So, you’re building a costume. You’re going to a party, or hosting a themed event, or you managed to snag tickets to Comicon or the latest immersive ACOTAR Ball (we get it, and we’re jealous). If you’re new to the costuming game, it can be intimidating with all the over-the-top amazing things you see from the cosplay world these days on social media. But don’t let that stop you.

Below we have compiled a list of our favorite tricks to take your costume from Childhood Halloween Trick-or-Treating straight to something the Hollywood prop department would be proud of. Let’s dive into 5 of our favorite tricks of the trade. As we move farther into this series we’ll be able to share in depth tutorials and have you follow along with projects and costume builds. We’ll be able to tell you when to use sculpting foam vs styling foam and what’s really carboard and modge-podge (It’s never what you think). but for now, these are our 5 best general beginner tips.

If You’re Going to Splurge in Cosplay- Splurge on the Wig

Not all cosplays require a wig. Maybe you already look a little like your character, or you’re reimagining a classic with a twist and you don’t need it. If so, that’s great. But for a lot of characters, hair is a defining trait, and cheap wigs are noticeable and an easy make or break. Most things in cosplay you really can do yourself with a bit of creativity and some dedication.

We have found that wigs are not one of those things. Don’t buy the $2 wig on the wish app, or TEMU. Or even the $15 one on Amazon. They don’t hold up well, they tend to be sparse, and flat and they look like plastic. If you’re going to be bougie for anything in your costume- spend the money on a nice wig that works. It’ll last a long time and they can frequently be used for other characters along the way.

Don’t Get Too Caught Up on Wardrobe or a Particular Character Look

I KNOW this sounds weird when we’re talking about killer cosplay. But there is a logic to this- hear me out. For a single photo or a poster- having that outfit matches the OG character picture might make sense. But, if you are cosplaying at a live event or going to a party where you are going to be in this thing for hours- consider comfort.

I don’t mean “I am going to get to hot?” or “are these shoes going to kill me?” though, to some those may be factors. Taylor and I have both been known to suffer the shoes or the overheating for the sake of a bomb costume.

What I do mean is: If you really love a character and you really want to pull it off but their classic appearance is in a strappy skin exposing anime outfit and you’re not comfortable with that much of your midriff showing….. don’t do it. If your favorite character rocks a strapless piece of armor and you’re not comfortable strapless- take some creative license. Notice I didn’t say don’t cosplay that character?

In my experience- there is always a solution that captures the vibe of the character and make sure people know exactly who it is without you feeling exposed or uncomfortable and miserable- which shows. Make your costume livable for you.

Thrift

YES! We love making things from scratch. We love armor, and chainmail, and a good “I made this 100% from scratch and there were a lot of tears and late nights involved but I did it!”. But not all of us are that person, and not all of us are there yet (If we’ll ever be).

Taylor has much more the skill set to be like “I made this pattern myself with the blood, sweat, and tears of my ancestors and my character’s inner rage”. I however, am just learning to sew. And if you’re just beginning it is much easier and less terrifying to thrift something and turn it INTO something else than it is to make a dwarven tunic from scratch in 1 shot by yourself (not like I’m speaking from experience or anything).

Do not be ashamed to repurpose something into something different. It still takes a lot of work and creativity, and you are still a valid cosplayer if that’s your jam. Its really fun to go hunting for the right pieces. We will never say no to an excuse to thrift. If you’re new to thrifting, Taylor has a really awesome guide of things to consider when you’re out digging- you can find it here.

This is particularly useful for shoes that can be used as a base to be turned into anything cool. My favorites of Taylors were steampunk Tinkerbell shoes from a pair of booties, and Satyr hooves from a pair of boots.

The Devil is in the Dirty Details

What is Aragorn without a little dirt, or Geralt without a little blood? Just a really buff guy in cool clothing, that’s what. What takes a costume from looking like you bought it at party city to a living breathing character? You’ve got to make it look lived in.

The good news is, that doesn’t require you to go roll around in the mud or hunt orcs in the woods for months on end without a bath (though you’re welcome to go the method acting route).

This is where antiquing, patinas, weathering, sandpapering, and scuffing are your best friends. We KNOW you just spent weeks putting this together and it feels sacrilegious to ‘rub some dirt on it’- but go on, rub some dirt on it.

Hot Glue is a Hot Commodity for Details

If you have a great base costume and need to create buildable details like embossing on armor, pieces of large chunky fantasy jewelry, or unique accents, but you need them to be flexible for movement; hot glue is your friend.

The coolest hack I have for making Gems and raised details on anything that needs to be movable once its done is a silicon mold (amazon has tons and silicon cake molds for fondant are the best). Fill it with hot glue and then leave it to dry before painting. Sturdy enough to hold up over time, easily paintable, and not prone to damage.

I’ve used this for mushrooms, gems, fake pieces of thick chain, gemstones, texturing, you name it.

Here in the coming weeks we plan to share more tips tricks, and tutorials for cosplay bits and pieces. We’d love to see your favorite cosplays and costumes and we can’t wait to share projects with you!

See you in the craft room!

Mikaela!

Happy Friday! With bridal season starting back up, and us working on a few events for this year, sustainable event planning has been on the forefront of our mind lately. Event hosting (especially weddings) can be a big source of waste if we’re not mindful. In many cases, things are purchased, used once, and discarded. Its never sat well with us, and that’s part of the idea behind the kind of events that RavenWerks wants to host. Today we want to share ways to help you plan a more sustainable wedding.

The Green Bride Guide states that the average wedding produces 400 lbs of garbage and 63 tons of CO2. With an estimated 2.5 million weddings per year, that is about 1 billion lbs of trash and as many emissions as approximately 4 people would produce in a year, in just one single day (link).

Consider Reusable Décor

This can mean a lot of things. You could go the route of renting, which means it doesn’t end up in a landfill, and you don’t have to store it afterwards. There are a lot of different services out there that provide linens and specialty dishware as well as other things.

If you have a very niche theme, this can seem more intimidating, but don’t let that deter you. You can do a lot if you’re creative enough. If you’re a Washington local you can also reach out to us, that’s kind of what we do. We love to help create custom events for alternative décor styles and take the stress off of you. You can learn more about that process (here).

Create Legacy Pieces

Another idea in this area is to choose décor that you can reuse in your home later. As an example, I planned on reusing all the frames we made for my wedding to display our wedding photos in our home. It worked out really well, and I now have a really unique collage full of memorabilia. We turned the silk flowers we used for part of our decor into a chandelier in our dining room. My gnomes are now in my garden, and my D&D dice are, well, my D&D dice. A more sustainable wedding doesn’t have to mean that you skip out on creating an intentional experience.

Donating Decor

You can also donate your wedding décor if it’s something that isn’t name specific. Thrift stores are always an option. But a lot of wedding planning companies also take donations to help them build their inventory of what they can offer to others. You just need to find a planner/ rental company that matches your style of décor. If you have décor that matches their style you can support a small business and keep things out of landfills. If you’d like to donate, you can reach out to us at info@ravenwerksguild.com.

Hire Sustainable vendors

Your vendors and the people helping you on wedding day are a huge factor in how much waste is produced. Talk to your vendors as you book about what their practices are like (I know, it’s one more thing to consider, but it’s worth it). Some states and areas even have vendor groups of companies that are vetted. Zola and the Knot have a filter you can use if you are using a service. If you’re a Washingtonian, check out Emerald Hour Wedding Society, they offer amazing information.

In some ways, the easiest thing you can do to plan a more sustainable wedding is hire vendors that have practices in place, as that is where the bulk of wedding waste is.

Let your Bridesmaids/ Groomsmen Thrift their Attire

This can be harder to do for groomsmen depending on your style. However, where possible I highly recommend it. Another back up is to rent it, especially if you’re going more formal. This is one of the simplest things you can do on this list.

The days of mandatory matching dresses are over. Many modern weddings opt to have bridesmaids all wear different dresses in the same color or color palette. With the way the fast fashion industry contributes to ladfills and carbon emissions, I strongly urge brides to let their bridesmaid’s thrift or buy consignment for their gowns. Being a bridesmaid can be expensive and that can be hard for friends; even if your best friend wants to help on your big day. Allowing your friends to thrift their clothing can also make things less stressful for them. It can also make for a fun wedding activity to do together.

This helps merge a more sustainable wedding with a touch of individuality. AND it ensures that each of your bridesmaids will get to wear something that they feel comfortable and good about themselves in. Very few things are worse than being forced into clothing that makes you feel exposed or bad about yourself for hours on end in front of lots of people. Especially when you KNOW pictures are going to be taken that will probably be on someones wall for all time.

Shop Consignment for Your Wedding Gown.

Don’t freak. I know that for some people and cultural groups there are superstitions around this (mine included because I had to have this conversation with my mom). But consider for a moment the environmental fallout from how many wedding dresses are thrown away every year. It’s momunmental the number of dresses that are purchased to be worn once and never put on again. There are also the millions of dresses that never get purchased, and get discarded.

Consignment is not what many people think it is. Many consignment boutiques do carry local consignment (dresses that have been worn by brides and then consigned). These dresses are vetted thoroughly for condition, style, and quality. Additionally, most consignment boutiques mostly carry over stock and discontinued sample dresses. Meaning they are typically only a year old and have never been in an actual wedding, just a show room floor.

This is not only a way for you to help keep something out of a landfill, and support a small business, but also save money planning your wedding. Most consignment bridal shops are selling 20-40% off original retail. You can always tweak your dress in alterations and then you still get the option of keeping your dress after, or consigning it back if you want to recoupe some money.

In Washington, we love Astraea Bridal in Mt Vernon (we’re biased, that’s where I bought my dress and sometimes help out at). Laura, Leslie, and Megan really know what their doing and create an amazing personalized experiences that really make you feel comfortable and safe. We’ve also heard great things about Brides for a Cause in Seattle, if you’re more in that area.

Consider your paper waste

Is all the paper necessary? Do you need a program, and place holders, and a pamphlet about the bridal party? Pare down what isn’t applicable to you. It’s always been weird to us that in a world where we understand that we use far too much paper, we still hold on to certain wasteful practices in the name of tradition. Companies like Zola and the Knot also allow you to have people RSVP online. This not only saves you from having to manually count and keep track of your answers, it also eliminates RSVP cards.

What stationery you do need, go for natural fibers and recyclable material. Or consider compostable materials and seed papers. They are still high quality, and heavier weight papers, but without as negative of an impact to the environment. Planning a sustainable wedding doesn’t have to mean that you use NO paper, just be smart about what you choose.

Transportation and Venue

A seemingly smaller thing to consider is cutting down your guest list if possible. This reduces your costs, but also the per capita waste on every single thing in your wedding. Less food, less party favors, less paper products etc.

Another thing is to have your ceremony and reception in the same place if you’re not getting married in a church or religious building. This cuts down on carbon emissions from having to shuffle everyone around (and saves you from having to organize transportation as an added bonus).

Tackle Your Registry with Intentionality

While some very established couples choose to forgo a registry altogether, being environmentally conscious and choosing to plan a more sustainable wedding, doesn’t mean you have to. There a number of things you can do to make this more eco-forward.

Look into a company like Everlastly. This company offers more traditional wedding registry items for couples that still need the more traditional things. However, they are sustainably made, transparently rated, and vetted through a process designed to promote honesty from vendors. We love them.

You should also consider what you need and what you don’t, and talk to your guests. We know that talking to people about asking for gifts is an uncomfortable topic for a lot of people, we totally get it. But it doesn’t have to be if done with authenticity.

A lot of people will just buy something from the traditional wedding gift list if they aren’t sure what to do. When putting your registry together consider things in your life that you really want or need. Many online registries will allow you to open group gifts so people can contribute to something bigger that you may need instead of a butter dish that you only pull out once when they’re over.

Consider what your goals are as a couple.

If you both decide you don’t really need anything, be transparent with your guests about that. “We don’t really need more stuff, your presence is all we need. However if you really want to contribute to the start of our next step ________blank is really important to us and we’re saving for __________.” Maybe you’re both working to pay off student loans, or purchase a home. Maybe you haven’t taken a trip in forever and you’d really love to take a special trip. Letting guests that want to give you something for your wedding, contribute to something bigger that is important to the two of you is a perfectly acceptable thing to do.

Consider your Flowers

There are two different approaches to this. One is to go the Wooden flowers route then you have a unique way to keep and preserve your flowers. If you’re like me and still just want the simplicity of natural flowers, the other option is to make sure that you are picking local, in season florals. This is better for the natural grow cycle, supports local business, and cuts down on CO2 emissions as the travel for transport of imported flowers is eliminated. This in part comes back to your vendors. Have a conversation with your florist about where they get their product from and who their suppliers are.

If you go the second route, then they are either compostable, organic material, which goes right back to mother earth or you can have them dried or preserved if you’re more of a memorabilia person.

Dinner Ware

Depending on your style, this might have a bit of overlap with “vendors”, however, it bears mentioning.

If you are having a more formal get together, consider renting dishes or see if your venue will provide them. We’ve seen a few people do the thrifted unique dishes as well which is really quirky depending on your theme, and what your plan for them afterwards is.

If you’re having an outside wedding, or something a bit more laid back (but still nice and put together), opt for compostable dishes over regular disposable paper or plastic. Many paper plates aren’t compostable or recyclable because of the coating on them. Plastic ware finds itself in the same boat. Compostables have come a long way and there are a number of different styles and types available that range from uber casual to natural or more polished looking. You can even buy them on amazon if you aren’t sure where to start.

Consider your Wedding Favors

Many couples are choosing to forgo this part of a wedding altogether, and we’re totally here for simplifying and minimizing the consumer behemoth that has become commercialized weddings.

However, my inner Hobbit’s need for elevated hospitality completely understands the decision to cut a different part of the wedding in favor thanking my guests. At the same time, it’s silly to waste your money on something that honestly nobody needs, will cost you money, and end up in a landfill (we’re talking to you overpriced bride and groom wineglass. We don’t really need dinnerware with someone else’s name on it).

There are some really unique and environmentally friendly ways to express gratitude to your guests for coming. Put your heads together for something inexpensive that is reflective of you, and the authenticity will make it mean more to your guests as well. If it’s handmade or edible- even better.

A Few Favorites We’ve Seen

• Miniature loose leaf local teas with honey sticks
• Reuseable aromatherapy heat packs
• Little wooden Ornaments
• Custom Cookies
• Hand rolled candles.
• A print of the bride and grooms favorite picture with each of the guests (these we’re printed at Walgreens with a little note. We’ve also seen a variation of this done as a cool thank you note- the bride and groom’s favorite picture from their wedding with each guest for their thank you cards).
• Chocolate truffles
• Homemade preserves
• Tiny soaps
• Little succulents
• Sample jars of honey
• Sample bags of coffee
• Homemade bird seed ornaments
• Little air plants
• Pet rocks (this sounds bizarre but it was weirdly adorable and people were tickled)
• Evergreen seedlings

Rethink Your Send Off

If you’re doing a formal send off or goodbye, there are a couple versions we wish people would skip for various reasons. Please don’t use rice. Despite being biodegradable, birds eat it and it’s really terrible for them, it can even kill them. Skip the glitter and plastic confetti. Quite frankly, glitter is an abomination and people shouldn’t use it for anything. A quick google search will reveal the tip of the iceberg where the hazards of microplastics are concerned, but the far reaching consequences of them goes even deeper.

Try opting instead for dried flowers like lavender, or jasmine. Paper confetti is also an option if you get a compostable or non-acidic type. We’ve seen bird seed used and we also knew a couple that had a wedding in the fall and hole punched dried leaves for confetti, which was really unique.

In Our Opinion

Weddings should be intentional, personal, and unique. While yes, you are hosting an event you are also celebrating a major life-decision, step, and life long commitment. You are celebrating your relationship with your best friend and partner. There are so many possibilities and ways to make things unique even on a budget. As passionate about that as we are, we truly don’t believe that doing that requires us to sacrifice on our ethics, or the environment.

These are our favorite ways to incorporate sustainability into planning a beautiful wedding (that will hopefully take some of the strain off your pocketbook as well). This list is by no means comprehensive, and we’d love to hear your ideas as well. You never know who else you could help (and of course the planet). We’re constantly striving to improve our services and the way we do business. Collaboration and education is a big part of that.  Let us know if there is something else people can do to lessen the environmental impact that hosting a wedding can have.

All the best, Always,

Mikaela

Today we’re going to combine two of my favorite things: Crafting and Herbology. In light of the Imbolc Holiday I thought it would be a good time to teach you how to make Sleep Sachets. The beauty of this project is that it’s something you can easily do in the comfort of your own home. There is something therapeutic and old-worldy about working with herbs. It’s calming and I find it helps clear my mind.

Herbology

Herbology and Kitchen Witchery are one of the oldest forms of science in the world. Cultures and nations from all regions have their own herbal remedies and beliefs. Frequently lumped in with “Grandma’s Kitchen wisdom”; they are cures and concoctions that are frequently undervalued.

While modern science may have evolved past herbology in many cases, there is still much that can be done with well-placed plants. Many common ailments and issues find simple clean solutions in the kitchen that can keep you out of a doctor’s office and feeling your best. And they are easy. I promise you- it’s not complicated. Don’t let anybody make you think it’s rocket science, because its not. As you get farther into your study of plants you will discover that not only are there lots of things you can do with plants, but there are also lots of things you can say with plants.

Getting into herbology was one of the easiest things I have ever done. I was already constantly in the kitchen and loved the ‘slow food’ & ‘clean cooking’ concepts. Then I went through this period of finding out as much as I could about specific diets for certain conditions and illnesses after I got diagnosed with lupus. Educating people about their food is a strong passion of mine. Combine that with a sister that has the BIGGEST green thumb in the world- and it just seemed like a natural conclusion. But I digress…

Sleep Sachets for Dream Weaving

Some people will tell you that there is no credence behind dreams and their meanings. However, I have had just a few too many personal experiences with dream journeys to not listen when the universe is trying to tell me something.

Come on, we’ve all had those dreams where we woke up feeling like we witnessed something. Like something was trying to show you a path or point you in the right direction and you wake up going ‘huh?’ and reaching for your dream interpretation book. Then again, some dreams need no translation because you wake up saying ‘message received, loud and clear’. I’ve even had periods in my life where I dreamed in consecutive episodes and each night I got a little further into the story. I know Taylor has had similar experiences. It will be exciting in the future to get into dream interpretation with you all, but that is a project for a different day.

History of Sleep Sachets

Sleep Sachets have been common in some cultures and beliefs since the 16^th century. they were used widely throughout Europe for a variety of purposes. The aromas and energies of certain plants can help induce and maintain deep sleep, lucid dreaming, and even help relax the mind. If you’re one of those people that struggles to let go of the day’s tension to even drift off- then this is for you.

Sleep sachets are a good stepping stone because they can be both generic, and then easily built upon to personalize their influence once you know the basics.  The practice is simple: Create your sachet and then sleep with it under your pillow or in your pillowcase. You can always buy sleep sachets online from places like Etsy. However, sleep is a personal experience and as such; is one of those things that I prefer to make myself. To me, setting the intentions is the most important part.

Most of the common ingredients are things that most people keep stocked in their spice cupboard. If not, many are readily available online. If you like the personal touch like me or knowing where the plants came from- there are a few of my favorite herb shops listed below as well. This is by no means a comprehensive list- especially since in a lot of ways, Dream work, and herbology is open to some level of interpretation.

Herbals for Sleep Sachets:

Lavender:

Probably the queen of all sleep herbs, definitely the most soothing in most kitchen witch gardens. It may seem stereotypical since its modern resurgence, but there is both cultural truth and scientific truth to that. Lavender can calm anxiety, invite deep restful sleep, and ease tension and headaches. Lavender has been a cultural go-to since the Middle Ages. It’s also a great cooking herb and I frequently use it in my incense, so I always have some handy. If you are looking for sleep, Lavender is your friend.

Chamomile:

Chamomile has many medicinal properties when consumed as a tea or infusion. However, the energies and aromas are also attributed to cleansing of negative energy, purifying and calming. They have a slightly sweet apple like scent and are a great building block for sleep sachets.

Rosemary:

With a wide array of medicinal uses, and culinary uses- there is always Rosemary in my kitchen. Rosemary is used to amplify all kinds of magic as well as promote memory and protection. You can add Rosemary to amplify what you already have, but more importantly to protect you from bad dreams, and help you remember your dreams if that is something you struggle with. A member of the mint family, Rosemary is a fragrant perennial and is easy to find anywhere.

Eucalyptus:

Another plant that has its fair share of medicinal purposes, which is what makes it a staple in so many homeopathic kitchens. Eucalyptus is also known for its strong refreshing scent. A little goes a long way, but Eucalyptus has been known to stimulate the immune system, provide clarity in dreams and help induce creativity- if you are looking to add a bit of vibrancy to your resting hours.

Mug Wort:

Is one of my absolute favorite herbs. It is versatile and easy to grow should you choose to do so. Some unknowing people even consider it a weed. Since Mugwort is used in a variety of cuisines around the world it is fairly easy to find in most Natural food stores. She does contain a chemical called thujone that can induce a sense of being “high” in large quantities, as such- some people consider Mugwort to be dangerous. Mugwort aides in providing a restful nights sleep when drank as a tea or tincture, but used in a sleep sachet can also invite lucid dreaming. If you are trying to work through a particularly difficult dream sequence, using Mugwort for lucid dreaming is an excellent way to be able to affect different choices you may need to work through.

Rose Petals:

Most people associate roses with love magic, and there is something to be said for that. However different parts of the Rose flower have a myriad of uses. Roses also invoke creativity, and are again a subtle way to invite creativity into your dreams. My sister learned how to grow beautiful roses of all colors and types from my Uncle Alois when he was still alive so I usually have easy access to different colors of rose petals for different purposes. (you can also just buy rose petals at the floral section of any grocery store or buy them dried either online or from a local shop).

Herbal Shops:

I have a few herbal shops I am familiar with and really like, some of which ship nationwide if you are not sure where to start:

Happy Health High Horny Herbs:

Don’t giggle at the name, just trust me. This store is in Tempe, AZ but also ships nationwide. Their main website is Plant Pleasures (rbbotanicals.com) but you can also find them on a brief google search or on Instagram. I like their web format because you can sort different plants, resins, etc. by what you are trying to do and I think that is a great feature for beginners if you are just learning what does what.

Tenzing Momo:

For my Seattlites- this shop is a local favorite. Located in Pike’s Place they sell a lot more than just bulk herbs. I’ve never had a bad interaction there, the people are great, and it smells amazing. Not only that, but if you are looking for some instructional material (on everything from herbs to mushrooms, and a range of spirituality books), this is the place for you. These guys also ship; however if you are in the area- I highly suggest you go in person. Tenzing Momo | Tenzingmomo.com

Moddejonge’s herbals:

This woman does not ship that I know of, but I highly recommend if you are local to the Seattle area. This private shop does have limited hours (Tuesday- Saturday 12P- 5P) but I not only love the shop but the owner. She is educational, and very kind. You can find her on Facebook @ Moddejonge’s Herbals.

Reminder:

The important thing about making sleep sachets is to set your intentions as you make them. The plants themselves have set properties, yes. But never underestimate the power of energies and intentions. Magic is, in and of itself, the art of manifestation. Sleep sachets can be made from anything: Cheesecloth tied with twine or ribbon, I have a collection of small drawstring bags I have either found or were packaging for gifts, if you are really dedicated to the experience I also know a friend who sewed/ crocheted her own bag and then embroidered it to further set her intentions (plus it was fun). The possibilities are endless.

Hopefully, this helped give you some ideas, or sends you in the right direction. Please feel free to chime in, share your thoughts, or share your projects. If you’re a skagit local, you can come find us at the Mirkwood Magical Bazaar as we’re adding a new set of sleep sachett for begginers to our wares.

All the best, Always,

Mikaela

Hey fellow crafters! 

I am switching gears a little bit today. I want to do a video on loom knitting basics but before we get to that I want to go over why loom knitting is so awesome, some of the tools you might want, and what you can make.  

I am not going to lie… when I was first knitting, I saw loom knitting as cheating or the easy way out. But I also have a policy of: 

“Don’t knock it till you try it!” 

So, I waddled my happy ass down to an art store and purchased my first kit. I can proudly say I am now hooked (pun intended).  

Why? 

Loom knitting quicker, easier to learn for beginners and easier on one’s hands for the elderly, disabled, or arthritic. If you have trouble keeping count of your stitches, I also find that loom knitting is easier to keep track of.  

What can you stitch on a loom?  

The point is that anything you can get a knitting pattern for, you can also do on a loom. You can do a knit or purl stitch. The only thing to consider is that you will need to doctor a knitting pattern a bit as loom knitting is always knitting the right side (RS) and regular knitting, every other line is the wrong side (WS) so you need to convert those lines to be the opposite/ backwards.  

What do you need for your project?   

1. Yarn- this seems obvious. 
2. Either your hands or a pen- your hands also seem obvious BUT if you want to speed things up and maybe save your self a hand cramp, I saw a trick online that I love. Take the tip and inside of/out of a pen so you just have a tube (I suppose you could also use something like a straw), thread your yarn through it and literally act like you are drawing with the yarn around the pegs. If you have loom knitted, you know what I am talking about. If not… I will show you when I get to the video.  
3. A pick- you use this to throw stitches over the pegs and create the stitches. The kits come with a pick that looks like a handle with a little metal hook on the end to grab the yarn. If you bought your loom second hand though it may be missing AND I have noticed that those get broken AND they also tend to give me hand cramps over time. Knot as bad as regular knitting but like 3 hours in I can feel it.  I would recommend splurging on one at a craft store that has a bigger and/or cushier handle. I also saw someone use the cricut tool to help clean up cuts that looks like a hook and confess that I will be trying that soon. It looks comfy since it has a longer handle.  
4. A loom- Now THIS is what I was trying to get to because there are different types of looms.  

What types of looms are there and what are they for? 

So I should say first that each of them can be used for multiple things. For example, I have used the smallest circular loom to make tiny hats, stockings, mittens, ‘sponges’, and a placemat. Just because it is circular does not mean you have to knit in the round; you can do a flat piece.  And using the long rectangular looms you can make a flat piece, a circular piece like a hat or get a double layered effect.  

There are 4 main types on these looms:  

I plan in the near future to do a video showing how to get started and to make a beanie in the round vs making something flat like a pot holder. I am mid way through a move but I have several projects lined up so that we can work along. Anything I will be teaching could be applied to any of the 4 types of looms so why don’t you locate a couple supplies are work along with me next month?

Thank for stopping by,

Taylor

Hey homesteaders, hobby DIY’ers and backyard environmentalists! I am super excited for this post, as upcycling is something I am very passionate about.  I am going to try to reign myself in BUT knowing me, this is still going to be a bit lengthy. Mikaela talked about why upcycling is so important from a sustainability standpoint in UPCYCLING… THERE ARE NO DOWNSIDES but I can honestly say that a big reason that I upcycle is just because I find it fun and like the aesthetic. Because of this, I have been flexing my upcycling imagination for a while. Today I am not going to teach you how to make anything but instead, give you some ideas and inspiration. I want to touch on 10 things in your home that can be upcycled (some more obvious than others) and give you a couple ideas of what you can do with them to get your creative juices flowing. Before I start my list though, here are a few things to consider when looking for items to keep and repurpose.

• Do not focus on what things are currently. Look at color, shape, texture, and material. Think about what is inside it.
• Is it SAFE? If tampering with it can be harmful to you or the environment… stear clear.
• What is the current state of the object? Are you going to need to clean or disinfect it before working with it? Is it ready to work with now?
• Do you really want to repurpose it or is it better being sold or donated?
• Are you willing to put the required time into the project if it going to be more involved?

The reason that I bring these things up is because the point on upcycling, DIY, and repurposing is to breath new life into things (and for me a plop of dopamine)… Not to become a hoarder. Sometimes it really is better to dispose of an item correctly or let it move onto a new home.

Now that I have that out of the way… Here are 10 things I love to give new lives.

(1) Jars and Bottles

So with jars and bottles the posabilities are literally endless and this goes for glass AND plastic so lets list a few of my favorites. This is probably one of the most obvious and well covered categories online so it is also the one I really wont get into much. I still want to include it though because you are CONSTANTLY getting more; from your jams, sodas, wines, pickles… The list goes on. So here are just a few ideas and like I said before- there are HUNDREDS more all over the internet.

• Just use them as they are to store something new- duh
• Mason jars are easily turned into rustic candles or classed up by using wine bottles
• Glass bottles and jars can be painted or etched
• Turn them into light fixtures
• Wine bottles are easily cut into vases or used as is
• Turn them into greenhouses and terreriums
• Shatter glass for stained glass and tiling projects or smooth down the edges for safety in patterns to be used in…. whatever you want. Jewelery maybe?
• If you have access to a kiln, glass bottles can be flattened down into platters
• plastic soda bottles can be “shredded” into a twine or heated and used for anything you could also use shrinky dinks or shrinking plastic

(2) Anything Fabric

So this also seems like an obvious one BUT this is such broad category and I just want to put a couple things in your head for you to consider. 1. Fabric is a much more than just clothes and 2. it can be used for a lot more than just sewing projects.

Think about keeping all or part of the fabric from these items:

• Clothes- duh
• Linens
• Window Curtains
• Shower Curtains
• Rugs/Carpets
• Bags
• Pillows & Furniture
• Food sacks (think flour sacks)

Here are a couple things I ask myself when looking at anything fabric:

• What is the fabric? I prefer to keep cottons, linens, and even gauzy, lace, and tulle materials that will not unravel too much when I cut them. Conversly, I avoid loose knitts and crochet materials that will not be repurposed easily or unravel quickly when cut from their original home.
• Is it a natural material? This is because sometimes I consider dying items a different color and that sticks better to raw natural materials.
• Do I like the pattern or maybe just want to save a logo or patch to be sewn on something else? Seems obvious when I ask that.
• Do I need to wash this before I reuse it or store it for later? Again… think flour sacks. I probably want to wash the four off really good before using it for anything.
• How threadbare is something? Is the material so worn it is see through? Maybe it is time to go. Is there a hole in the elbow of your cardigan? Maybe it just needs elbow patches or you want to use the cardigan material as a couple of quilt squares.
• Do I want to keep it for the texture?
• Do I love the buttons? Save those too!

Just like it can come from a wide range of places in your home, it can also be used in almost anything:

• Reused in literally any sewing project you can think of; quilting, patches, combining things into different clothing, doll making…
• Modpodged onto items for decor (make sure to use the correct type of mod podge for your project)
• Turned into Jewelery; cut into shapes, turned into beads, etc.
• I like to put my tiny scrap fabric that isn’t enough for sewing projects aside, chop it smaller, and use as stuffing in other projects
• Turned into wax clothe for food storage
• Boho hair ornaments
• Use it for texure in a multi media art project; textured paintings, textures on your clay sculpture, embelishments in your papercrafts
• Use long thin strips instead of chunky yard in a knitting project

(3) Dishes

Can anyone say whimsy? This miiiight be a bit too close to jars and bottles but typically you are looking at porcelain, ceramic, bone china, and stoneware. It’s a little different. You can paint them or decorate them (mod podge fabric on there?) but I usually find that they already have great colors and designs.

I usually look at 3 things with dishes:

1. What is the SHAPE
2. What is the MATERIAL
3. What is the PATTERN/COLOR

I consider them in that order as well. The shape and material are my biggest factors in what I might turn something into. I only really consider the color or pattern afterwards in these cases as I can always change that with a variety of marterials (paint, resin, cement, moss…).

• Treat anything bowl shaped as just a bowl shape. Bowls, pots, pans, cups, mugs, teacups, serving dishes, teapots… They are now planters, water features, turned upside down as light fixtures, hooked together as a rain chain.
• An extension of shape is the size. Those stockpots could be great planters or mounted sideways on a wall to use as a cuby but might be a bit big to turn into a candle (no judgement though- I kind of want a giant candle now)
• Flater dishes like plates and trays can be used as wall decor as is, turned into tiered trays or deconstructed and turned into something like a clock (anything can be a clock).

(4) Food & Plant Scraps

This is going in a VERY different direction from the other categories. I was reading this to Mikaela and she asked “what the hell kind of art are you going to do with leftover pie?” This isn’t what I mean. I mean your fruits, veggies, tubers, and plant cuttings. Think about these options before you throw away your blueberries that are a little past the point of yummy. Food and plant waste can really be split into a couple different categories.

1. Waste- There is less of this than you think
2. Compostables- What you mix back into your garden to be more sustainable
3. Scrap to feed your animals- If you have any
4. Art- Mwahahaha

The first three in that list are a whole different rabbit hole and I will be doing a different post on this in the next couple weeks. Lets focus on the art aspect.

• Many fruits, vegetables, and leaves can be used for natural dying of paper, yarn, fabric, and even hard boiled eggs
• Use leaves for solar printing to get lovely, natural patterns on fabrics
• Boil unused, aromatic scraps like citrus peels or rosemary and thyme on the stove to spread the scent around your house before you compost it
• Dried leaves, flowers, and herbs are lovely in candles, resin art, or sewn into sachets for scent

Maybe don’t try the above with your blueberry pie.

(5) Candles

Candles are fun because I sometimes turn them into other candles and sometimes just have fun making artistic messes. When a candle is dead you are usually left with 3 things.

1. The little nub of a wick and/or possibly a little metal base of a wick. You can scrap this.
2. The waste wax
3. The vessel the candle was in- maybe. There are plenty of candles that are free standing.

So you have some options here. Here is the process I usually go through. Let me know if you have other thoughts though.

1. First I like to boil the vessel the candle was in to:
   • Melt the last of the wax so I can pour it into or onto whatever I choose AND
   • Remove any labels etc
2. If the wax is unscented I can totally reuse this in another candle
3. If the wax had any scent I dislike making them into another candles BECAUSE often you have to combine scraps from several candles and mixing scents can get overwhelming.

If I am not reusing the vessel for a candle I use them like any other jar. A have them around the house being used to store small art and office supplies and one with pocket change. They also make great planters if you know how to drill drainage in glass without shattering it or for plants you aren’t afraid of overwatering. My favorite part to play with though is the wax. Here are just a couple things I have done with it in the past.

• While it is warm but not completely melted it can be manipulated into sculptures. I have a lot of tolerance for the heat of warm wax in my hands but you can burn yourself doing this so BE CAREFUL. I will also note that the first time I did this I was 10 years old and using an insanely hot desk lamp to melt the wax instead of finishing my homework at a decent hour. I ruined the lamp and got in trouble but the little wax penguin was worth it.
• I have used it on canvas. Have you seen where people melt old crayons on canvas? Same concept… but scented!
• I have used it as an accent for DIY Halloween decor. Sometimes I leave it exposed OR you can do something like drip it down a doll face and then paint over the whole thing to make it look like the doll is melting.
• Are you into sending letters? Use it as a wax seal and the scent is a nice added touch. Make sure it isn’t too oily though and you have a good quality envelope or you will end up with a stained envelope/letter from the oil used to scent your candle.

(6) Books

This is a painful one for me to talk about. I am a huge bookworm. I think I made a kid cry when I was in college because they set one of my books face down/open and cracked the spine of it. I KNOW I made a roommate avoid me for fear of retribution because I found them dog earing and writing in one of my books. Damaging a book actually makes my heart clench up like I am about to have a panick attack. That being said… sometimes it is better to lay them to rest. You ever have that book that even though you were careful, it has just been read so many times that it’s starting to disolve in your hands? I have had a few like that. I am not saying that if you have a leather bound, first edition, signed [insert amazing book here] and that it is falling apart you should treat it like an art project. Those you get restored by a professional or learn how to store and preserve as best you can. Your families’ journal, or bible, or book of shadows (different strokes for different blokes and all that) that the pages are falling out of and some pages have water damage…. also not recomending this as your next DIY project. But maybe that very loved copy of Harry Potter that you can always replace or read on Kindle and the back cover has fallen off? That is your next target. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH AN OLD BOOK!!!

• Open it and soak it in a borax/water bath for a time so it grows crystals and use it as a fantasy prop
• Turn it into a clock
• Hollow it out into a secret bookshelf box
• The pages can be cut into shapes, used as scrapbook paper or used as a base to paint for a dark academia aesthetic. The more aged and yellow the pages are the better.
• If the book is a hard cover, the covers can be cut, the edges covered with ribon and hung on the wall as decor or used as a canvas for a painting.
• solidify them with a resin or something similar, stack them, and create furniture.
• Use illustrations are paper ephemera in junk scrapbooks or in other projects

(7) Old Childrens Toys

This is a fun one to play with. Completly throw the idea of what something is out the door and only think about shapes. Kids are kind of yucky. They get sticky substances on toys, leave them in weird places like behind the toilet, and break things. I can almost guarantee that the toy is going to look NOTHING like it did when I am done upcycling it.

What I like to look for in old kids toys are the following:

• Figurines of any size or shape. Smaller ones can be painted over and turned into jewelery, wall hooks, cabinet handles or jar toppers. Larger ones can be repainted to look like chic decor. Some of my Christmas and bathroom decor are large figurines that were honestly ugly and I painted over them to look like a “stuffed” Christmas penguin and a metalic gold octopus for my bathroom (like the ones you see go for like $40 online).
• Nerf and Squirt guns. I like to add a little adult charm to these and turn them into weapons for costumes. Added bonus is when I am cosplaying for Haloween or cons, my gun can actuall shoot my friends.
• Stuffed Animals. It feels a bit like murder but the outside fuzzy bits get incorporated into sewing projects and the inside gets repurposed into pillows and projects like the giant stuffed dragon I am currently making.
• Dolls can get repainted as creepy Halloween Decor. That Barbie that got decapitated by a 4 year old who thought she was playing hair dresser? That is now a creepy shrunken head in a jar.

(8) Pet Supplies

This one you have to be a bit more forgiving with. It is easy to say that you are going to reuse your clothes or kids kids toys but when I talk about upcycling an animals food dish, some people start to inch away. I have been a little adventurous though and just want to share a couple ideas. If you are adventurous, you can try the following:

• Food Dishes can become planters
• Large balls for horses or dogs can be covered in cement and other materials for garden decor
• The top “jug” from the automatically filling water disheds can be turned into terreriums or small aquatic tanks
• Dog toys can become props for costumes. This is a favorite of mine as I have turned things like a Bass made as a dog troy was painted and turned into a magicarp.

The point is, just because they were used for or meant to be used for an animal, do not write them off imediately.

(9) Jewelery

You ever buy a shirt that comes with a necklace that you will never use or have jewelery that sits around for several years until you donate or trash it? I am talking about all your costume jewelery. I know I have a certain aesthetic and That I only wear earings consistantly so why keep a bunch of jewelery I wont wear? Instead I tend to deconstruct pieces and turn them into earings so they will get use OR use them in art projects.

I tend to look at them in pieces and take them apart into:

• Beads
• Larger pieces like pendants
• Chains

From there I incorporate them into:

• Other jewelery
• Pendulums
• Suncatchers
• Embelishments on DIY clothing
• Additions to resin art
• Whatever you are using your beads and bits for…

(10) Furniture

Upcycling furniture is another really popular place to start and has a lot of posibilities. What I want you to think about though is what you can do with old furniture when you imagine past reupholstering.

• Cushions and pillows can be dismanteled into fabric and stuffing for other projects
• Entertainment units can be turned into play kitchenettes for your kid
• Cabinet and dresser drawers can be planters or raised gardens
• Headboards can be a trellis
• Anything made out of wood can be sanded and stained or painted and turned into a different piece of furniture

Again… the point is to thing of everything as PARTS. It isn’t a wooden chair. It is wood pieces cut into the size of 2 arms, 4 legs, a seat and a back. The back piece might have a cool carving and you want to use it as wall art. The legs and seat can be sanded, restained and turned into stool. The arms might be turned into candle sticks.

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Some of the projects mentions will are things I have done, seen, or will be showing on our site. They are all doable at home and usually on a budget. I am not an engineer, a uni trained artist or anything else fancy. All you need is imagination and patience. Hopefully this post inspires you to make something new from what could have been trash around your home.

Happy Upcycling,

Taylor

Ostara is behind us, and Easter is approaching quickly… so let’s talk eggs.

If you either celebrate Ostara or have read our post, you will know that painted eggs are often a part of the holiday. More likely though, you are aware of the Christian tradition of Easter Eggs. Right about now if you go into any grocery store across the United States, you can most likely find Easter egg dye kits front and center, just inside the door. I know growing up in a Catholic household, we looked forward to the family getting together and dipping hard boiled eggs into vinegar-based dyes.

Decorated eggs aren’t just limited to pastels, food dye, and Easter though. In cultures around the world, eggs have been seen as symbols of fertility, the circle of life, new life, un-hatched potential, hope and purity. Additionally, eggs are easy to come by and comparatively cheap (though it may not seem that way currently) which has made them a staple in households in one way or another around the world. By that logic, it really isn’t a surprise that decorating eggs is one of the oldest decorative arts and that humans have developed many different styles and traditions.

So lets talk about a couple different ways to play with this fun tradition and where they come from. I am going to focus more on traditional, can do at home egg decorating. That means that I am NOT going into the history of Faberge eggs or how to carve them out of stone. Instead, I want to talk about dying, painting, scratching, and (if you are a bit more motivated) engraving eggs.

Ostrich Egg Engraving & Etching

So I realize that this is a bit of a stretch when it comes to being duplicatable at home BUT it is doable, on my list of projects to attempt, AND one of the most ancient forms of egg decorating so I absolutely had to include it. Dating back as far as 65,000 years ago it is believed that the hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari desert used Ostrich eggs for storing water. Archeologists have long known of decorated pieces of shells with designs that could be decorative or marks of individual owners. Over time this has evolved and become more detailed and decorative rather than utilitarian and today, a carved, engraved, or etched ostrich egg can be quite ornate and sell for hundreds of dollars.

I have done some research into different techniques. Etching seems fairly easy as you basically paint etching cream in the design or picture you wish, let it sit according to the creams’ instructions, and then rinse the egg. Engraving is a bit more technical but can be accomplished by using a fine engraving tip on a Dremel and then using a fine knife for detail work. Do I sense a future project?

Scratched Chicken Eggs

In the same family as Ostrich egg engraving, as early as the 4th century, we can see chicken eggs decorated by scratching designs into the shell in Worms, Germany. Yes- that is a real place and one of the oldest cities in northern Europe. Scratching designs into shells is still a fun way to decorate, a bit more accessible than engraving Ostrich eggs, and just different enough from the classic dyed easter eggs that you can feel fancy showing them off to your friends. Brown hen eggs can be scratched right away to reveal white designs or white ones can be dyed and then scratched. This can be done a variety of ways and you can use a needle, nail, awl, Xacto knife, razor blade, Dremel, engraver… you get the point. Manual tools are easier to control depth and shading but electric tools such as a Dremel will speed

things up. Simple dot and stripe patterns are an easy starting point (pun intended) and floral motifs are classic.

Dyed Chicken Eggs

Drum roll please…. Let’s say it all together now. DYED EGGS. When I was researching I found dyed eggs in a lot of different cultures and for a lot of different occasions. Easter gets talked about a lot because Christianity is widespread with a large number of practitioners, but dyed eggs have been around a lot longer than Christianity. The original dyed egg can be traced back, once again to the ancient, decorated Ostrich eggs of Africa where they were dyed red with ochre. It is theorized that this practice may have traveled from Africa with the movement of our ancestors up into Eurasia and then Europe.

Let’s talk about a couple more current examples though. Similar to the red Ostrich eggs, hen eggs were dyed red and displayed on alters for Nowruz (on the vernal equinox) in ancient Persia and this tradition can still be seen in various Persian and Turkish faiths though the color palate has expanded. Judaism has a similar tradition where, for Passover, they display a pure white roast egg on their sedar plate. Pagans traditionally would dye and paint eggs to give as gifts when celebrating the Spring equinox. The exact origin of Easter eggs is a bit murky but common theories are that the Jewish Passover egg or the Pagan gift eggs were then adopted by Mesopotamian Orthodox Christians and dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Are you seeing a trend yet? Regardless of the true origin, this red egg is what later became the Easter egg that we currently enjoy in many colors.

Originally the dyes were made from plants and what was found in nature but eventually as new colors were desired and created, many toxic fabric dyes were used. Obviously, there is more known about the harm involved and it is no longer recommended. Science has progressed and you can easily get food friendly dyes readily from the grocery store OR for more natural colors and a traditional feel you can play with the following kitchen bits and plants from the garden:

Yellow Onion Skins	Reddish Brown
Red Onion Skin	Light Blue
Chopped Beets	Bright Pink
Turmeric	Bright Yellow
Purple Cabbage+ Turmeric	Bright Green
Purple Cabbage	Bright Blue
Blueberries	Purple
Carrots	Pale Orange
Spinach	Pale Green
Violet Flowers	Very Pale Purple
Green Tea	Pale Yellow
Red Wine	Deep Red

The list goes on! There are so many natural dyes and adjusting how long they are in the dyes, how long dyes are boiled, and even if the eggs are washed or not can affect the colors. Experiment a little or a lot! A good step by step process on how to make and use the dye can be googled easy but a good one I have used is HERE. You can also play with patterns by wrapping rubber bands around eggs before dying or using wax to protect the shell from dye in patterns. In northern Britain and Scandinavia, impressions of leaves and flowers are made by affixing them against the egg, wrapping them in onion skins and then boiling the eggs. This is easily replicated by wrapping the egg and leaf or flower in panty hose and dyeing the egg however you want.

Wax Resist (Pysanky)

This is technically still dying eggs, but I felt it needed to separated into its own category. The is advanced dying. Simple in concept but precise and very time consuming.

Originally dating back to pre-Christian times, pysanky has become a Ukrainian Easter tradition. They often show complex geometric, floral, and even lace designs and are made using the wax resist method. A design is drawn on the egg in wax using a type of stylus called a kistka. The egg is then dipped into a dye, dried and a new layer of wax is drawn on and the egg is then dyed again. This process is repeated in layers starting with the lightest dyes and ending with the darkest being applied. If you are interested in trying your hand at this amazing art style, I was able to locate a booklet through the Library of Congress from the American Folklife Center that details the process and gives a great starting point (find it HERE).

Painted Eggs

Painted eggs are as old as dyed eggs and honestly pretty much the same historically BUT painting instead of dying means you can use different techniques and, in my experience, get a lot more detailed without the technical know how for something like . The sky is the limit when it comes to colors AND if it is for décor only (not being eaten), you are not limited by the type of paint. I personally like acrylics because they are affordable and very easy to work with even for beginners.

This is just scratching (lol) the surface when it comes to decorated eggs though. What about 3D art or paper machete? Could you use a pyrography tool on lower heat settings? New ideas and techniques are always popping up online and working on projects always gets me inspired to try new things. So, experiment and create something new. Let us know if you have any ideas or send them to us on our Instagram. We want to hear from you, and I am always looking for a new technique to try out myself!

Happy creating,

Taylor

I know in my previous post about Ostara I had mentioned a recipe for some sourdough rosemary rolls…. 

Today is the day. Rosemary, to me, is one of the best herbs in the world, I think everybody should have some in their garden. It smells amazing, is relatively hardy (you can even grow it in the arid zone that is the Arizona I grew up in). It has a laundry list of medicinal benefits that I will get to at a different time because I could wax poetic about Rosemary and all its uses for a while, and I will, trust me. But for today we will stick to just the culinary aspect and some of its symbolism in Ostara celebrations.  

Baking bread is also one the more traditional ways to celebrate Ostara, and in my personal opinion almost everything is better with cheese…. therefore: Bread + Rosemary + Cheese = Mozzarella Stuffed Rosemary Sourdough Pretzel Rolls! I know it looks like there are a lot of steps, but I broke it into tiny bite sized pieces for ease of reading and doing. It’s not hard, I promise.  

You can either buy a sourdough starter online (I know you can find decent ones on Esty), or you can make your own with a little advance prep, it’s much easier than it sounds. Check out our post on how to make sourdough starter Here. 

Now let’s get to it!  

Instructions: 

1. Combine warm water, sugar and starter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or regular large bowl if doing by hand). let sit 3-4 minutes until starter has had a chance to breathe.  
2. Add approximately 4 cups of flour and salt and mix on medium speed for approximately 10 minutes. If by hand approximately 15 minutes. mixing is extremely important because this is where your gluten develops. dough should be smooth and satiny to the touch, moist but not sticky; and definitely not dry. It will pull away from the sides of the bowl gently. If your dough is too sticky, continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time, allowing a minute or two of mixing between each addition. Dough should pass the window test. For bread basics and tips click Here. 
3. Once your bread has gotten close to this ideal texture, add your rosemary and butter and knead an added 3-4 minutes until butter has been fully absorbed (butter inhibits gluten production so you do not want to add it too early). 
4. Tip dough into a clean, oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Place in a warm area of your house and let rest until dough has doubled in size (roughly 1- 1.5 hours)  
5. Place your shredded mozz in the freezer (If you are using fresh mozz you will want to tear it into relatively small pieces first). 
6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; and set aside. 
7.  Add water and baking soda to a large pot and bring to a boil. 
8. Divide dough into 8 equal rounds. 
9. Roll each round out into a 16″ rope. 
10. Roll each rope out so it’s 4 inches wide. 
11. Remove cheese from freezer. Add 2 tablespoons of cheese filling evenly along the rope. 
12. Tightly roll the dough back into rope being careful to pinch the edges together. 
13. Make a U shape with each rope of dough, holding the ends. 
14. Cross the ends over each other, pinching ends onto the bottom of the dough. you now have a pretzel!  
15. Place pretzels – one at a time – into the boiling cooking liquid. Cook for 30 seconds each. Remove pretzels with a slotted spoon, allowing any excess water to drip back into the pot before transferring to prepared baking sheet. It is important to not crowd your pot- take your time with this step. calm and clean are your friends. 
16. Once all pretzels have been boiled, brush the tops of each with egg wash. 
17. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 16-18 minutes. 
18. In a small bowl combine the rosemary, garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Brush the top of each pretzel with melted butter, then sprinkle on topping. Eat at once! 

Now go make a mess! Have fun! Change the toppings, switch out the cheese if you want, take pictures, share them with friends.  

All the best,  

Mikaela  

Good evening! (Or at least it’s evening for me).

In our previous post about Ostara we touched on one of my absolute favorite things to do: Take a floral milk bath. They are relaxing, fun, and a great way to give yourself some classy spa time on a budget. Self-care is important, especially in finding balance. Remember: you cannot pour from an empty cup. Taking a little bit of time every week to decompress and recharge yourself is so important to your overall health and effectiveness. There are all sorts of tiny things you can do to fulfill this need for yourself, but if I’m taking extra care with myself, or at certain time of the year (i.e. Ostara) this is one of my favorites for a number of reasons. It is ridiculously easy to do, and a relaxing way to add mindfulness to your life. 

Managing stress is one of the best ways to support your immune system. Stress can also lead to higher risk of stroke and heart attack. It may not seem like a cool or dramatic way to take care of yourself, but stress management is more important now than ever in today’s perpetually fast paced world. Baths in general to me are a good way to help me slow down because it’s all about the process, the soak; the whole point is to slow down and focus on doing nothing except being.  

A few quick tips to add to the experience: 

• Get yourself some candles: Even the dingiest room looks like a palace in candlelight. Turn your lights off and light some candles. If you have scented ones, great. But scentless dollar tree ones work just fine. If you are going the scented route, I try to stay on season. It helps focus your energy (i.e. Ostara= florals like primrose or jasmine, dogwood, rosewood, and vervain. Incense works great too to add to your ambiance if you go the dollar store unscented candle route.  
• Grab a glass: of something, anything. Some ladies like wine, and that works. Honestly for me though, I like my water really hot so I tend to stick to cold beverages to avoid light-headedness and accidents. If I really need to relax, then sure, a glass of red will do. But nothing is worse than putting all this prep work in, getting in the tub, and deciding you’re thirsty. Water, Juice, whatever it may be- you’ll thank me later. 
• Music: this is a tip especially if you live with roommates or in a loud place. It’s hard to relax, unwind, or meditate when you can hear your roommate’s comedy tv show, or the dryer thumping down the hall, or your siblings or spouse shouting. Again, this comes down to personal musical preference but some of my favorite ambiance music includes Celtic instrumentals & nature soundtracks if I want things that have no words. Another personal favorite is to turn on some Etta James or Andrea Bocelli if I’m feeling up to vocals.  
• Find a space heater: This one isn’t a necessity at all, just a preference. It can still very much be chilly in March, and while the bath feels great, eventually I must get out… to a frigid bathroom. The best way to avoid this is to turn an oscillating space heater on to a low setting. Helps take the edge off.  

Let’s Begin.

To make this floral soaking milk bath you will need: 

To make:  

1. Clear your workspace, focusing on your intentions as you do so. Try to stay relaxed and comfortable. 

2. In a medium bowl combine Sea Salt and Oats. 

3. In a separate small bowl, combine essential oils with carrier oil. Add this to the oat/salt mixture. It is important to mix this thoroughly to avoid the risk of skin irritation. 

4. Add your remaining dry ingredients and mix to combine.  

5. Fill clean cotton bags and cinch tightly.  

To use:  

1. Let your cotton bag soak in hot bathwater for 5 minutes. Remember, this is all about the process. Take your time drawing your bath and getting the temperature where you want it.  

2. Squeeze gently to release oat milk and essential oils more effectively.  

3. The cotton, potpourri filled bag can also be used as an exfoliating scrub. Focus on dry ares for extra moisture. 

4. Bags can be emptied, washed, dryed and reused.  

Twist your hair up out of the way, grab a hand towel as a pillow & Soak. Enjoy the aromas, breathe deep, meditate and just let it all go. Whatever is bothering you, whatever bad thing happened today, however hard the winter was- let it go. Take a few minutes genuinely for yourself, get out when you feel like it, and not before. Wrap up in a soft robe or big fluffy towel. Take the time to treat your body by applying lotion or an oil, you deserve it. Flush the negative and the weight down the drain with your bathwater and close your ceremony by rinsing your tub and blowing out your candles.  

You just completed a mindful self-care ritual. Super simple. Not nearly as hocus-pocus as a lot of people will try to make it sound. You can also always play with the florals/ oils as well (try cedarwood or tonka bean in the winter- you’ll thank me later).  

The hardest thing with this is to be intentional. To slow down, focus on what you are doing, let nothing rush you, and don’t multi-task. Put down your phone. You can live without instagram or facebook or even a paper book for forty-five minutes. You are focusing on you. I get it, I love to read too, but that’s not the purpose here.  

All the best,  

Mikaela 

Upcycling, recycling, thrifting, repurposing.

For some people, that implies cheapness or lower class; For my family it was a fun and time-honored tradition. Taylor and I come from an altogether upper middle-class family. We weren’t rolling in money Scrooge McDuck style, but we had things that other children didn’t, and our parents were big on providing us whatever opportunities they could.

However, they were also big on teaching of the value of things. Not just the monetary value, but the real value of any given thing. My dad is from a small community in Wyoming, and he did not grow up with nearly as many opportunities as Taylor and I did. My mom was raised by parents that were a product of the great depression. Both believed firmly in using the most of something that you possibly could. Waste not, want not.

Dad is big on quality over quantity. Buy less but buy nice and if you take care of it- it will last you forever. Mom was big on finding a way to give something new life and see it in a whole new way. They both stressed how important it was for our environment and for the planet to not be so big on ‘disposable’, and to not throw something away just because it got scuffed or slightly worn. Part of the reason we go thrifting or upcycling still to this day is that it is so much more environmentally friendly to buy something second hand (especially clothes) than to get a newly manufactured one. The apparel industry alone accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions.

One of my favorite things as a kid to do was go hunting with my mom and her best friend Sherry on weekends. We would hit antique markets, garage sales, and thrift stores and it was always an adventure. The hunt was half the fun, and I got to spend time with my mom. We never knew what we were going to find, I frequently got to save something from a landfill or scrap pile, and my wardrobe was always unique to me. I like to think it taught my sister and I to look at things in ways other people didn’t. Sherry and mom were big crafters and could fix and repurpose anything. They taught us what to look for and became our earliest DIY instructors. We would come home with our pile of jee-jaws and scraps and second-hand furniture for pennies and nickels and the occasional $5 in allowance spent that turned into hours and hours of crafting and fun, a hobby that I like to think has served us fairly well so far in life.

I also think it taught us the importance of giving back. We rarely ever threw things away. There was always going to be somebody who could re-imagine it, or someone that needed it more than I did. You could always help a neighbor in need if you were paying attention and willing to give.

You also always learn something when it comes to upcycling and rebuilding. Some of my proudest learning moments have come from repurposing.

A few of my favorite crafts, antiques, and saves include:

• Multicolored rope baskets: my parents had these plastic crisscrossed laundry baskets when Taylor and I were little. I think everybody had them. They were small and round, and I think the dollar tree probably still sells something similar to this day. They had started to see better days, and dad finally went to get rid of them, so I swiped them. I now have a set of nice, fabric lined rope baskets and all it cost me was some hot glue, a couple yards of scrap fabric, and some jute rope. I’ve used them for blankets, decorative containers for plants, and sometimes still a laundry hamper.
• Grandma’s corning wear: this is an older generation thing that is so underrated, and you can fight me on, but will never change my mind. I happened to steal mine from grandma before they donated it, but I find it all the time at goodwill as well. People are throwing them away as they clean out estates or updating for sleeker looking options. Corning ware will never wear out on you. It’s cute and vintage. And it heats SO evenly. You can cook almost anything in it.
• My dining room table: this one is probably my absolute proudest project moment. It was a long labor of love. I will be honest, there was a lot of swearing involved in this one. it was a big project, and I had to teach myself a handful of skills. But it came out almost exactly as I envisioned it, and I love it to bits. Taylor and I bought this mismatched table and chairs at goodwill for $10. it was scratched, but it was a beautifully cut, old fashioned solid wooden table underneath that. It still had the original hardware, and these amazingly shaped legs and it just screamed “TAKE ME HOME!”. The chairs were hideous, and did not match in the slightest, like doctor’s office waiting room chairs. So, we sanded down the whole table. Dad had to teach me how to use a belt sander for the top of it and remember those awesome legs I was talking about? that’s where the swearing started. It took weeks. After the sanding, we stenciled this giant mandala pattern into the center of it and then wood burnt the pattern in (insert more swearing and severely cramping hands). When all the stenciling and woodburning and staining and sealing was done though, I had this moment of complete satisfaction of a project well finished. I learned a lot. And I also have this gorgeous table that is unique to my home. The best part is that altogether it probably only cost my $35 by the time I was done buying sandpaper and wood stain.

There is so much you can do and find with upcycling and thrifting. I have met the most interesting people, learned a number of useful skills, and thoroughly love the positive impact on my community and my environment. We’re really excited to be able to share some of our up-and-coming projects with you, and we hope they will inspire you to try a few of your own.

Not sure where to start? Keep your eyes out for our next updates! Taylor will be sharing some of the things we have learned over the years in the hopes that it will seem a little less intimidating. See Taylor’s post, How to Maximize Your Thrifting.

Happy Hunting!

Mikaela

10 Tips, Tricks, & Rules

FIRST, lets discuss why thrifting should be a part of your life.

I won’t get super to into why we (as in Mikaela and I) thrift right now as Mikaela is also posting on this topic (see her Upcycling… There are no downsides) BUT I just want to list out a couple reasons that I love it:

But this is only if I am thrifting the right way! I can still spend way too much, waste a bunch, and have buyers’ remorse if I don’t go into it with the right mindset and rules for myself. I have a couple things that I must put limiters on myself about or else I can get out of control. So, with that in mind, I have a couple things I have learned and some rules that may help you in your thrifting journey.

Tips, Tricks and Rules

1- Know your stores.

This seems obvious but know what stores you want to check out. I thrift enough that I know which are favorites for different things. I have one I know will always have amazing clothes, one I go to if I am looking for art supplies and tchotchkes, and even a favorite for furniture. Something else to consider is that a lot of stock is determined by the neighborhoods around the store because when people donate, they go to a close location. So, if I want to look for nice business suits, it seems reasonable to go to a thrift store either specializing in what I am looking for OR go to a thrift store in a neighborhood where I might find people who work in offices and wear suits. Call it profiling but it works. This isn’t perfect but it has upped my chances when I am looking for something specific.

2- Know what you already have.

Again, something that seems simple, but I used to not take this into consideration. When I know what I have in my closet, what books I own, and what art supplies I already have, it helps me narrow down what I should buy and what would be a duplicate. It is a horrible feeling when you buy something and realize you have 3 of it already because you keep forgetting. I am not saying make a list of everything you own (although I do on some things). All I am saying is if it is a planned outing, maybe just take a brief peek in your closet or your Sterlite tubs of yarn/fabric to refamiliarize yourself with what you have in order try and cut down on those accidental duplicates.

3- Have a list but be flexible.

Speaking of lists… there are a few things I like to keep list of for when I go thrifting. I love collecting and am also an avid reader. Thrifting is an amazing way to find missing pieces of collectables or a book you may not have a copy of, but it is hard to remember that in the heat of the moment. I keep a list of missing pieces on my phone OR for several collections I have a list of what I already own- depends on what is easiest. This way I can make sure I stroll through books and have a solid idea of what I am looking for (no questioning if I was missing #4 or #5 in hard cover of this series). I also know that I am avoiding duplicates in more expensive pieces (have you ever spent $120 on a piece for a collection and then gotten home to find out you bought the wrong one? Trust me when I say 10/10 would not recommend that frustration). On a different note, if you have that list handy already, it makes for a good Xmas list to send your mom so that she doesn’t yell at you for not knowing what you want.

I also take a list of generally what I am looking for on a specific trip. Pieces to alter for a costume? Things to turn into a multimedia art project? Outfit basics? A new bookshelf? It gives me a basic place to start.

That being said, DO NOT BE SO MARRIED TO THAT LIST THAT YOU MISS OUT ON A GEM RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!!!!

4- Grab everything that interests you and do not be fooled by looks.

This doesn’t mean BUY everything that looks interesting. If you do that then it will defeat the purpose of this being more cost effective. Trust me when I say you will find a lot of interesting things. I do put anything I find even vaguely cool in my cart though. There is no back stock when buying second hand. What is there right now may be gone in 10 minutes so I may not be able to change my mind and go back BUT I can always whittle down and put things back.

Here are some things I look at/for in different categories:

• Clothes– I look for things that have interesting patterns or cuts. I also look at solid basics that can go with literally everything. At this point I usually pick up items that I am not even sure if I will like or are not necessarily my usual style. When I try them on, I often find pieces that surprise me- in good AND bad ways. Plus, it is fun to play dress up. On a separate note though, do not grab it just because it is a brand because it could be fake and/or it will just sit in the back of your closet because you do not really love IT- just the status of the brand.

• Books– These I put in my cart on less of a whim. By the time it’s in that sucker… I am half in love with the book after having read a synopsis. If I am honest, there is no whittling unless I am tight on money. Sue me. I can spend hours sifting through books. A trip to the VNSA book sale in Arizona is a whole day affair.

• Household Goods/Knick Knicks– With this section I do the obvious and pick up items that look cool or I could use BUT I will also pick up items that I think I could upcycle into something else. A chalkboard could be turned into a clock. Some of those super ugly statues and toys can be painted into something else. A lot of my Xmas decorations are literally from me finding ugly things at Goodwill and breathing some new life into them with acrylics. Look at shapes and what they are made of. If you are in the electronics section, that clock may not work but can you pull it apart for pieces for a steampunk or cyberpunk project (or a repair on another clock if that is your thing). The sky is the limit so do not be boxed in by what it looks like at that moment!

5- Be realistic about the quality and how much work you are willing to put into what you are purchasing.

So, this has been a tough pill be me to swallow sometimes. I have to ask myself some tough questions to reign me in back to earth when I get extravagant thrifting dreams. Ask yourself these questions:

• What kind of shape is this in and what kind of work will I need to put into it?
• How much time/money am I willing to pour into it?
• Do I have something similar?
• Is this a want or need?
• I love this now, but will I actually wear/use it?

6- Dress Appropriately.

You dress appropriately for going out on the town or to work or to a party. Why would this be different? Stick to something that slips on and off easy for trying on clothes (no laces or buttons). Stick to separates so if you want to try a shirt on, you do not need to worry about only being half dressed to show a friend outside the room. I also like to make sure my makeup is done. That way you know how the clothes fit your aesthetic AND how you feel/how you dress tend to correlate so if you have makeup on and are feeling yourself, you are more likely to feel good in what you are trying/ get items that make you feel/look good.

7- Give yourself some rules.

These will be different for everyone but what I like to do is pinpoint a couple places that I tend to go crazy in and find ways to limit myself. For example, if I buy a jacket, when I get home, I have to pick one to get rid of (I have a jacket problem).

8- Clean it immediately.

You do not know where your purchase has been or who has been trying it on. Make sure you are being safe and cleaning your purchases before you use them (especially now-a-days).

9- Haggle if you can.

Some places allow you to haggle or ask for a lower price. Ask! Just remember to be polite about it.

10- Have fun.

Remember at the end of the day that this is supposed to be fun! This are tips, not hard law. Go play and figure out what works for you!

Happy Hunting!

Taylor