Crafting Bug

First off, yes this is my second blog within a week after not blogging for four months.  I have a slight lul in the workload and I am taking full advantage.

This pentacle took me quite some time to complete.  It started as just another design but I decided that I needed to meditate so I started to get intricate, and this is where I ended up. My grandmother gave me a special marker to do the super intricate stuff like the knotwork on the star and the vinework in the background.  It is one of my favorite pentacles that I have done to date.

Now to my blogging.  So recently, in the very little free time that I have, I have been on that death trap that they call Etsy, looking at all of the fun things that people craft and sell for exorbitant prices.  I never look with intent to purchase things, just to look and see what others are making. I quite enjoy going through the pagan things and seeing what all people make.  There is quite a bit of bullshit out there, but there are also some pretty good and interesting things there.  As I look through them, I think, some of these things are pretty cool, but I could totally make that on my own and make it better than they did.  I have no need to buy it from someone who is selling it for a ridiculous price.

The bad thing about Etsy, is that it awakens that part of me that wants to make things.  I love to be able to make things for myself.  It is one of my favorite parts of being a witch.  I can make most everything that I will need.  Over the summer I started my herb garden so that I could start making things for myself and using my herbs for cooking and all of that. My friends at school love my herbs and use them frequently.  Over the summer, my dearest friend and I made a list of things that we have to and want to craft for ourselves, because Ancasta shares my love of crafting.  I am of the belief that something made with one's own two hands is linked to the maker and are much more powerful than something that you just go and buy to the store.  Plus there is the added satisfaction of being able to say... "yep.  I made that. With these two hands," *holds up hands,* "I made that."  Things are never

Since I have started on my Etsy surfing, I have gotten the urge to craft, to make something with my own hands.  It is always there, but I have been so insanely busy that I havent had time to think about it.  Now it is coming back and I am yearning to do some more crafting than just what is in my art class, and I definitely do not have time for it.  What with there only being 2 and a half more weeks of class left before finals.  I have started compiling a list of crafts that I want to do.  Things that I can remember from the master list that Ancasta and I created over the summer (the list that she has), and things that I have gotten ideas for in my surfing and oogling.  I try to sate the need to craft with minor things.  I have made another batch of my headache cure, and the other day my friends and I had a steak night and I made some pretty delicious rubs for our steaks.  Sadly, that is all that I have time for in this mad rush of classes and tests and such.

I am so looking forward to winter break.  I will have all the time that I want as well as the help of Ancasta throughout my month-long break.  I am so thoroughly excited for it because this craft bug does not go away and hopefully it will be sated.

Crafting, classes, and new living arrangements

First of all, I would like to apologize for disappearing from the blogosphere for 4 months.  I haven't had much inspiration and then I got back to school and became insanely busy.  At 18 credit hours of mostly hardcore science classes, I dont think that I can be blamed for a lack of time.  I have also been lacking time for witchery, but I've managed to squeeze some in here and there.  Mostly through my art class.

First off, my rather exciting plans for next year.  Myself and 6 of my closest friends at college have just recently signed a lease on a rental house here in Findlay.  It will be so nice to finally be off campus.  Our landlord is a kindly old gentleman who is being very lenient and loves having a group of college students.  It is a 5 bedroom house that is within walking distance of campus.  One of my favorite parts is that I get my own room by virtue of the fact that I am the only man in the house.  I will have my own room that I can witchify as much as I want.  Our landlord is even allowing candles and incense, which will be awesome.  It will be an interesting experience, and I will post picture of our house as soon as I have them.

In my art class, we have done a couple of projects that are turning out to be awesome and loads of fun.  The class is called Design in Crafting, so clearly it must be awesome.  So far we have made a clay box and a vampire stake, and we have a silver ring and a salad serving set in the works.  I have been trying to incorporate witchiness into every work. For the clay box, I put some pictish spirals on it and a triskelle on top.  I love working with clay, and being able to work some of myself into every bit of it.  This box turned out very nicely, and is currently awaiting use.  The vampire stake was just to practice woodworking, but it was a fun and interesting project anyway.  The salad serving set is not quote done yet, I am still sanding them and have to cut out the tines of the spork and to scoop out the bowl of the spoon.  The project that I have been most excited about was the ring.  We first carved the ring from a wax blank.  I spent 2 weeks getting it to the right size and polishing it as much as I could. I then carved the word "Draoi" into it in ogham, the celtic tree script.  It means druid in gaelic.  I worked quite a bit of energy into the wax as I carved it and smoothed it. Then I finally got to cast it in silver this morning.  It was nowhere near a perfect cast. The mold blew out a bit, and I had to grind a lot of excess off and the bottom portion of the ring casted very poorly. There is a gaping hole in the bottom, but my teacher says we can cut the bottom out and smooth it so it will still work.  I am currently in the process of sanding and grinding it down to make it shine and make it smooth.  Our next and final project is a small panel of stained glass.









I hope that in future I will be a little better about blogging, but I cant make any promises with finals being little more than a month away.  I will definitely post pics of the final salad set and the ring.  I plan on blessing and consecrating the ring when it is done. I cannot wait.