it cool, and there you go! You can mix in juiced herbs if you like, but that’s optional.

Salve

A salve is basically essential oils mixed with beeswax, oils and herbs. I have seen them made with coconut oil, though if you live in a warmer environment then coconut oil won’t work for you as it melts. You need about fifty/fifty dried herbs and beeswax (if you live somewhere warm) or use a mixture of beeswax and an oil like olive or safflower if you live somewhere colder, just so it’s soft enough to use. Use about twenty drops of oil per cup of beeswax. You’ll need to melt the wax in a double boiler, and let the herbs infuse in the molten wax for about half an hour. Then you add your essential oils, and pour the molten salve into the containers and let it cool.

Ointment

This is basically a liquid balm or salve. Follow the methods above, but use oil instead of beeswax.

Bath

When taking a herbal bath, you are basically making a giant cup of tea! Fill an organza bag with your chosen herbs, and put it in the bath while you run the water, then remove it before you get in. You can reuse the bag of herbs, but they lose potency with each use, so I try to avoid doing this.

Poultice

This is a paste of herbs and sometimes other things that is applied to the skin. Used for infections, splinters, burns, boils etc. They’re pretty simple to make, you just mix some dried herbs with a tiny bit of boiling water to form a paste, put it on the area, and use a piece of cloth or gauze to keep it there. If you want to use fresh herbs you just mash them up.

Peace and Healing vial💕

I made this for my mum a while ago! She still keeps it beside her bed. :^)

Vial contains:

This is what I was doing this last full moon. It’s a moonsalt pendulum!

To make one, you just make some appropriate moonsalt, and give it a pendulum string!

Here’s a tutorial, for those who don’t know how to make moonsalt or pendulums. Also, lesson learned: get a vial with a decent sized opening at the top. There’s a reason my moonsalt is mostly oil… it was hard to stuff the ashes and salt through the top. It’s a lot smaller than it looks in this closeup.

You need:

A jar/vial pendent

Salt

Oil

Paper

Pen

Fire resistant dish (microwave and oven safe is good)

Utensil for burning (fork/tongs)

Lighter

String

1. Make a sigil (mine was for truth)

2. Activate the sigil.

3. Burn the sigil over the dish. (BE CAREFUL DON’T HURT YOURSELF)

4. Collect the ashes, and put them in the vial.

5. Add salt and oil to vial mixture.

6. Close the vial, and add a string, with a loop for your finger at the other end.

TAADAAAA!!! Moonsalt pendulum.

I also went ahead and consecrated mine, but I’ll leave that to your witchiness to decide. :3

First sewing project ever made with my sewing machine !! Hell yes !!

I am really happy with how this tarot wrap came along, and I love that friendship bracelet closure I added. Just, in general ? Really happy with this project

Herb Spirals

#permaculture #herb spiral #microclimate

Oh my! I would love to do this!!!

Best kitchen tip my Grandma ever taught me

I keep veggie peelings, cuttings, herb clippings and all other veggie compost in a freezer bag in your freezer for up to a month. At the end of every month I dump this bag into my crockpot, add 6-8 cups of water and cook on low for 6 hours. I drain out the veggies and herbs, and viola! You have like 8 cups of veggie broth.

I save things from veggies like: celery, garlic, onion, carrots, kale, squash, parsnips, peppers, etc. Basically any vegetable that would go into a soup, I save.

I also save bits of herbs that don’t make it into other recipes, or veggies about to go bad I have no other intention for. It’s an amazing way to cut back on costs and food waste. This stock can make enough soup to feed a whole family, or you can freeze it if you are only feeding yourself and thaw as needed.

You can customize with herbs and spices now, or when you go to make your soups. I like to at least toss in garlic, onions, a bay leaf, pepper and rosemary to the broth itself.

I havent bought soup broth in years, and I can make sure my broth is salt free or at least low salt!

It’s such a simple thing to do, and its noticable in your food budget.

Also if continue simmering until you remove a lot of the water(aka make a reduction) you can pour it into ice cube trays and freeze for later and save space. All you have to do is throw a cube into a bit of water and heat it back up and you have stock again. Or cook with the reduction to add flavor to things.

Yule Pomander Magic

Pomanders, in their various forms, have been used to add delightful scents to people’s lives since the middle ages. The word “pomander” actually comes from a French phrase, pomme d’ambre, which translates to “apple of amber.” Originally filled with perfumes, early pomanders were wooden, metal or porcelain balls that were either placed around a room or carried on one’s person. These early pomanders included various herbs, spices, and even ambergris that were ground up into a fine powder and placed in a ball or even a pouch. There are paintings of Queen Elizabeth I holding her pomander ball.

Today, people use pomanders primarily as a room freshener or decorative item. They can be placed in drawers to keep clothing smelling nice, left in decorative bowls to freshen a room, or even used in aromatherapy.

When the Yule season rolls around, why not make fresh pomanders to decorate your home? Add some colored ribbon, and you can hang them from your holiday tree, or give them away as handmade gifts!

You’ll need:

Wrap the orange in ribbon - usually a quick cross design is simple and easy. You can use the pins to hold the ribbon on place. Use the cloves to stud the skin of the orange in any design you like — you can do them in rows, spirals, or even a pentacle on either side! Be sure that the cloves don’t touch one another. If they do, as the orange dries, you may notice cloves falling out. Try to include a lot of cloves, whichever pattern you choose to use - less empty space is better as the orange dries out.

Some people like to roll their studded pomander in a blend of spices. To do this, mix equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, or your other favorite scents into a bowl, and roll the orange in the mix until it’s completely coated.

The orange will last longer if you “cure” it, or dry it out. To do this quickly, you can place it in the oven at a low temperature (around 150 degrees) for an hour or two - the bonus to this is that it makes your house smell spectacular.

If you’ve got a little more time, you can place your clove-studded orange in a paper bag, and let it sit in a cool, dry place for four to six weeks. Be sure to check your orange periodically to make sure it hasn’t begun to mold - if it does, it mean that cool dry place has moisture in it, and you’ll need to throw your orange away.

A cured pomander will last a very long time. Once it’s done drying out, add decorative ribbon so you can hang it up for all to see - you may want to use decorative pins to hold the ribbon in place. If you make a bunch of pomanders, place them in a bowl where they’ll look pretty through the Yule holiday season.

The orange is associated, like many fruits, with abundance, fertility and prosperity. As you’re making pomanders with oranges, you can incorporate them into magical practice. As you poke the cloves through the skin, focus your intent on bringing abundance your way.

Always made these in school as a child and loved them!

I make these every year!

How to make paper ; using paper i. Gather old documents or newspaper and rip them into small pieces, cover with water and stir thoroughly. This mixture can be left overnight (or carefully heated) until the pieces dissolve into a pulp. The longer it’s left and more frequently it’s stirred, the smoother it will be ii. Once most of the water is absorbed and it looks pretty mushy, add a few drops of essential oils and combine the herbs or flower petals (if desired). Squish the last bit of liquid out with your hands and begin assembling the shape on an old or dark coloured towel iii. Sandwich the sheet by folding the towel or placing another on top and press down firmly, flip over and repeat on a dry section. After a few times extra newspaper can be used. Leave it to dry overnight (or for a few days). Once they’re nearly dried place the pages under a heavy book to keep them flat

Offering stones

When taking something from nature, such as herbs, it is nice to give something back. You can leave these lovely air-dry stones in places such as the forest as a way to say thank you. Leaving these in nature is also totally safe for the environment. You can also offer these to a god/goddess.

Recipe:

2 cups of baking soda

1 cup of corn starch

1 ½ cups cold water

Mix until smooth, then put it in a pan and stir until it boils. Keep stirring until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Let it cool and take the clay out of the pan. It should feel really smooth and you will probably play with it alot before you are even going to make the stones :)

I added some herbs and flowers, such as rosemary, lavender, roses, carnations, thyme, cloves, cinnamon, some blue flowers of which I don’t know the name and some orange berries that I found near the park.

I just made a little ball, then made a hole in it and added some herbs.

Now you can decorate it! You can add anything and shape them in any way you want. As you can see I made some squares, hearts, blobs and even an easter egg :) I’ve seen some people use glitter and I recommend you don’t add any glitter since that is actually bad for the environment. I tried using normal white sugar as an alternative, but i noticed that the stones got kind of wet, which I should’ve seen coming. Not sure what’s going to happen when it dries so I’ll keep you guys updated.

I’m so happy with these and I am definitely going to use these for Ostara ^^ Of course you can use this recipe to make anything you want, not just offering stones. 

I hope this was helpful for you guys ^-^

This is a beautiful idea!

Everyone: Offering bowls! Offertory stones! Pretty holiday things!

Me: -cackling and rubbings hands together- Poppets and spirit guardian statues…

(There are at least these two kinds of witches. xD)

I'mma use these shits as poppets.

Witchy supplies for nomadic, poor, homeless, parochial, and anti-consumerist witches.

You don’t need tools. Everyone tells us that, and it may well be true. But let’s be real, they do legit help you focus especially when you’re new, and witchcraft is all about focus. For me, as an empath, they also reduce the amount of energy I have to expend on a spell. Beyond that, hell, there’s just something nice about physical ritual and creation. And why wouldn’t there be, with a practice based on crafting? We all have our thing we connect to, process-wise. Personally, I have a much easier time focusing and making witchy shit happen if something’s on fire at some point in the process. Mmm, fire. Anyway…

But just because you want or need tools doesn’t mean you need to spend every cent you make on it the way it sometimes seems when you browse a pagan store, or even online witch communities. And for a tradition that’s always been primarily about empowering the oppressed and the have-nots, personally, it irritates the hell out of me that so much of modern witchery has gotten… well, so elitist and classist. You’re not witch enough unless your grimoire is made of the hide of baby otters and your rosemary was harvested by Indigo children in the enchanted forests of Dunedin.

Fuck that.

I, for one, wish I saw more inexpensive, DIY, and found tool witchery portrayed as not only doable, but meaningful and beautiful.

So here are my ideas on how you can get a good flying leap on your witchy cabinet (or witchy rucksack, if you’re nomadic or homeless) for under £10. I’ve done some of these myself and I’ll post pics of how awesome these can really look.

What you need for…

Sigil craft:

Nothing. You can write sigils in water if you want. Personally, I often make sigils with honey in the bottom of my tea cup.

But if you want to make your own, which requires a fair bit of trial and error, or ya just really like writing shit down…

You probably already have these. If you don’t, then buy a packet of cigarette rolling papers. They’re thin and a bit see-through (perfect for tracing your sigil if need be) and obviously they’re designed to burn cleanly if you want to burn them to activate them. 50 to a pack. £1 or less.

Buy a pen. Or knick one at the desk of your local annoying government agency. No judgment. Less than £1.

Sigils can be charged in a variety of ways that are absolutely free. Energy manipulation, holding them to a pulse point on your body, tearing, even visualizing while having an orgasm.

Candles:

Divination:

Herbs:

Crystals:

Containers for storage and spell jars/bags:

Wand:

Find a stick you like. This is a environmental craft, dude. Get in the spirit!

Chalice/cauldron/stuff for putting stuff in (we’re going cheap here, so multi-purpose is a thing):

Athame:

Besom:

Just some examples with the stereotypical altar layout, but really, you can use anything that’s small enough for your needs…

Most of these can either be found quite easily or gotten for less than a pound.

Grimoire:

So there ya go. And thing is, a lot of witches won’t even want or need all of these things. Not into crystals? Don’t get any! Ain’t got time for altars? Don’t make one! So in reality, a lot of witches could spend considerably less than the cost of getting all of these.

But if you did decide to acquire all of this, now you have materials for sigil craft, candle magic, a million kinds of divination, basic staples of herbal and crystal magic, storage containers, spell jar containers, both a regular and travel-size altar, and a grimoire. That’s a pretty good set of kit.

At best, you spent literally nothing at all. Most people will already have most of these things anyway.

Some may need to buy some of these things. But at the end of the day, the vast majority of these things can be found or made for free quite easily, with a couple of exceptions. By my best guess, poor or homeless witches in most places wouldn’t need any more than approximately £3 to £5 if they were starting with nothing, their goal was to acquire something from every category, and they could not ask loved ones to spot them supplies.

Some of these are not as over-the-top gorgeous as the artisanal stuff people buy off Etsy. But you know what? It’s sure as hell authentic. This is what witches have done for eons: use what’s around them. Witchcraft is not about flashing how much money you have. And nothing’s stopping you from decorating with whatever you have.

Witchcraft is for everyone, not just folks who have £200 to blow on an athame.

Even if you have the £200 to blow on an athame, there is something really rewarding about crafting things yourself. This is, after all, witchcraft. I am privileged enough at this point in my life that I could have bought a lot of the stuff I decided to make or find (and sometimes making is more expensive than buying, though it’s fun and meaningful), but honestly, my DIY and scavenged tools usually speak to me more than my purpose-bought tools do.

It’s worth trying and seeing how it changes how you feel about your work. Give it a shot. And if you do, share with me! I wanna see!

Gotta say, this has come in handy in this past month of either being homeless or living in what is a heatless, waterless shack without most of my witchy materials. Go me from a year ago. If only I’d known how handy I’d find this…

Depending on the type of craft you practice, here are some more ideas:

Tarot: You can also use a standard deck of cards for tarot cards. $0.99 at the dollar store. write on them if you wish, they are already in 4 suits but you will not have a major arcana. This is fine though, and will still get the job done. 

Carrying charm/mojo pouch: use fabric or an old t-shirt that is laying round. cut into a circle/square to your desired size and either tie or sew shut with string/yearn laying around.

Incense burner: sand/small rocks in a small dish will hold either a stick or cone very well.

Runes: pebbles from nature and a permanent marker/pen/paint

Items to consider collecting in nature: shells, feathers, stones, sticks, herbs, bones, VACANT egg shells, flower (rose) petals, acorns/seed pods, pine needles, deceased moths/butterflies/beetles (preserve properly)

Items around the house: salt/herbs from kitchen, old makeup compacts or foundation jars (clean out and use to store things), old jewelry can be re-purposed, 

LASTLY, IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND MONEY, TRY THRIFT STORES BCAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS AMAZING THINGS TO BE FOUND especially jars/containers/bowls/dishes, candles, wooden brooms, placemats/table runners, candelabras/candle holders, jewelry boxes, etc…

All great suggestions. Also, HELL YES TO THRIFT STORES.

I actually got my cauldron at a thrift store, which is antique silver and only cost a few pounds. It’s frickin’ beautiful, and was a fraction of the price of a new one from a New Age-y shop. Who says cheap can’t be aesthetic?

DIY LAVENDER WANDS!!!!

These are super fun to make and they smell friggggin awesome and look super cute. awesome for rituals and for decoration and for smelling awesome, could be a cool gift, could sell em’ or just whack this tutorial straight in your grimoire for later use, you name it kiddie winks. IMA TEACH U 

1) PICK YO SELF SOME LAVENDER! if you don’t have lavender in your garden, you need to get some. but in the mean time, head over to your local botanical gardens or a park area or a shop or your friends place, anywhere where you can get yourself some freshly picked lavender. Begin with an uneven number of stalks, the bigger the bundle the bigger your wand.

2) GETCHO SELF SOME CUTE ASS PURPLE RIBBBON, and tie it just below the flowers. 

3) THEN UR GONNA WANNA fold the stalks down evenly over the flower head bundle.

4) WEAVE YO’ RIBBON over and under each stalk, around and around, until you have enclosed the entire flower head.

5) TIE OFF YO RIBBON at the bottom.

6) GIVE YO FINISHED WAND a roll between your palms to release that wonderful lavender fragrance1111111!!!!

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!! A COOL ASS FUNKY SMELLIN STICK-O-LAVANDAAAAAAHHHH

STAY WITHCY!!!

- @indigo-amethyst

Blessing candles.. Pop tea lights on the coffee warmer, leaving the wicks in & sprinkle herbs in them. (via pinterest)

Craft and Creations: Magical Herb Wreath for Yule (Christmas)

Sailing passed Samhain, we have now entered the word of insistent Christmas music and Christmas decorations. However, since their isn’t an official Wiccan/Pagan holiday for Thanksgiving, celebrating it is a personal choice. I have put up an altar decoration post for Thanksgiving called the “Gratitude Ritual.” Just a few suggestion on what you may place on an altar for this time of month. 

This do it yourself craft is simple, and if you use herbs for magical purposes (as many of us do) a welcome addition to any Yule altar or grace your doors.

What You’ll Need:

Directions:

Use the wired frame as a base, and the florist wire (If you choose to use it) to anchor your herbs into place. Finish it off with a bit of ribbon and any other piece of magical item you wish.

Types of Herbs Used in Specific Wreaths:

Healing: apple blossom, lavender, barley, comfrey, eucalyptus, fennel, chamomile, golden-seal, borage, fever-few, horehound, lady’s mantel, allspice, olive, rosemary, rue, sandalwood, wintergreen, or peppermint.

Protection: aloe vera, hysson, asofetida, mandrake, heather, holly, mugwort, onion, wood betony, valerian, sandalwood, snapdragon, fleabane, mustard, garlic, foxglove, dill, or mistletoe. 

Prosperity: bay leaf, basil, chamomile, clover, cinquefoil, tonka bean, buckeye, myrtle, apple, sunflower, or pennyroyal.

Love: allspice, apple blossom, bleeding heart, catnip, lavender, periwinkle, peppermint, tulip, violet, daffodil, clove, yarrow, marjoram, basil, fig, valerian, or endive. 

Blessed Yule

)o(

Witch Tip

Use old books for grimoires.  You know the really big ones in libraries which cost 25 cents?  Paint over all of the pages. Paint them white, paint them black, paint them red.  Fill it with not only words, but with evidence of your craft. Trinkets, found objects, and snippets from books can all be placed within.  You will have transformed the mundane into the mystical.  In this act, you imbue a simple book with power. 

10 Witchy Tips

1. Save your incense ashes, and use them to make black salt.

2. Plant Rosemary by your front door to promote, and invite love into your home.

3. Beach sand works as a substitute for sea salt.

4. Brick dust is excellent for protection spells

5. Quartz is sold at most Hardware Stores in the “Garden Section”

6. Cleanse your crystals by moon light, And charge them by sunlight.

7. You can make your own herb infused oils at home with olive oil and dried herb.

8. Pendulums can be made on the spot with thread and a needle.

9. Moping your floors (or cleaning with) pine needle infused water will cleanse a space of negative energy.

10. Placing a bowl of rain water under your bed will help to block nightmares