Samhain's Sirens, Day 22, October 25

Happy Friday!! It's our final Crafty Witches Day with Robyn!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Today in history:

1870 - The first U.S. trademark was given. The recipient was the Averill Chemical Paint Company of New York City.

1929 - Alber B. Fall, of U.S. President Harding's cabinet, was found guilty of taking a bribe. He was sentenced to a year in prison and fined $100,000.

1962 - American author John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

2001 - It was announced that scientists had unearthed the remains of an ancient crocodile which lived 110 million years ago. The animal, found in Gadoufaoua, Niger, grew as long as 40 feet and weighed as much as eight metric tons.

Don't forget! Serena's here to help you.
Simply send her an email or use the contact form at the top of the page.

Now, on to the Friday Fabulous Fun!

Harvest Pumpkin Soup
2 TB unsalted butter
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 15-oz can pumpkin
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 pint heavy cream
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add potato and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 mins. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until potato is tender, 10 to 12 mins.
Stir in pumpkin. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until smooth. (You can use a blender too) Stir in 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper and nutmeg. Increase heat to medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 mins. Stir in cream and heat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Blessings
Autumn Earthsong

You can visit Autumn's blog at My Moonlit Path and her shop at Verbena Lane Botanicals!

Gypsy Lamps

by Robyn Chausse

They say lighting sets the mood. Whether your style is gypsy or ghoul, you can completely transform your home and have light anywhere with the magic of an LED light specifically made for paper lanterns. (Pic SS Craft gypsy lantern LED Light)

Craft Materials:

Paper Lantern LED light (available at most craft stores--$9.99)
Three AAA batteries
Plastic bottle to use as the lamp shade
Craft knife or scissors
Cord, ribbon, or twine (length needed to tie around your LED and pass through your shade plus about 1 ft for gathering fabric. If you will be using the same cord for hanging the lamp include that measurement.)
Fashion chain (optional, for hanging lamp)
One or more large scarves or cuts of fabric for covering lampshade (old, torn & dyed pillow cases or rags will work as well)
Twist tie to help secure fabric around the shade (optional)
Twig or piece of wire to hold LED light (optional depending on type of bottle used)
Craft Paint or Wax Paper and tape (optional)

Craft Steps:

Choose your lamp shade.
The item you choose will ultimately determine the size and shape of your lantern. It should be sturdy enough to support the fabric and be at least three inches in diameter. Some ideas include the end of a 2 ½ gallon water jug, the bottom of a laundry detergent bottle, or a plastic sports bottle. Depending on which end of the bottle you use you will pass your hanging ribbon through either a small cut in the bottle or the neck of the bottle. If passing through the neck you will need to craft a support for your LED out of a twig or piece of wire. I’ll show an example of each version.

Prepare your bottle.
Remove any labels from your bottle. Decide which part of the bottle you will use and cut it down to the desired size. If the plastic is completely clear you can make it more opaque by taping large strip of wax paper around the bottle or applying a light coat of craft paint.

Place the batteries in the LED and insure it is working.

Measure your cord
You will need enough cord to tie around the clip of the LED and pass back through the shade. To determine the length, measure from the top of your shade to the point at which you want the LED to hang. The length of cord needed will be twice this amount plus 10 inches if using a separate cord or chain for hanging. If using the same cord for hanging, figure the additional length needed into your measurement.

Version 1: Using the end of a bottle
Cut a small “x” in the center for means of threading the hanging cord.
Tie the cord around the clip of the LED, centering the LED on the cord.

Decide how far above the LED you want the shade to sit and tie a knot at that point. Pass the ends of the cord through the underside of your shade (through the “x”) until the shade rests on the knot.

If hanging your lamp directly from this cord, tie another knot just above your shade (so the cord does not fall back through. Braid or bead the remaining length of cord, forming a final loop at the end to allow for placement on a hook.

If you will be adding a separate hanging chain, create a small loop just above the shade to which you will attach your hanging chain

Version 2: Using the top of a bottle
Cut a piece of twig or wire to fit snug just below the neck of the bottle; this will act as a harp to support the shade.

Tie the cord around the clip of the LED. Decide how far above the LED you want the shade to sit and tie a loose knot. Insert your twig through the knot and tighten. Pass the ends of the cord through the neck of the bottle until the shade rests on the twig.

If hanging your lamp directly from this cord, braid or bead the remaining length of cord and finish off with a loop to allow for placement on a hook.

If you will be adding a separate hanging chain, create a small loop just above the shade to which you will attach your hanging chain.

Drape the fabric.
Gathering and draping the fabric is easier to do while the lamp is hanging—allowing you to use both hands! Play with the layers of fabric until you like the way it drapes. Secure with a twist tie either just above your shade (for Version 1) or around the bottle neck (Version 2).

Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!

It’s been such a joy meeting everyone and celebrating this month with you. I wish you all a very merry and blessed Samhain, Halloween, and All Souls Day! If you want to stay in touch you can find me at Museiddity.com. Blessed Be♥
-Robyn Chausse

Today's Giveaway comes from Robyn's shop: RLC Creations

“Mystic” Necklace

Black shell beads, moonstone chips, and amethyst show off a shimmering, lilac colored, reverse-painted pendant. The colors shift slightly in the changing light! Double-strand necklace measures 16 ½ “ at shortest strand. Easy hook clasp.
Retail Value: $25

Here’s how to enter:

You have until 6am EDT on Monday, October 28 to enter.

Drawing is held by random number generation and winner will be notified in email (that's why you have to have an email address listed).

Announcement will be made on the October 28th blog post at 9am EDT.

Note: These giveaways are open to the U.S., Canada and where allowable. Void where prohibited.

Canadian residents, please pay close attention as by law, you have to use a different set of rules. Not to worry, we have you covered :)

You MUST provide a valid email address to enter the contest.

1. Go to RLC Creations . Find your favorite item, come back here, and tell us about it in the comment section. (1 entry)

2. Blog about this giveaway (make sure you link back here), come back and leave us a link to your blog. (1 entry)

3. Tweet about this giveaway (link to us, please), come back, and leave us a link to your tweet (1 entry)

4. Be a follower of this blog, Samhain's Sirens (1 entry)

5. Like Samhains Sirens on Facebook (1 entry)

Note: If you want your entries to count as separate entries, you must post them separately. If you post 1 comment with all of these on it, it will only count as 1 entry.

Canadian residents, by law, instead of the above, you must answer the following question to be eligible:

What is 32 + 32?

What's cool about being a Canadian? You automatically get 6 entries per giveaway for just answering 1 question! You still have to give us an email address :)