Best things...

I adore little bits and bobs. I am head over heals for found items. Oracle readings are a favourite activity. So, when I saw this etsy item I just about wet myself with glee.

Junk Oracle Reading @ lefthandedgoth.etsy.com

It makes so much sense, and all that junk looks so lovely. I must start to build a junk oracle of my own. This is one of the best things I've seen in ages.

Speaking of lovely things, I made a new batch of black salt and I really think that it's the best I've ever made. It looks quite pretty sitting in my cauldron. Making your own black salt is totally worth the smell and mess. I find it really a rather rewarding process.

Despite the weather being dreary and wet all day I did manage to get some photos and my auction posted. Here's the load of goodies that's up for grabs...

You can check out the ebay auction here

A wee bit o' luck

I have a 'talent' which is sort of unusual (but certainly not unheard of). I seem to have a knack for finding four leaf clovers. Here's two I found this evening.



Hopefully they are a sign of good things to come.

My flat rate boxes came today and I've spent some time putting together an ebay auction. There's loads of stuff in it... lots of bagged herbs, powders, a nice bit of Dragon's Blood, ink, oils, paper, candles, tarot cards, books, Hawthorns, feathers, roots. It's a nice haul :)

I've also managed to snap a few pics and post our scrying mirrors on etsy. Those things sure are difficult to photograph!

More tiny things

This weekend was a flurry of activity.

I've been spell casting like crazy trying to put positive things in motion. I've also been busy making new batches of black salt and 4 thieves vinegar, clearing out the broom closet, and setting up our La Bona Dea etsy shop. (BTW La Bona Dea was the name we use to go by and we've decided to use it once more to distinguish our witchery from our artsty fartsy.)

When I needed a little break from all the witch crafting I painted some teeny mushrooms on the littlest canvas' you ever did see. I picked them up a week or so ago after seeing the sweet little ones that AlwaysInspired made.



Each canvas is 1.5" x 2.5". I have to say that AlwaysInspired is a much better woman than I for making her own canvas'... I took the easy way out.

Spring Cleaning

I've been going through all of our witchy stuff that has been put aside over the past year or so and getting ready for some spring cleaning. I'm just waiting on some flat rate boxes to arrive to see exactly how much stuff I can fit into them before I put them up for auction. If you're a witchy person keep checking our site over then next couple of weeks because we'll have some truly fantastic stuff up for grabs... you will not be disappointed!

In my humble opinion the Mr makes the most beautiful wands evah, and so I've spent the afternoon taking new photos of the wands that have been homeless for quite some time. I used to love watching people pick out his wands when were selling at fairs. People would very often chose the one you'd never guess. Anyway here are the glamorous shots of Mr. K's most lovely wands.


Also, check out his beautious runes... so lovely.




I'll be posting them over the next week in our new La Bona Dea etsy shop which you can check out here.

Luchadors!

So, after that bit of a downer post I'll post my finished Luchador paintings which are totally happy. Finishing them up last night really did make me feel better. They aren't perfect but they are cheerful, fun little things.

They are painted on 6"x6" canvas with acrylic.




Check them out on my etsy shop

Gutted

The Mr called me at work yesterday to say he'd been laid off.

It's all sorts of shitty. No other words for it really. The Mr is the hardest working person I know. He's out the door before I wake up, he works his ass off doing backbreaking work and he doesn't get compensated for all of the overtime he puts in during harvest. It's truly an unfair thing for someone who has worked so hard.

I know we'll pick up and move on to better things, I'm certain of it. It's something that we are forced to face so that we can move forward, beyond where we are now. That doesn't change the fact that it's a terrible thing to have happened and that I'm totally pissed off.

Some people say that getting angry won't help anything but if it's okay to bask in positive feelings then there has to be something to embracing the fact that I'm just a bit miffed. I'm not saying that I'll wallow in ire. I'm just saying that admitting I'm pissed off and using it to push forward, to do something constructive, has got to be better than pretending that I'm a-ok with what has happened.

Bugger, life certainly is not sunshine and roses at the mo'.

More favourite things: adhesives

I love a good adhesive. A bond that is strong and dependable. It's dorky, I know, but I'm fairly particular about my glues. Here are my two faves at the mo'...

Aleene's Tacky Glue
As far as white glue goes this is my fave. Elmers is a running sopping mess compared to Aleene's. The trick is to get a nice thin smooth coat that will dry in no time at all. My only complaint is that it dries to a gloss finish. If this stuff came in a matte version, with the same consistency and bonding, well I don't think that I'd ever convert to anything else.

2 Coat Rubber Cement
This is some of my most favourite stuff on the planet. It really is the best for bonding paper together. Imagine sticking two bits of paper together with no wrinkles, and not having the sticky after effects of spray adhesive (what nasty effin' stuff that is!) I've encountered a bit of confusion about the use of this most fantastic gelatinous goo so here is a wee run down on how to use the messy stuff.

I'm just going to glue these two pieces of paper together. Easy peasy.



When you unscrew the lid you will very likely find a brush built into the lid. The cement itself is s goopy, gross and smells... but it's pretty neat stuff. If you've got a small area to fill use the built in brush and paint the entire area to be glued. Make sure you go all the way to the edge for a perfect bond.



Now cover the area that you going to attach the first paper to. If the area that you are covering is rather large, pour some of the rubber cement in the middle of the area you are working in and then use an old plastic card to spread it around in a thin layer. If your cement is getting too gummy you might want to thin it out with some rubber cement thinner. Thinning gives it a much better viscosity when working with large areas to be covered. For a perfect seal go beyond the area that you need to so your edges don't stick out.



When the two sides are almost dry, carefully put them together. A good idea is to sort of line up one edge then 'roll' the rest of the page down to avoid trapping air. If it's not exactly where you want it, you can unstick it and try again! If you wait until it is completely dry, repositioning becomes much more difficult. When you have it where you want it, smooth out the paper to remove any air pockets.



Leave your project for a while until it is completely dry. Take your finger (or a rubber cement eraser) and rub the areas where the rubber cement went 'out of the lines'. You will find that it will ball up and rub right off! Pretty neat eh? Best of all you have a pretty perfect bond and very little after mess.



The downside? The stuff is super flammable so don't even think of juggling torches while using it and it may stain some papers... check a small area first to see if it leaves a trace.