some useful pagan crafts.....

[cerridwen]

Originally I was going to title this Wiccan crafts, but I thought I'd open it up to all forms of paganism, for general interest ~ for those of you who are ecclectic like me!

I love making dream catchers, that's probably my most favourite. I've seen in many stores those crystals you hang in windows that make rainbows, tied to a string of beads that sell for twice the price of the crystal itself - I bought the crystal but beaded my own string and it costs half as much!

A good find for me was at a garage sale, I found a chandelier with a whole bunch of these crystals, I got it for $10! I beaded all the strings to them and handed them out as presents, it was so cool!

Please post more ideas so we can all share them!

[tokens]

Your dream catchers sound really cool.! I've never made one before, but it looks kind of tricky.. And the prayer beads sound pretty sweet too. Those would make some really nice gifts for friends. Hmm. I really like making Yule tree ornaments. I don't usually have a set plan or idea, I just sit around with a whole bunch of materials during the season, and mess around with them untill I find something I like. I use feathers, rocks, leaves and flowers and other things I've found and saved or collected. ^_^

[Mesektet]

mainly talismans, amulets, gris-gris, simple foci and prayer chains are my general area of crafts.

[urbangal]

Incense, oils. Sometimes the Muses put a bug in my hear and some serious poetry comes out.
Painting the air and some power bags are also a fav of mine.

[greengoddess]

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7502/usefulcraftstitle.gif

Here are a few useful Pagan crafts I found.

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YOUR OWN CENSER by RiverOwl



I had this idea and it worked quite well when I tried it for my Ostara Sabbat incense. Instead of paying around ten dollars (plus shipping) for a censer to burn those charcoal blocks and incense upon, you can make a personal censer. Find a small coffee can, and find a piece of screen with larger holes in it, with each hole being about a quarter of an inch square and more heavy-duty than regular window screen (it's a special type of screen with which you can make gerbil cages, etc.; you'll probably have to buy a sheet of it at a hardware store). Cut a piece of the screen in an octagon shape (eight sides), that is about one inch larger, all-around, than the top of the can; cut four of the opposite sides larger and then the other four will be smaller (or you can cut them all evenly if you wish). Fold the four, larger, opposite sides over (the piece of screen will look more like a square then); this will hold the screen in place on top of the can. Make sure you do not fold them too short, or it will not fit on top. I spray-painted it a silver color and allowed it to dry for about a day or so (you can use any color you like; I used that Instant Crome stuff for cars and trucks). You should do this in a ventilated area with newspaper laid first. When finished, you have a perfectly good censer that took all of about five to ten minutes to make and is relatively inexpensive (especially if you already have all of the materials in your garage).



The following "Pagan Crafts" articles were written by SilvrSaxM6@aol.com:



Many of us live in areas where Pagan shops are scarce and one can't receive marked packages at home. I purchase many of my supplies, but choose to make others. Here are some of my ideas for making tools and other "crafty" things. After all, the tools you make are much more powerful than those you buy, and these also make great gifts if you have Pagan, Wiccan, or magickal friends.



YOUR OWN WAND



There are many ways to do this. You start with a fallen tree branch that you feel is a comfortable size. Scrape off the old bark with your bolline (a white-handled, ritual knife for harvesting herbs and cutting them), or any knife. If the wand is for a specific purpose, anoint it with an oil, or a few herbs. If it is a general-purpose wand, use a general oil, altar oil, or if you have nothing else, use kitchen olive oil with basil and cinnamon steeped in it. A few drops will do nicely. You can buy embroidery string at any craft or hobby shop. The colors of string appropriate for a general wand are the colors of the rainbow. Remember: ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). You might make the "handle" with a heavier string such as a satin rope. Squeeze a little glue on the wood and wrap sections with the colored string. You could stop at different spots and glue on tumbled stones. At the top, glue a quartz crystal. A bag with herbs and a stone is a nice touch to hang off the wand, too.



ALTAR PENTACLE



Buy a wooden disk at a craft store and paint it black (or use a magic marker); then with a gold-paint marker, draw a pentacle on the disk; add other symbols if you wish.

HANGING PENTAGRAM

Find a bunch of small, fallen, tree branches and form them into a pentacle shape. Then use some brown thread and tie the branches together at different spots.

PENTACLE VESSEL/BOTTLE Buy some black sculpey clay (if you can't find that, acquire fimo, or another soft, modeling clay substance). Roll the clay into a ball about the size of a shot-glass. Make a hole in it with your fingers so that it starts to resemble a tall bowl, pinching inward the open sides so that your ring finger fits in the hole. It should look something like a bottle with no neck (a cork will go into the hole); then, with some more clay, (a tiny amount), roll it into a "snake" like one does with play-dough as a child. Make a small, thin pentagram (five-pointed star) on the bottle and enclose the star within a circle (in other words, make a pentacle). Make it perfectly; if you mess up, peel off the pentagram and try again. Bake it in the oven at 275 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Watch it so that it doesn't burn. Stick a small cork in the opening when it's done. Then, you have a magickal bottle for salt, herbs, potions, or anything magickal.

WHEEL OF THE YEAR CANDLE

This takes a whole year to make. You could actually do this in a year and a day... How symbolic! I recently had the idea and started mine on Mabon (the Autumnal Equinox, [1997]). You have to save some of the wax from the candles you used on each Sabbat and keep them in a special place for the whole year. As each Sabbat passes, add the next piece of wax. Since you used them for the Sabbat rituals, they have more power. Once the wheel of the year has made a complete cycle, melt the wax from the eight Sabbats together. Pour the melted wax into a candle mold, or cut a plastic cup in half; add a wick to the bottom of the cup and pour in the wax. Place it in the freezer to harden quickly. Keep it in your sacred space to bring a wonderful coming year. You could also do this with wax from the 13 Full Moons in a year.



WREATHS



This is the perfect season (Autumn) to find a plain twig wreath and decorate it for Samhain (Halloween); then re-use it for the other coming Sabbats. I chose small ones and a large one. I decorated it with five, black, birthday candles, wheat, and herbs that correspond to Samhain. It gives the room, or house, a nice feeling for the Sabbat.



THE BROOM (BESOM)

Since Samhain recently passed (referring to Samhain, 1997), you can purchase a nice, cheap, round one at a costume shop. I bought one at a craft store today to place outside for Samhain, but the one I use is homemade. You need a long, fallen, tree branch and either raffia packing material, or really thin branches. I poured a purification brew (water with thyme, sage, rosemary and salt) over the branch before I started; then I spread some purification oil or herbs on it. Attach the small branches to one end with glue and craft string. You can decorate it with symbols, runes, string, or leave it plain.

Blessed be!

[greengoddess]

very cool!
I love nature objects the most!