Craf-tacular Saturday and The Veil Between the Worlds!

HAPPY SATURDAY!! Are you ready for today's Craft-tacular brought to you by Sosanna from Sosanna's Closet? She's got some pretty groovy things going on and she's sharing them here with us. And, we have a special treat from author Sally Dubats!!

Don't forget, Samhain's Sirens won't be posting on Sundays, so please follow this link to Kallan Kennedy over at The Secret Life of the American Working Witch for some Sunday Stew.

Craft-tacular Saturday and the Veil Between the Worlds

Samhain and Halloween for that matter wouldn't be what they are with out ghost stories and divination.  Bobbing for apples for example has it's roots in a divination game.  All the apples are dumped into a large tub of water and everyone tries to pick up an apple with their teeth.  The first one to get an apple was said to be the first to get married.

Communing with the Dead is always something that ends up happening this time of year.  Either from using a "Ouija Board" to using a Scrying Mirror everyone has their own preferred method of divination.  Scrying, also called seeing or peeping, is a way of gazing into an object to "see" an answer.  This can come in the form of an answer to a question, a message from the past, or beyond the grave.

Last year I did a blog series on the book "Scrying for Beginners".  This was a great book and went through the steps of learning Scrying. It reviewed different techniques as well as different objects through which to Scry.  From pans of water to crystal balls.  From fiery flames to a black mirror.  I found my best luck with scrying by using a scrying mirror.  Scrying mirrors can be pretty expensive.  However I've found a great way to make your own scrying mirror for pennies.  In this post I'm going to give you the directions for creating your own scrying mirror and as part of the Samhain's Sirens Blog Project and Giveaway one lucky reader will get to win this mirror.

Supplies

Picture frame with glass pane - this can be as cheap or as expensive as you like, I recommend starting out       cheap.
A can of matte black paint
Some newspaper
A well ventilated space - I work outside

Take the newspaper and spread it out on the grass or on a table - I used old cat litter pails

Open the picture frame and remove the glass insert (be careful its sharp)
Lay the glass pane on the newspaper
Shake the spray paint can until the paint is ready to spray

Using short bursts coat the glass pain until it is completely black (take care to allow the paint to completely dry between coats)
You may need to apply 5-6 coats

After the paint is completely dry reassemble the picture frame with the painted side of the glass facing inside the frame.  That means the unpainted side will be displayed on the front side of the frame.

There you have it, a completed scrying mirror.

Now you can create your own scrying mirror.  These are great as gifts or as a new edition to your altar.

To Enter the Giveaway for the Scrying Mirror you have seen being created here please complete the following:

Comment that you would like to win this mirror.
Like Sosanna's Closet on Facebook
Follow Sosanna's Closet on Twitter
Tweet about this Giveaway and post the URL to your tweet in the Comments

And as an extra special treat, we'll be doing another giveaway!!!

This one comes from author, Sally Dubats and is her latest book, Veil Between the Worlds

Sally Dubats

From Sally: Hi Samhain's Sirens! You have done such a FANTASTIC job with this blog. Each day has been a treasure! Thank you! 
Just a note about the give-away book: I'm writing "The Grimoire Chronicles" to balance the negative material out there about Witches, and have found fiction to be a better bridge than non-fiction. 
I want the world to know who most Witches are: healers and spiritual people who love their friends and family and do works of magick for the good of all. 

This will be an 8-book series with plenty of action, and each book takes place during a Sabbat. "Veil Between Worlds" is during the New Year, Samhain. The story is fantasy; the spells are real. Enjoy! 

Book two, "Winter Shock" takes place at Yule and will be out soon! May your Samhain celebrations be filled with love and light.

From all of the Sirens: Thank you, Sally!!

So for all of you joining us, this is a special treat.. with just one entry, you get two chances to win! Rules are the usual. PLEASE NOTE: In order to get extra chances, you have to put them down as separate entries (comments) on the blog here:

1. Follow us here. (If you already follow, be sure to put the comment down)
2. Go to Sally's website and let us know what you like best.
3. Go to Sally's Facebook author page and leave her a comment saying hi and that the Sirens sent you ;)
4. Tweet about this giveaway. (don't forget to give us the link in the comments)
5. Blog about this giveaway. (same as for tweeting.. give us the url so we can check out your lovely blog!)

We'll announce the winners on Monday, October 15. Happy Saturday!

The Recipe for Today

Photograph by Levi Brown

Dark Chocolate Martini

Who doesn't love chocolate? And to have chocolate incorporated into a cocktail is just more decadent than I could possibly imagine.

Directions

Mix 2 tablespoons each raw sugar and finely chopped dark chocolate on a plate. Combine 2 ounces each chocolate liqueur and vodka, 1 ounce chilled espresso, 1/2 teaspoon fresh orange juice and a strip of orange zest in a cocktail shaker with ice; stir well. Moisten the rim of a chilled martini glass and dip it in the sugar-chocolate mixture. Strain the cocktail into the glass and garnish with an orange wedge.

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