Showing posts with label Saga's_Cottage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saga's_Cottage. Show all posts


Welcome to the first Samhain Siren's Saturday Craft-Tacular.  Each week we'll bring you a fantastic craft that will help bring in the haunting Halloween spirit.  Our crafts will range in age and complexity and we would really love to get your feedback on them.


Our first Craft-Tacular is being kicked off by Saga's Cottage Story Book Art!  This craft is going to be a bit more challenging than some of our others.  I recommend this for teen to adults. Please enjoy!



Hi everyone! It's Loren from Saga's Cottage and Hemlock and Garnet. Today we will be making a fun spell book! I know from looking at the finished pic that it looks like something that would be super hard, but I am going to take you through all of the steps to make your very own moon spell book. It's very simple and at the time of writing this I have only just started in clay myself.

Craft supply list:
Paper Mache Book Box
Cheesecloth
Mod Podge
Hot glue or craft glue
Variety of acrylic paints (in your choice of colors)
Original Sculpey Clay

This is what the paper mache book box starts out as:

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

First, take your book box and lay a piece of cheesecloth and cut a piece that is just a bit bigger than the book cover. You want to be able to make wrinkles in it. This will give the outside of the book a wrinkled leather look.  Apply a thin coat of mod podge on the front cover. 

   
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

 Lay the cheesecloth on top and make wrinkles in it. Gather all the overhanging cheesecloth as wrinkles on your books. Try to line up the edges with the edges of the book as much as you can.
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
When you have finished wrinkling your cheesecloth, put another layer of mod podge on top.  This is what it will look like when you have added your wrinkles. Now let this dry. While it is drying, you will make your moon for the front.
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

First roll out your piece of clay. I just went with what size of circle would fit within the sides of the front cover. My Shakespeare Insults coffee mug was the perfect size circle, so I used it to make the circle indention for the base. 

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

After I cut out the circle, I make a cross-hair on the circle to line up where to put the nose and the eyes. It isn't exact, but faces usually aren't either.


To make the nose and brows I throw a glob of clay and begin shaping the nose and the bridge of the nose, using the end of a pencil to jab into the ends to make the nostrils. I then roll out a 1/2 inch diameter worm for the brow. I position it above the bridge and begin shaping it to the horizontal line ends. It looks like this in the end. As you can see, my nose isn't perfect and that's okay. I never go for extreme perfection.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Next step will be the eyes. I made flattened balls around 1 inch in size. Position on each side of the nose on the horizontal line.
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
For the lids of the eyes (upper and lower) make 4 half moons. Big enough to cover a bit of the top and bottom of each eye. Blend the clay edges into the existing clay. 
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

Next you want to shape out your cheeks. We are going for a comical puffed round cheek look, since this is the moon. Roll out a large ball and just blend it down to the existing clay like so.  I have blended the one on the left. The ball size is golf ball size. The second pic has both cheeks blended. The chin is made next. I roll out a 1/2 inch diameter worm and place it at the bottom of the circle, just blending it in around the edges. You want it to stick up in the air like the puffed cheeks.


Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Roll out some large worms for the upper and lower lips. The bottom lip worm will be slightly smaller. They are quite comical at first (pic on first), but you want to have enough clay to blend under the nose and up into the cheeks and down into the chin (middle pic). When you are finished blending your lips, take a knife point or clay tool and gently run it between the two lips, making a distinctive separation of the lips. Also, if you want the vertical groove (the philtrum) below the nose, on the top lip to be bigger, you can add a bit of clay and shape it (second pic)

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

It's okay if you don't get everything perfectly smooth it's okay, this is the moon after all. For character add some craters by taking different size paintbrushes and pushing the non-bristle end into the clay.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


When you are all finished shaping your moon put it in the oven and bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes.

While Mr. Moon is baking add some more detail to the covers of the book. You now want to add the cheesecloth to the back and to the outer edge. Let dry while the moon is baking.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

When the book has fully dried, attach your moon to the front of the book. I hot glued mine.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

Next we will paint the moon. You can do this in whichever colors you like. I almost went with a blue moon. However, I went with the yellow/gold moon with blue eyes.

I began with a white center blending into daisy yellow and finally blending that into king's gold.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


Now we want the book to look as if the moon face is coming out of the leather. So we will be using the cheesecloth and the mod podge once again.

Apply the mod podge around the moon and up onto the outer edge of the moon. Like so:

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

Begin wrapping the cheesecloth around the outer edge of the moon. Apply the mod podge over it as you go. Cutting off excess cheesecloth as you go.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Cover with a layer of modpodge and let dry for about an hour.


When the moon is dry start painting with your choice of color. I'm going to go with a brown leather look. You want to make sure that you put the paint on thick to hide the cheesecloth. Cover all the cheesecloth. Let the front dry, then paint the back.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


 To give your book an old look, you are going to wash black over the edges and wrinkles. Water down some black paint and go around the edges of the book, lightly brushing the paint on. 
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


Continue with the back and side. Let dry.
Now your moon looks as if it is encased in a leather book.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
 To give your book gilded pages, just brush a light coat of black over the "pages". When that dries, lightly brush the gold, leaving some black showing. If you need to you can lightly brush black back over that.
If you would like to highlight the binding, give them a coat of gold also.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


If you would like to title your spell-book, you can stencil some lettering or freehand. I also gave my book an author, with a nod to the wolf name Moon Moon.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage
Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


For finishing touches, you want to paint the inside of your box.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage

And there it is, your very own magical spell-book. Mine is now happily sitting on a bookshelf.

Photo Credit - Saga's Cottage


Brightest Blessings,
Saga

Thanks so much to Loren for that wonderful craft.  Be sure to check tune into the Sunday Stew over at Imramma tomorrow and back here for more festivities and the giveaway results!
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Hekate & Cerberus, Apulian red-figure krater
C4th B.C., Antikensammlungen, Munich
Hello Everyone and welcome to Tuesday! We are well on the way to the month being half over... can you believe it's already October 16th? Just 14 more days until Samhain! this month has really flown by, LOL!!

Speaking of the month being half over, did you see that Grand Prize Extravaganza in Monday's post? If you didn't, you REALLY need to go check out all the goodies some lucky someone is going to win at the end of the month. Our Siren's have really outdone themselves this time...

Today's blog post is from our Darlin, Sosanna from Sosanna's Closet... ENJOY!

Hecate and Samhain

As a devotee of Hecate and a lover of all things Samhain it stands to reason that I wouldn't have a Samhain night rituals without invoking Hekate Adonaea (lady of the underworld).  As the veil between the world of the living and dead become thinnest it's a perfect time for working with Hecate.

As Hekate Kleidoukhos (keeper of the keys), she is said to have the keys to the underworld and assists souls in finding their way from one world to the next; much as she assisted Persephone in finding her way back to Demeter.

Each month I participate in something called Hecate's Supper.  Around the 13th of the month (give or take) on the day of the dark moon I collect my offerings and prepare a supper for the Goddess.  It usually consists of fresh eggs, honey, garlic and leeks.  I sometimes do a complete meal or simply arrange the offerings on my altar for the day; burning incense and participating in chants to her.

Here is an example of a chant I wrote for Hecate.

Hecate Mistress of the three ways
Offerings at the crossroads, you find
Hecate, Light bearing Queen
Come forth and enlighten my mind.
Hecate, Queen of the Witches
Give power to my magic this night.
Hecate, Keeper of the Keys
Unlock your power and bless this rite.

There are a great number chants that you can add to your Samhain rituals for Hecate on YouTube.  These are my favorites.



Hecate is a wonderful addition to Samhain rituals and rites.  I encourage you to learn more about her.  More information can be found at the following sites:
The Covenant of Hekate
Hekate, Her Sacred Fires
Friends of the Covenant of Hekate - Facebook

Today's Giveaway!

NOW for the Giveaway!   This giveaway is for a wonderful Print of a Painting by Loren from Saga's Cottage.

To be entered in the drawing please complete the following steps:

Leave a comment here stating you'd like to be entered in the drawing

Follow Saga's Cottage and Sosanna's Closet on Facebook & Share

Tweet this Giveaway and post the URL in the Comments.

Winners will be notified and the print will be shipped within 5 business days.

Recipe of the day!

Picture and Recipe courtesy of Free N Fun Halloween

Witches Brew Cupcakes Recipe

Double-bubble, no toil or trouble! One bite from these mouth-watering cupcakes and they’re sure to put anyone under their spell.

Ingredients

White cake mix
White cream cheese frosting
Mini marshmallows
Mini chocolate chips
Bite-sized braided pretzel sticks
Pop Rocks candy
Green gel food coloring

Instructions

Prepare the white cake batter according to the directions on the box, adding a few drops of green gel food coloring to the batter. Pour batter into greased cupcake pans. 

While cupcakes are baking, mix a few drops of green gel food coloring into the cream cheese frosting until the desired color has been achieved. Set aside 2 tbsp. of frosting.

After the cupcakes have cooled, frost the top of the cupcakes.

Using the frosting you set aside, create the “eyeballs” by adding a drop of frosting to the mini chocolate chips and sticking them to the mini marshmallows. Place the marshmallow “eyeballs” onto the cupcakes, slightly pushing the marshmallow into the frosting to secure in place.

Press a bite-sized braided pretzel stick into the cupcake to represent the witches’ brew stirring stick.

Sprinkle the cupcakes with Pop Rocks® right before serving to give them an extra “pop”.

Tuesday's Being Crafty 

Easy Pumpkin Centerpiece
by Rachel Paxton

What you will need:
Pumpkin
Fall flowers
Sharp knife
Large spoon

Need an easy, inexpensive centerpiece for your autumn table? All you need is a pumpkin and a handful of fall flowers. You can complete this project in less than an hour!

Prepare your work area by spreading out some old newspapers. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the top of the pumpkin.

Use the large spoon to scoop all of the pulp and seeds out of the pumpkin.

If you need this done in a hurry for a dinner party, go ahead and arrange your flowers inside the pumpkin. If you have the extra time, let the pumpkin dry out for at least a couple of hours before you arrange your flowers.

I used artificial flowers in my pumpkin centerpiece, but you could also use fresh flowers. If your pumpkin is wide and deep enough, you could place an entire flower pot in it.

Use your pumpkin to decorate your fall or Thanksgiving table, or place it anywhere in your home to give your home the feel of autumn.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, organizing tips, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com

Song of the Day by  Kestril Trueseeker

Pulp fiction filled with gruesome stories in 19th Century Britain were called Penny Dreadfuls. One of those Penny Dreadfuls featured the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, better known as Sweeny Todd. The story outlived the media it was born from and evolved into a ballet, a musical and a movie





Remember, you have until 8pm tonight to get in on yesterday's giveaway!
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