If you follow us on social media, you have by now seen all our posts about the upcoming 2024 Witches’ Benefit Ball on October 27th. The big day is quickly approaching, and we’ve been so awed by the local businesses and artists that have pitched in and offered their support to make this happen.

We want to talk a bit more about what the Witches’ Benefit Ball is, and what you can expect from this evening now that we are getting closer! We’ve had a ton of questions and I think it’s about time we answer some of them.

This Witches’ Benefit Ball is something we have talked about doing for YEARS and have just never had the resources to truly pull off in the way we’ve wanted. We’ve had such support and growth this year that we decided this was the year. Taylor and I cannot wait to share what we have prepared with you; and we’re very excited to see how this grows in the coming years.

We’ve wanted to host an adult only, ELEVATED witchy soiree for longer than RavenWerks has been alive. We both dreamed of something that would resonate with our friends and give us a chance to make new ones. We always an excuse to get dressed up. The idea was to create something for all of our Samhain and Halloween lovers that didn’t revolve around little kids and candy; an intimate party that calls to your inner Owens Sister. But, we also wanted to come together in a way that could be good for our community. After all, it is coming to the end of the harvest- and now it’s time to share our bounty.

What is the Witches’ Benefit Ball?

Exactly that! An evening of Cocktails, Hors d’oeuvres, Desserts, Music and activities; but with a witchy twist. We’ve had a lot of people ask if it’s a costume party- and the answer is no, not in the traditional sense. Instead, the Witches’ Benefit Ball is more like a gothic cocktail party. Dig deep into your inner Morticia and Gomez, channel your Aunt Francis and Jet, Pull out THAT dress. Now give it a magical twist and make it moody. Think like a gothic 1920’s speakeasy Gatsby party.

What to Expect at the Witches’ Benefit Ball

In addition to the small bites, witchy cocktails, pastries, photo-ops, music, and dancing (if you dare); we’re hosting a tarot reader, a best dressed competition, gifts for every attendee, a DIY floral broom station, and more. We say more because every time we think we’ve hit our cutoff- another member of our community steps forward and offers another hand- so it may very well be bigger by the big night.

A main feature of the evening is our ‘shop small’ raffle. It’s growing by the day and full of unique, handmade art from local artists, experience packages, gift cards, and other gifts from local businesses and community members. A raffle ticket is included with your ticket, but additionals are available for purchase to support our non-profits.

Who does the Witches’ Benefit Ball Help?

Community is one of our foundational pillars. Both building it and giving back to it. This is the first of what we hope is many, many fundraisers and community focused events and opportunities that we hope to create. This year’s Witches’ Benefit Ball is for two non-profit organizations that we love. 100% of the proceeds go to Sustainable Northwest and Purrfect Pals Cat Rescue. This is a completely non-profit event.

We’re also hoping it’ll will help some of our favorite local small businesses and artists to get some extra exposure as well. All of our raffle and giftbag items were donated, designed, and created by friends in Arlington and Mt. Vernon.

Sustainable Northwest:

Sustainable Northwest is a Non-profit organization that partners with communities throughout the Northwest on projects that promote smart water use, clean energy, and healthy forests, farms, and ranches.

Their solutions are as unique as the problems they solve and include entrepreneurship, policy, market innovations, public and private investment, collaboration, and technical assistance.

Sustainable Northwest was founded in 1994 to forge collaborative solutions for conserving forest and community health. Today, their challenges have multiplied with climate change, catastrophic wildfires, and persistent drought harming our region. Yet they remain optimistic that nature, people, and local economies can thrive together.

Sustainable Northwest uses every donation to help fund outreach, seminars, continuing education, policy advocation, business consultation and more in their pursuit to minimize eco footprints in a way that is beneficial for not only the environment but our businesses and communities.

Purrfect Pals Cat Rescue:

Purrfect Pals highest priority is taking in the cats and kittens who need them most… those who other shelters and rescue groups might not have the resources to help. This includes senior cats (though we prefer to call them “vintage”), cats with major medical needs, cats with chronic illnesses (including FIV and Feline Leukemia) and those with behavioral challenges.

Their cat adoption and rehabilitation programs help to place homeless cats, including those with special needs, in loving homes. We believe that every cat is adoptable; some just need more time than others to find the right match. The ultimate goal is to place them with adopters, but some might need a skilled foster family in the meantime. Purrfect Pals’ cats will always have a home with them for as long as they need it. The Purrfect Pals Sanctuary is currently home to 100+ of these special cats.

Join us for a Magickal evening.

We’d love for you to join us! If you want to learn more about the Witches’ Benefit Ball, our beneficiaries, the raffle, purrfect pals wishlist, or to purchase tickets, you can check out the event page here.

If you’d like to donate (either to the charities directly, or to the raffle), please email info@ravenwerksguild.com

You can also get sneak peeks of the event, and chat with others about it on our facebook events, as well as our instagram. We can’t wait to see you!

Happy Harvest,

Mikaela

Event hosting can be as intimidating as it is fun. The designing, brainstorming, and creating is one thing. Executing without breaking the bank is quite another. It’s a skill that requires developing like any other. Everything in life has gotten more expensive, and our paychecks and pocketbooks never seem to keep up. Taylor and I firmly believe however, that with a little creativity and some prime prioritization- you can still absolutely host get-togethers, parties, events, and soirees that people will remember without overcommitting yourself. There is pride to be had in creating intentional events while honoring a budget.

Don’t get me wrong- all artists dream of creating amazing art and experiences where they can let their creativity run wild and not be limited by finances, and we’re no different. However, even more so- we love creating unique events for real people. People like us who do have budgets and limitations. There is a specific type of creativity that comes into play when you begin to ask, ‘how much can I do with how little?’. Everybody can learn to be an amazing host, and today I’d like to start sharing the basics.

Setting Your Main Budget:

This technically stating the obvious, but it is the most important step. Set a realistic budget, not a budget that’s going to have you waking up in cold sweats in the middle of the night because you have this idea and it just has to be ‘go big or go home’. I have been there, and I am telling you- the trade off is not worth it.

Define what kind of Event You’re Hosting:

We’re going to prioritize different things depending on what kind of event we’re hosting, so this step is important. A more formal event with a high head count might sacrifice elaborate décor for a bartending service with one to two bartenders, whereas as small or medium get together like an evening soiree or an afternoon cocktail event can focus a bit more on the table accents and décor. A child’s birthday party doesn’t need a huge food budget, but it does warrant more of a focus on décor or activities and things that will grab and hold attention.

The Scenario:

Event planning and hosting to me, is really only half about your own idea and vision. At its heart, it’s about hospitality and pouring in to others. The only thing that really requires is knowing your guests or friends and designing something for them.

To show this better so I’m not just throwing vague guidelines at you, I’m going to give you an imaginary scenario and we’ll use this to build context throughout the rest of this exercise.

let’s say we are planning an evening anniversary party. They’re a social family and love having people over. Their house is set up for entertaining, and they have a beautiful backyard, so we don’t need to factor in a venue. Our budget is $500 for 35 people. The couple is in their late 50’s and are celebrating their 30^th wedding anniversary. It’s a classy group and they want elevated but not stuffy. Smart- Casual. Not a full dinner, but upscale small bites and cocktails. It’s a 4 hour event and they want some structure for the evening, but nothing overly rigid.

Section Out Your Budget:

Decide what is most important to you based on the type of event you have defined. Before you go through Pinterest with the vengeance of a PTA mom, take some time to portion out your budget into different categories. Do this first. This will help avoid unreasonable expectations. Its easier to not overextend yourself if you have a hard number in your head.

I find the “cash envelopes” method as useful now as it was in college for making sure I do not overspend. This can be trickier if you are planning an event over a longer period of time like a wedding, but for smaller events it’s great. If not, just make sure to keep track of receipts. If you go over in one area, you’ll have to move money from another.

Again, I say that excellent hospitality is about prioritizing and anticipating the comfort of your guests. Thinking about the kind of people/ the people in attendance and what is going to be most important to them. That may just be whoever you are having over if you are the host. Or, in the case of the wedding anniversary it’s a combination of meeting the requests of the couple while anticipating the wants and flow of their guests as well.

With our anniversary scenario I would outline something like this:

• Food: 30% or $150
• Cocktails/Beverage: 30% or $150
• Rentals: 30% or $150
• Décor: 10% or $50
• Entertainment: 0% or $0

Let’s go over the reasoning behind each category below so we can get into the nitty gritty of it.

Food Budget:

This couple doesn’t want a full sit-down meal, but they do want some light bites. Think Hor d’ Oeuvres, Sexy Charcuterie, Cocktail bites, and Petite Fours. Depending on your priorities and skill set you can either make these yourself using the $150 to purchase in ingredients or you can split this 60/40 between two vendors to do savories and sweets. Or you can find someone like us, that will help you design both within that budget.

Let’s say in this case the couple or their party planning daughter didn’t want the stress of being responsible for the day-of cooking so they hired us to do a small grazing table with charcuterie, appetizers, and some crostinis as well as a mini dessert table with macarons, eclairs, lemon tartlets. While it requires some creativity- it IS doable with $150.

Cocktails/ Beverages:

This couple is focused more on hospitality and service, so it’s worth reducing the food budget to have a bartender present. This way the couple are free to focus on their guests and celebrating their anniversary, not mixing drinks. AND they get that extra swanky feeling or service. 25 people is EASILY handled by a single bartender, so no need to have a second, and this couple didn’t need or want a crazy full bar- wine and 2 signature cocktails. A red wine, a white wine, a beer option, whisky, tequila, some juice & mixers and you have all you need for a number of drink possibilities at your fingertips.

The couple does have an outdoor bar in their backyard so the bartender didn’t need to bring a set-up, which helps reduce the cost.

Rentals:

This couple cares a bit more about the ambiance and having a little bit of elevation. They don’t want disposable plates and forks but they don’t have fancy China that isn’t Christmas themed. While they have plenty of seating, they do need 2 small tables and some linens to make them look sharp for their small bites and desserts.

In this case we’re going to reach out to a company like Cranberry Sky Rentals and rent some elegant serving wear pieces, and some flat wear, either using an A la Carte option or a small package like their “shower” option. This gives us access to finer quality dishes in an environmentally friendly way, without breaking the bank or needing to store them afterwards.

Décor:

In this scenario, we are leaning into the ambiance of their backyard since they already designed it with an eye to having guests. The couple has a fire pit, string lights, a pergola/trellis covered in honeysuckle, and a gorgeous garden with a small pond.

We don’t need much for this event, just a bit of personality for centerpieces on the tables in the backyard. If you want something really unique that might require some DIYing we will always suggest thrifting and repurposing (YES, even for elevated events!!!). This option allows you to keep it afterwards if it’s something you really love. The other option would be to move this money into your “rentals” budget and rent some centerpieces from someone like Cranberry Sky. Again, this makes it more environmentally friendly, and reduces your need to keep things afterwards.

Candles, candelabras, small table runners, or vintage vases make excellent options. Let the space do the work and highlight as needed.

Entertainment:

While this couple wants some structure to their event, we’re hosting a mature group of people. Unlike a child’s birthday party- where some of your hospitality might need to be funneled into organized entertainment in the form of experiences, or possibly into craft supplies- this group doesn’t need it.

The Couple plans to project the pictures and video of their wedding onto an outdoor screen, allowing for some loose and light entertainment, and freeing up 100% of the budget for the things that really need it.

How to apply this budget model to other events:

This is a relatively small event and is easily broken down into those 5 categories. If the event is bigger- say, a wedding- it may be easier or more prudent to have more specific categories. I.e. photographer, dress, favors, etc.

You are still going to need to start by defining the style of the event, set an overall budget, and then prioritize which items need the most attention to get the most bang for your buck so that you don’t accidentally overspend in an area that isn’t important to you.

Maximizing Benefits for an Efficient Budget:

There is a difference between having a budget, and having an efficient budget that works as hard as you do. An efficient budget almost does the work for you. This comes back to knowing your clients and both parties having clear expectations. You can’t execute an unclear vision, and sometimes people need guidance with this.

What do I mean by that? The more aligned the event is with the lifestyle of the people designing/ hiring/ host/ or executing- the less gaps you will have to fill, and the more you can make of each area of the design.

For instance, in that scenario we discussed, the only thing that could have made that budget even BETTER, is if the clients were the kind of people that already had serving ware/dishes they wanted to use, eliminating the need for rentals and widening their food, décor, or beverage budget.

Think how hard it would be to host a tiki party in a barn. Not that it can’t be done- but that you’re going to have to stretch things to reach the ambiance you’re going for. The best thing you can do for your budget is to maximize your space- whether that is renting a space that feeds your ambiance, or reverse engineering and creating a “style” that matches the space, the less class you have the more wiggle room.

As another example, when I got married and we designed my Forest Fairytale wedding I envisioned big trees and lots & lots of flowers, little hidden walkways that would be great for pictures, and a space that would feel like you stepped right on the boundary between your grandma’s garden and the fae realm in the forest. If you have ever purchased flowers you know that they are EXPENSIVE (and worth every penny). To get the kind of florals and greenery that I had in my head would have required me to chew off an arm, or something equally dear to me.

Instead, we looked for a venue that had an abundance of natural greenery. This led us to Paul George at Moon Mountain Lodge, who has designed what is in my opinion one the most versatile, accommodating, greenery abundant venues in the state. His intentional and well thought out landscape hugely minimized additional purchases and instead allowed me to lean into the landscape and only purchase the florals I really needed.

If you have a Thrifty budget, get Thrifting.

I mean this literally, and the more time you give yourself- the better. Finding the right pieces can be difficult and may take several trips. If you’re new to thrifting, you’ll want to check out Taylor’s article on thrifting for beginners to learn how to set yourself some guide rules.

Goodwill’s & Value Villages are a great place to start, however we always encourage yard sales and local thrift stores when possible. Check out google maps and see what pops up for secondhand stores and thrift stores near you.

If you are a Snohomish or Skagit valley local we love:

• Arlington Pickers
• Bits & Pieces
• Strike Your Fancy
• Stilly Thrift Shop
• Found it
• Bargains Galore Thrift Store
• Again Thrift Shop
• Red Door Antique Mall
• Marysville Value Village
• Mt. Vernon Goodwill

Craft Stores are a Budget’s best Friend

Before you hit ‘add to cart’ on all the décor pieces of your dreams, ask yourself Taylor’s favorite question “how hard could it be?”. No really, ask yourself though- and be honest about the answers.

Take a look at your design wants and needs with a critical eye. A LOT of centerpieces, decorations, and detail work can be DIY’d with time, planning, hot glue, and a few well placed youtube videos.

HOWEVER! Know your limitations. Some things are just better left to a professional. If you think you are biting off more than you can chew- you probably are. You can teach yourself a lot, but play to your strengths. If you know you’re a terrible sewer- then the time to test that is probably not on your wedding veil, ya feel me?

The Bottom Line

Budgeting-like any other skill- is something that anybody can learn with practice. It sounds easy to say to yourself “set an amount, and don’t go over it. Prioritize.” But it’s quite another to do it, the world is expensive- we feel you.

Stick to your guidelines, and flex your creative muscles! With enough creativity, you can in fact, do pretty much anything you want. Remember that at the end of the day, hosting is about hospitality- and what people are really going to remember is how you made them feel. Focus on serving your guests, make them feel welcome, comfortable, and cared for and you can’t go wrong.

Have fun!

Mikaela

Happy Saturday Guild Members! Today we have an exciting announcement! This year and going forward we have partnered with Emerald Hour to bring you more sustainable and mindfully focused weddings and events.

You already know that planning sustainable events is near and dear to our hearts from our previous posts on wedding sustainability and creating heirloom pieces. Our partnership with Emerald Hour will allow us to elevate that in the coming months and years.

What Emerald Hour Does

Emerald Hour Strives to build an inclusive community of environmentally mindful wedding professionals. They create and share tools and “best practices” to foster more sustainable businesses with the long-term goal of inspiring a cultural shift away from the wedding industries wasteful status quo.

Emerald Hour offers workshops for continuing education and hosts social events for vendors to meet and swap ideas. Like us, they believe we are better together and can grow more effectively when we are in collaboration instead of competition. Emerald Hour also provides a list of carefully vetted vendors with sustainable practices. They also offer a guide if you are planning an event and aren’t sure where to start.

What this Means for the Guild

Up front, this won’t change much for our clients and fellow guild members. Our current services, products, and prices won’t change. Over time, our partnership with Emerald Hour will create room to grow a more knowledgeable team. We’ll have a larger group of trusted vendors we can connect you with. A bigger support network for us, means more support for you as well.

In the coming months, it will also expand what services we are able to offer as well as elevate the level of service we currently provide. A more knowledgeable team on our end means more that we can pass on to you in every aspect of our business.

This is the next exciting step in our promise to our clients, community, and environment to continue to be better today than we were yesterday.

Planning an Event or Wedding?

We would love to chat and see if we can help you bring your vision to life! Swing by our Services page to see what we offer or reach out for a free consultation. We also highly suggest you check out Emerald Hour’s Approved Vendor List as well as their Guide of Green Swaps for couple who are in the midst of planning themselves.

We’re excited for a greener future. We’ll see you on the battlefield!

All the best,

Mikaela & Taylor

Happy July Guild Members! Today is the perfect day to talk about one specific section of our business that is near and dear to my heart: sustainable weddings. Specifically, creating reusable and heirloom pieces for your wedding or event. I touched on this in our wedding sustainability post, but I chatted with a bride the other day and she brought it to my attention that not a lot of people understand what I mean right away.

So What Do I Mean?

One of the questions we get most often is “What do you ladies do?”. With everything RavenWerks does and offers, it can be a challenge to describe all our hopes and dreams in a few sentences. Partially because we cover a lot, partially because said hopes and dreams are BIG, and partially because we don’t yet have the brick-and-mortar space to be able to showcase everything in one place. What it really boils down to though is that we are in the business of sustainable service to people. That can be hard to define because people are unique, and our approach to each service or event is as unique as the people we serve.

Trying to reduce that down to any one part of the whole is a challenge, especially when we’re the kind of people that believe that what we’re really building is a community and a culture- not a business. Communities are complex and cover a lot of things: so do we.

One of the services we currently offer, will continue to offer as we develop our event venue is helping you design your wedding space. Part of how we do that is by working with couples to create things that can be used as part of your wedding day, but also serve a purpose afterwards. This can be as simple as being home decor you actually like but can also include functional home pieces. It is one of the things I love most about what we do. Sustainable Weddings and events are kind of our thing.

The “Throw Away” Problem: Why Sustainable Weddings Are Important

One great way to reduce the impact of hosting a wedding is to forgo single use culture. The number of friends I knew that had to do the “post-wedding purge” or dump run, genuinely blew my mind. The amount of décor for a wedding day vibe that gets thrown away a day later is just mind boggling. Thus, this part of our event services was born.

The “Heirloom Pieces” Solution

So how do you create an elevated, personalized, intentional setting without all the throw away? By making it truly personal. Make sure that the theme and décor are reflective of you and your partner. Select pieces that have functional longevity. Creating sustainable weddings just requires a bit more intentionality, but it can frequently save you money in addition to helping the planet.

We help couples choose, design, and create things that are functional later in life. This can either be for you and your partner or for your guests depending on your needs. If creativity is not your strong suit- this is where we come in. We talk to you about your theme or style, your budget, lifestyle and living space, and your goals. Then, we design pieces that elevate your wedding day décor with unmatched attention to detail and a focus on sustainability.

Do you want something that can be repurposed into something else? We do that. Maybe you want something that is immediately usable as home décor afterwards. We do that. Maybe you want something that you canpass down to your kids as a family heirloom? No need to pressure them to wear your gown. We do that. Whatever it is- you want it to reflect who you are as a couple. And you certainly want it to be memorable for your guests and look professional.

What does this look like?

If we can’t be involved in curating the sustainable wedding celebration of your dreams, or if you’re more of a DIY’er, we can still help. Below are some ideas of what this can look like so you can get your own creative juices flowing. Some of these require design and crafting, but a number of them just require an intentional vision and a little planning.

Custom Designed Heirloom Frames:

During the wedding, the frames were used for all signage and some photos. The couple later used them to hang their wedding photos around their house since they matched their style of decor.

Custom Heirloom Guest Book

Our couple wanted a guest book that would also be their wedding album. They wanted enough space left in it to become a scrapbook for all the things they would do together in life later. This ensured it didn’t just sit on a shelf somewhere and would instead be looked back on and updated regularly.

The guest book portion we scrapbooked with selected pictures of the couple and on-theme pieces so guests could sign around them. Then they had the remainder of the book to fill out with their lives as they move forward.

Custom Heirloom Lanterns

One of our favorites was an evening wedding in the woods. We designed a set of lanterns spilling with moss, ferns, and mushrooms with little LED candles. The bride’s maids carried these in lieu of flowers. it looked stunning in the ceremony and the bridesmaids got to keep them afterwards (it was a very tight-knit group of friends that all had very similar style).

Garden Centerpieces

One of our couples was really into gardening and they were having an outdoor garden party themed wedding. We sourced local handmade garden stakes shaped like mushrooms and butterflies as part of their centerpieces. The bride now has them in her garden at home. She also requested garden gnomes hidden around the venue that are now in her garden as well.

Thrifted Colored Carnival Glass Pieces

This couple was having a 70’s themed wedding and they wanted LOTS of color. The bride loved antiquing and owned a small collection of colored glass cups that they were using for the head table. We got to enjoy the challenge of finding more pieces exclusively from second hand stores. Pieces ranged from vases and candle holders to serving dishes and trivets. These were used for centerpieces and tableware that fit the couple’s home décor so they could use them afterwards.

Thrifted Period Furniture

One of my favorites was a bride that wanted antique style bridal portraits and a sitting space for her guests to take elegant and elevated photos. Very Edwardian style. We found an amazing settee at a thrift store and were able to design a “private photo area.” It reused a piece of furniture, and the couple now has a permanent piece of their wedding in their living room!

Collectible Cake Toppers

Forget the plastic “I do” word or the generic bride and groom statues. We love when couples request things they collect so they can save them forever. Everything from pez dispensers, pocket dragons, and smurfs, to precious moments statues and Disney collectibles. This is a great subtle way to show style and personality without having to necessarily commit to a full theme.

Dress trimmings

This sounds weird. But, almost all wedding gowns need to be altered to fit properly and that almost always involves a hem. Don’t throw your fabric away. Partner with a seamstress to have scrunchies or bows made so you can keep a usable piece of your dress even if you don’t keep your gown.

If you are a Washington local- especially in the Skagit Valley area, we highly recommend the team at The Town Seamstress. This is something Kristin and her team offer as part of their regular services.

Custom Shoes

There are a number of ways to do this, and it may sound out of place on a decor list. But working in bridal alterations, I learned some things. It shocked me the number of ladies that go out and buy “bridal shoes” that aren’t particularly comfortable, or close to their usualy style just to fit a perfect vibe the day of, and then never wear them again.

We have now helped two brides take plain elegant white/ ivory shoes and add a little pizzaz too them so that they showed some personality. My favorite pair was a set of white ballet flats that we embroidered little vines and wild flowers along the edges of.

Decorative Fabric Recycled Clothing

This was by far one of the most abstract and cool things we’ve ever had a couple request. They had fabric draped in trees with flower garlands and they didn’t want to throw away the fabric afterwards. We turned the fabric into a skirt and matching vest for the couple that they can wear whenever they want (they wanted to be able to wear them for anniversaries and we think this is just adorable).

Heriloom Guestbook Ornaments

We had a couple that really loved Christmas. They planned a winter wedding, and wanted to keep everything in natural woods and deep ever greens; as rustic and woody as possible (very Scandanavian/ Nordic style). Instead of a guestbook we placed little flat wooden ornaments at each place setting with the request that each guest sign one and write a little blessing or piece of advice for the couple. At the end of the night we collected them and now the bride and groom have fun looking at them every year when they put up their tree.

Silk Flower Chandeliers

While we prefer realy flowers 90% of the time, silk flowers have a time and a place when used correctly. We’ve had several brides request fake flowers for ceiling décor day of. This prevents all chances of wilting and falling apart, and they make great “chandeliers” as decor at home afterwards.

Custom Candle Centerpieces

You can go any direction or theme with these. We’ve both seen and done them many ways. White candles with flowers, colored candles, carved candles. tapers, pillars, a mix of both. When the day is done- blow them out, take them home, and burn through them slowly. I’ve even seen them used as party favors afterwards.

Quirky planters

The couple really loved house plants because they didn’t have a yard. Their venue was a ballroom with minimal décor and they didn’t want to have cut flowers that would wilt and need to be thrown away. We sourced a mix of thrifted planters from small businesses in their wedding colors and filled them with a variety of cat-safe houseplants (which was very important to them). These became centerpieces and décor around the ballroom, making for an unconventional but much more “alive” space than before; and the couple got to take their plants home at the end of the day.

Curated China

Have a micro wedding? One couple asked us to help them find a specific aesthetic of china for a tiny but luxurious evening dinner wedding so that they could keep the dishes and make that their nice set that they could eventually pass down to their children since neither of them had any family that they would inherit that kind of thing from. The phrase the couple used to describe what they were looking for was ‘old money mobster’, and honestly- it was kind of perfect.

Harry Potter themed hanging chandeliers/ mobiles.

One for each guest table hung from the ceiling. The couple wanted to match the theme of their wedding but have something they could hang in the children’s bedroom someday as they knew they wanted kids. It was important to them to design them to be more like fine-art as a way to elevate their wedding. No one could possibly ever call their day juvenile. This event was honestly a fantasy lovers gothic evening dream- not a party city vibe anywhere in site.

Crystalized book art

At the groom’s request, we crystalized a hardcover, thrifted copy of his favorite book, in borax; and then turned it into a centerpiece for the head table. He’d seen the idea on Pinterest and thought it looked really cool but didn’t have time to try and create one himself. He wanted to keep it as art for the shelf in his study after their wedding. This project always makes me smile because I felt a bit like I was creating real magic at the time- my inner alchemist had a blast.

The Point

The possibilities are endless, and these are just some of our favorite requests, ideas, and previous projects. The overarching important thing is how possible it is to create a memorable day and experience, while still minimizing the impact on the planet and reducing how much you throw away as a by-product of your celebration in a way that allows you to hold on to the magic of the day for a long time afterwards.

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with creating a stunning, intentional, visually magical experience for your wedding day. You can have beautiful decor and add personal touches and little flourishes. We want you too. That’s what weddings are supposed to be: intentional, meaningful, personal, reflective of your relationship.

Designing sustainable weddings doesn’t mean you have to forgo all of the little extras and details. What’s important is to make sure that things aren’t done needlessly or wastefully, and doesn’t add to the “single use” problem. Go for things that have overlapping or adaptable uses, and things that you will cherish for the rest of your life, or at least the rest of the objects life if it’s something that can wear out.

Reach Out About Designing Sustainable Weddings

Have ideas or inquiries? Leave a comment, visit our services page, or us the “contact us” page to reach out! If you are trying to plan sustainable weddings nd are a washington resident we also always highly recommend looking into or working with a company like Emerald Hour to find other vendors that commit to eco-friendly practices.

All the best,

Mikaela

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!

Come have a chat with RavenWerks creaters, Taylor and Mikaela, in their next installment about DnD. Today we talk about scenarios that made our DM’s say WTF, what our dream DnD crossovers are, and what we would like to try in future characters.

[Taylor] Hi! Welcome to RavenWerks Guild Talk. This is our second installment. We are once again talking about DnD. Kind of continueing off of our last conversation. Really quick in case you haven’t seen one of our videos before… we’re your hosts. My name is Taylor.

[Mikaela] Mikaela!

[Taylor] and last time on guild talk, we were talking about DnD, it was about first experiences, first impressions, what we would and would change when we very first started playing DnD. This time Mikaela has come up with a couple more questions that are a little more forward looking; less so about out first experience itself. And before we get into that, I just want to bring up just as a quick plug, check out our website if you haven’t seen it before. We are still adding new product including our stickers, t shirts (like this little guy), and we will be at some markets and things like that. So, we are starting to do candles, that are more…

[Mikaela] Like witchy decor…

[Taylor] witchy decor. More like small batch, very intentional things and those will start to be going up on our website as well. Or we will start putting up on our schedule online when and where we are, so if you are a Washington local, Western Washington, come say “Hi”! Come check out our in person stuff. So, let us move on to the main thing.

[Mikaela] Yeah. That being said, as kind of a follow up on those last questions regerding first experiences and that, my first thing is for you to describe your favorite scenario that made your DM, or Dungeon Master, say kindo of WTF to a scenario that your party was supposed to deal with or that they laid out. Maybe not necessarily that you didn’t do what you were supposed to. Although that definitely certainly happens and can, but as far as like, just something that your character played that your DM look at you like you’re a couple watts short of a full lightbulb.

[Taylor] Or in my case, question whether or not I should be in a psych ward.  So… uh… I guess I should preface this with: I almost always play a, some sort of chaotic nuetral rogue that tends to be more…

[Mikaela] A Kleptomaniac!

[Taylor] more on the creative side. They are not always kleptos. This one particularly was. And so, um, there was lots of situations where my fellow players would either pick me up and bodily move me from places because they could see me getting distracted by something they knew I was going to be like “Ah! Shiny!” And it did lead to some interesting situations. One of them in particular that I can think of is we were harvesting these plants out in the forest which, the DM did not see it going this way but, someone was purchasing them and then we realized it could be used as the DnD equivalent of cocaine. And then we started a drug ring and it was a whole thing. But while we were out there [collecting plants], we got attacked by a guy who was being sort of controlled/possessed by some higher fae entity that we never got answers on and he had this brand that was glowing that we did not know at the time was what he was being controlled through. It was shiny. We killed the guy in defense of ourselves. And I decided that I would cut it out of his neck and take it and keep it. And I put it in my pocket and I also had a habit of taming and keeping rodents and things so… my rat that was in my pocket and myself, because we had direct skin contact with it and were still around it, kind of got possessed by this fae thing. Then the had to [kind of] kill me and bring me back to life to get it out of me. It was a whole thing. There was other stuff. There’s been lots of things. But that’s the one that I think, the DM would was most like… why would you cut this off someones neck nad stick it in your pocket? Like it was very left field.

[Mikaela & Taylor] *Laughing*

[Mikaela] Fair. That is a fair response.

[Taylor] Like there’s other ones that he kind of *hhhhmmm* but he could logic through why it had popped into my head, where it’s like “oh! It’s shiny. Okay, you could grab this. I can see where you are going with it.” This one it was very much like “do we need to have a conversation meta? Like why did this even occur to you?” So yeah, I think that is my biggest one.

[Mikaela] Um, I think mine actually, and you may have heard, if you guys follow the blog, I did bring it up in a previous blog post because it is one of my favorite unconventional interactions. In my very very first DnD campaign, we were playing with Thomas’ (AKA Mikaela’s husband) brother and a couple of their friends and my brother in laws girlfriend was our DM. And we were supposed to be scaling to the top of this mountain and there was a temple that basically gave you access to the inside of, I mean it was the inside of a mountain, but it was essentially like a multi level dungeon, like, network of tunnels and we were looking for this group of dwarves that had been being, like, kidnapped and taken hostage. This was this thing with like possessing children. It’s a long story. But, on enroute to the top mountain, we came across a camp. A relatively large camp of goblins. And it was, it was implied that said goblins would be hostile and impede access to the top of the mountain. Which would usually lead to combat with said group, because, um, Thomas’ brother played a VERY enthusiastic paladin. Umm… But two of our party members were already at half health. It was our, it was Thomas’ and I’s very very first campaign so we were incredibly low level and it had been a rough day. So we used a combination of mage hand, my characters pygmy dragon (Pipsqueak), a little tiny frog totem that we had picked up in loot some place else, and a very good illusion to convince said band of goblins that one of our party was their god. And convinced them more or less to joyously through themselves off of a cliff as a blood tribute to us. Um, so, we didn’t get the experience points that we really needed to then help complete the rest of the dungeon so then technically it was creative but we also kind of stabbed ourselves in the foot.

[Taylor] And we had just been talking too… the frog totem thing reminded me that at one point I had to act out a thing that I did where I was in a frog hoody and I zipped it up and seduced a water elemental. So, umm, that one was more of a what the #*%$ for me though. I think he just really wanted to see me…

[Mikaela] He wanted to see how far he could push it.

[Taylor] Yeah. Me sexily ribbiting in a frog hoody.

[Mikaela & Taylor] *laughing*

[Taylor] Yeah. So… moving on to the next one. So, what is your dream DnD crossover and I’m not going to bring up the examples on here because I know Mikaela’s going to use a couple of them and one of them is kind of mine too sooo…

[Mikaela] Crossover. So like as far a, rather than playing just, like, standard DnD world or traditional homebrew. I mean, any of these would have to be homebrews, but as far as using other formats and like, fandoms and things that are out there… ummm… I have to put on the list Lord of the Rings. Because that is my all time high fantasy, like, cannon. Um, if we are going stereotypical, I want middle earth! But outside of that, my two favorites (ideas) are … if you know what the Fraggles are, and if you don’t, I’m sorry, I can’t help you. I… I want. It’s like the muppets but better and I think it would be hilarious to have a group of your friends have to create their own muppet. Not muppet but like Fraggle and knowing how they behave and, like, the zaney culture of the Fraggles. I think would ensue in some really great shinanigans.

[Taylor] I wanna be a Doozer.

[Mikaela] See! And I’m like I wanna be a Doozer! And another one, like silliness aside, short of the Lord of the Rings, my all time favorite book series is the Symphony of Ages. And if, again, if you haven’t read the Symphony of Ages, and haven’t heard of it, go find them. They are #&$^ing fantastic.

[Taylor] Yes.

[Mikaela] I think that that world crossover… The author, Elizabeth Hayden, has layered so much believable, authentic fantasy, but through the laws of fantasy realistic lore that I think there are some really cool class possabilities. I think there are some really awesome quest possibilities, just the end of the book series itself. There are so many upcoming problems that like, it could be thousands of years in the future and your parties problem could be to solve one of those ongoing issues.

[Taylor] Literally the whole thing.

[Mikaela] Umm, I think that there is so much potentialthere and it would be in some ways like my inner child high fantasy dream come true. So I think those for me are it.

[Taylor] The roots… Being in the roots of Sagia. (Mikaela agreeing) The whole thing. That would be like a whole arc all on it’s own. Totally different world.

[Mikaela] Yeah. [And] They have like some species crossovers so like instead of your traditional Elves, um, you would have to go, like, Lirin. But they still have got Firbolg. They’ve got like the Dracians.

[Taylor] I just think there would be a lot of really cool things.

[Mikaela] Yeah. There’s just so much you could pull from.

[Taylor] And like, some of the NPC’s that could be pulled that were, like, long living just, like, would be really fun as a DM.

[Mikaela] Part of the premise of the books without giving it away, is due to some weird worldbuilding situation stuff, there  is a group of people that are bordering on immortal. And we are talking, like, an entire generation from all different species of people have this weird thing happen to them where they stop aging. So, like, there’s so much potential there.

[Taylor] I would want to do it like later, like after the book series, because it could be like…. anyways, I am digressing.

[Mikaela] *theatrical whispering* And like the book series ends like 2 or 300 years after the thing… *unintelligable mumble gestures as Mikaela tries to imply stuff*

[Taylor] I know.

[Mikaela] That last book really like, right in the %^&$ing heart.

[Taylor] I didn’t read the last one. I know you told… and I just don’t… cuz I would cry the whole time.

[Mikaela] Yeah… you would.

[Taylor] Yeah. But anyways… so, um, anyways. My own answer. Sorry we went down a little rabbit hole right there. My own answer, so one of her examples on here I am currently in.  And that probably would have been my go to answer until, you know, I am already in it. One Piece! Because that’s a whole world! Like it’s an expansive world with multiple islands, different cultures. Like it’s very built out and very layered and Oda is a freaking genius so there’s like just so many different things to pull from. (Mikaela making faces because we do not share this fandom and she has to hear all my rants and soap boxes and lecture) Don’t get me started. Anyways, I’m a huge One Piece fan. I have been watching it forever. Umm…

[Mikaela] We will always disagree on this one.

[Taylor] Yeah. I know right. I have been watching One Piece for liek 20 freaking years now at this point. So um, and reading, and everything. Just… One Piece. So that would be a thing but obviously I am in a campaign currently and have been for a little over a year so, I am living out that lovely DnD fantasy at the moment. And then I really agree with the Fraggles. And without giving too much away because she’s in my campaign, I have managed to integrate that in there somewhere. But I am not going to tell them who and what they are so if she figures it out, great but, uh, concepts are in there. That is coming up. And then…

[Mikaela] *whisper* Just don’t make me kill Fraggles.

[Taylor] Just don’t mindlessly kill.

[Mikaela] That’s not me. Talk to Victor.

[Taylor] Talk to Victor. Yeah. You guys are going to have to reign the bard in. And then I actually really love the idea of a Harry Potter world BUT Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them. So, focusing less on Harry Potter and Voldemort and that. I mean you can like bring those up and, like, have that be cannon in that world. But, I would much rather go, like, slightly more Victorian, like somebody, like when they are figuring things out. Like in Harry Potter and you read those books and that, they, they, bring up all of these cannony, like, people in their history books…

[Mikaela] Well, especially with how long lived wizards are. There’s possability there. That could be fun.

[Taylor] So, I jsut feel like I would want to go more that route and make it a little more steam punky because they do have stuff, right?! Like the, um, (My brain just shut off and is rebooting) just some of the different machines and that they have. They are obviously magical based, not steam, but kind of going that route.

[Mikaela]  But like technology meets magic crossover. They do have a fair a bit of that.

[Taylor] Yeah. Some of the real world world stuff but it’s kind of twisted a little bit. A little bit darker.

[Mikaela] And that would be cool because that gives you a fine blending of like, you’re in a weird way, your isekai world crossover fascination, where you get just enough of the real world to be able to pull from reality, like mundane reality.

[Taylor] Yeah. And she know’s I am a sucker for the isekai, like, falling into a different world concept anyways.

[Mikaela] That could, as much as I love Harry Potter, if you didn’t go stereotypical like, Harry Potter generation, they are all alive, and you are in that plot, then I think that could be super cool. Because, there is a lot of meta lore you could like pull from.

[Taylor] Yeah. Well even just like locations. Like you could still have, you know, Hogwarts etc. It’s jut like different people there because it’s… I would want to go prior to Harry Potter.

[Mikaela] Even like pre marauders.

[Taylor] Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pre that. Very like, they are still figuring things out. Maybe even when the original house masters were there. Like Godric Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, like, that would be a cool era to be in.

[Mikaela] I like how the only founder whose name you know is your own house. So… pbt!

[Taylor] I know the others (Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin). I do know the others, but he gets a pedestal.

[Mikaela] Okay.

[Taylor] Anyways.

[Mikaela] Fair.

[Taylor] And then…

[Mikaela] I think last question. I will let you interpret this to some degree because, I know you. Um… what character or type of character would you want to build or play next. It could either be like the type of characteryou have never ever played before or if you already have a specific character in your mind that you want to be able to build out and act.

[Taylor] Yeah. Cuz there’s cool ways to take somebody like, I don’t know, Darth Vader, and make a build around that. I would not, BUT… I mean I would but that’s not what I am going with this…

[Mikaela] DENIED!

[Taylor] No. I know somebody who is possibly doing that so I am not messing with that one. Um… so , I feel like I tend to go very dark, sassy characters. A little standoffish. I like going chaotic neutral and just, and I am really, really prone to, um, rogues. And that’s just because I find it easy to fall into that character.

[Mikaela] She likes to live vicariously through her DnD characters.

[Taylor] Just a little bit. And so, I would want to try something new. Something different. Maybe something a little bit more challenging. I feel like my current One Piece character, my closest class, since it’s a bit of a homebrew thing, would be kind of a druid. And I had considered do that. It’s very different for me and is a lot more difficult but I feel like I still have that somewhat snarky, dark character, like, character itself. Personality? And so I would want to…

[Mikaela] From what I have heard, yes, you are a murder doctor.

[Taylor] I am. Just a little bit and, like, I might hurt you. I might help you. I don’t know. And I do get really pissed at you and chop you up, I know how to stitch you back together so it’s fine. So, I feel like I would want to go, something…  (*both of us laughing*) it’s fine as long as you don’t die. Um, I feel like I would want to go something that would be harder for me to play character wise. So, something bright and bubbly and heppy and go lucky… kind of like a fluffy carebear character. I don’t know that I know necessarily what class but I would just want to play with a character that would be very, like, difficult for me to stay in character. I feel like that would…

[Mikaela] You want a challenge. Okay.

[Taylor] A growth thing. Yeah. Something that’s a challenge.

[Mikaela] Well, a challenge for you. Hahaha. See, and this is where you can tell that, yes, we are related. We have some very different personalities because on the flip side of this question, most of my characters, as opposed to her chaotic chaotic…

[Taylor] *whispers* Chaos…

[Mikaela] have been lawful good with a very strict moral code. It might not be everybody else’s moral code but they HAVE a very strict moral code. Um, and I am more or less, a squishy in real life (side eye from Taylor… because this is half true) so I feel like all of my DnD characters have been things that’s first reactions have been to, um, hit first and ask later. Um, I think my next DnD character… I will take a two pronged thing with this because technically speaking, the next character that I would really want to build, I technically have. I just haven’t gotten to play him yet beacause it’s for her (gestures to Taylor) campaign that we are getting ready to start. Um, and the cahllenge with one is going to be that it is an adolescent-ish aged, 24 year old, perpetually mutated, magically stunted, pygmy dragon sorcerer and not only have I never played a magic weilder- I am usually a barbarian or a ranger- but als, if you know me, my nickname is motor mouth for a reason. And, he can’t talk. So I am going to have to figure out how…

[Taylor] I mean he can, just not in anythnig that the other players will understand.

[Mikaela] Yeah. Unless one of my party members happens to speak draconic or dwarvish through a weird twist of backstory, nobody will be able to understand me. And even then, he doesn’t have fully developed vocal chords yet because he’s still considered young, so he’s learning to telepathically communicate short blips of information. But for the most part, my chatty ass is going to be reduced to pantomiming…

[Taylor] *sarcastic rawr*

[Mikaela] *nervous laugh* … which will be fun. But outside of Pip, like, if I was going to create a brand new character, I’m going to say, if we are going with angle of Mikaela getting her Symphony of Ages crossover, I want to build the closest thing that I could to Grunther. Um, which in that book series is a half Firbolg, half Bengardian, like gienat behemoth of a worrior. But he’s also kid of like a natural protector. He is the “Ultimate Authority To Be Obeyed At All Costs” is what one character has named him.  So I think I would do a half Orc, half Firbolg, but instead of – as much as he could be a tank- I think instead of building him as a barbarian or like a berserker, I would go cleric (or maybe Paladin?). Beecause, especially if we are taking place after the end of the Symphony of Ages story, I know where that series leaves off and then there would be so much room for my character to have to deal with the challenges of the stigma associated with Firbolg and those species still. And then, just get to constantly surprise the shit out people, which I think woujld be cool.

[Taylor] I loooove a good reaction from people. Like, even in an anime or that, like, part of the reason that I for a lot of the ones where it’s like the under dog, like whatever… and it’s such an overdone trope to some extent. But I will never not love it because I love when they pull something just out of left field and there’s such a good reaction to it.

[Mikaela] Well, and then you get the possability, at least with that character build, I would get the possability of like still being that terrifying, intimidating thing. So like with party interactions, my group would b e able to use that facade to scare the crap out of people and then physically I would still have the abiliy based off of just sheer size…

[Taylor] Intimidation rolls through the roof.

[Mikaela] …to, if I need to,  pick somebody up and chuck ’em. But at the end of the day I could focus on being a nurturer and a healer and I’ve never gotten to play a cleric. And ironically, in every party I have ever played, we  haven’t had a cleric so if somebody got injured, we were kind of “dude, you’re screwed.”

[Taylor] So that’s something I’d like to talk to in a future thing as well, with like character creation- is like, to some extent, your races, they already have bias’ against them. Maybe or maybe not depending on the world!

[Mikaela] For instance if you are a tielfing. Right?!

[Taylor] Yeah. And I love when you’ve got a character class, sometimes it can be annoying when they are completely the opposite (more like it isn’t believable) of like what that race would be. (insert a lot of um, like, like- because aparently I had a valley girly moment). You know what I mean?

[Mikaela] It’s unrealistic.

[Taylor] Yes. It’s unrealistic. You know some races tend to just be more dark and if you make them so they are super bubbly… but if there’s like some layer there, where they are super bubbly but they still retian some of the dark, you know what I mean? There’s like a fine line and I love that, being able to play with that.

[Mikaela] That’s why I’m excited to do- we have a blog post coming up about like, how to build a playable character DnD character and a believable one. Because there’s a difference- without us getting too much into a rabbit hole- there’s a difference between creating a cool character in your head and then being able to execute it.

[Taylor] Yeah.

[Mikaela] So…

[Taylor] And I love talking about character creation, even with NPC’s. Anyway’s… But I’m going to go down a rabbit hole because that’s what I do. So… mums the word.

[Mikaela] We’ll get that.

[Taylor] *literally just repeating what Mikaela said*

Um… *awkward pause* I think that was all three of our questions. I think, that’s the end of it. Don’t be a stranger, like I said. Check us out online. Check us out at market if you are local and…

[Mikaela] We will post the ones that are coming up so that you, you know, know ahead of time.

[Taylor] Yup. And if you haven’t notice, I have done a lot less of the, like, blog posts recently. Mikaela has been kind of chugging along with that, but you are about to see a little bit more of me on there again. So, uh, just keep an eye out.

[Mikaela] We have some exciting partnerships hopefully coming up soon that we’re, again mums the word at the moment, but like when the moment’s right! And hopefully things pan out, we will be able bring you some new stuff soon. And we are still kind of chugging along and kicking as far as like making career moves to really put us in a position to really kind of take this from grass roots growth to hopefully, like, really good trebuche launch.

[Taylor] Yeah. Well, and partnerships, we are talking products. We are talking maybe getting some people in here for interviews. Lot’s of good stuff coming up and ALSO… if, if, I don’t know if I mentioned at the very beginning, but part of our long term goal with our brick and mortar is to have a bar there. We did open up another instagram specifically, since I personally work as a bartender and now I do freelance bartending, so take a look at that too. It’s @ravenwerks.bartending, you can find it on our main instagram (@ravenwerks_guild) and there’s going to be a lot of tips and tricks, new recipes, and things like that.

[Mikaela] Yup! So, I think last notes are, do us a favor- Follow. Subscribe. And then if you have a moment and are feeling so inclined, in the comment section below, if you would do us a favor, I mean we would love to A. hear your answers to these things, because that’s part of the whole excitment with DnD, is that community and the connection. And you sometimes get some cool character ideas from people. But also, if there is a specific area of DnD, if you are looking to want to play and you aren’t sure where to start or you haven’t seen that blog post yet, if there are any particular questions that you would like answered, we love hearing those. It helps not only point us in the correct direction for future blog posts of beginner base line things that we can help you with, but also you may then get to see your question featured in a future video.

[Taylor] Yeah! Don’t be a stranger. Have a good one!

[Mikaela] Toodles!

Let’s go back to debunking the idea that bread is hard. It’s the end of February, which means everything is rainy and wet here- so I’ve been on a bit of a bread making kick. One thing I will always stay adamant about is that baking bread isn’t as hard as a lot of people now believe it is. So today I want to share a recipe for Ciabatta.

Once you understand the basic chemistry behind bread, it’s really quite easy. It’s a bit like a good relationship: If you pay attention to what you’re doing, you can’t really do it wrong. If you haven’t seen our Bread 101 post you can find it here– this will point you in the right direction for all the basics of bread.

Ciabatta is one of my favorite breads and ironically a type that a lot of people I talk to seem to think is more complicated to make. It’s not. In the recipe below I’ll give you two variations of it. One is a fresh style with no preferment if you’re short on time or not quite sure on sourdoughs (though I would strongly urge you to check out our post on sourdough, because again, it’s not as hard as it sounds). The other is a sourdough ciabatta because sourdough is king. Let’s get right to it.

Mis En Place (Get Your Shit, and Get it Together)

Fresh Dough Ciabatta

• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 240 grams of warm water (roughly 92 degrees), water should not be hot enough to hurt or it will kill your yeast.
• 300 grams All Purpose Flour, sifted
• 1 tsp of kosher salt

Sour Dough Ciabatta

• 1 Cup Active Starter
• 350 grams All Purpose Flour, sifted
• 225 g of warm water
• 1 tsp of kosher salt

Other Items Needed

• Olive Oil, As Needed
• Metal baking sheet
• Parchment Paper
• A spray bottle with water

Directions for Ciabatta

Fermenting

1. For the fresh method: combine water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit 5 minutes. For the sourdough method: add 1 cup of the flour to the starter in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for 5 minutes. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP FOR EITHER VARIATION.
2. Combine Flour and salt with yeast mixture and mix on low for 2-4 minutes to allow gluten to begin forming. Mixture will create a loose, VERY wet dough. Continue folding until no clumps of flour remain and wet dough is mostly smooth. (Dough is at roughly 80% hydration so don’t be alarmed that its loose- that’s intentional).

Rissing

1. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer ciabatta dough into it. Cover with a fitted lid (or plastic wrap) and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Remember the warmer the room is the faster the fermentation will happen (the quicker the rise).
2. Stretch and fold. We’re going to repeat this process 3 times. It will take about an hour and a half total. For each stretch and fold, get some oil or water on your hands to prevent sticking. I prefer olive oil, but water works just fine too. Do not use canola or vegetable oil as it messes with the flavor and will give the crust a funny texture.
   • With wet or greased hands, gently stretch and fold the dough every 30ish minutes by lifting carefully from each side and pulling the dough to the middle, one side at a time.
   • By the end of your stretches and folds the dough should have roughly doubled in size.

Shaping

1. Transfer to a floured surface. Dough with be sticky, but this is what we want. Using gentle fingers, tuck the ends and sides in until you have a loosely rectangular shape, being careful to not squeeze out air cells. Use a knife or bench scraper and cut the dough into two or four equal pieces.
   • 4 will yield sandwich size loaves.
   • 2 will yield larger traiditonal loaves.
2. Repeating the beginning part of step 5, shape each portion of dough gently into a rectangle and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Very lightly, sprinkle top of each loaf with flour and cover with a tea towel. Then set aside and let rest 30-40 minutes.

Baking

1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Fill a large baking dish with water and place it in the bottom of your oven (bottom rack). Close the oven and let it fill with steam while it preheats.
2. When the oven is preheated and the dough ready to go in, slide the sheet tray directly in the oven and spray with water immediately. Close oven and set a timer for twenty minutes.
3. Check for doneness (bottom of loaf will sound hollow when tapped with a knuckle).
4. Remove ciabatta from oven, transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool 90% of the way before giving in to temptation and slicing. DO NOT SKIP THE COOLING STEP. YOUR GLUTEN AND AIR CELLS NEED TO SET. I know it’s hard, but you did not spend hours baking bread to ruin it at the last moment.

Have fun! Let us know how it goes!

Happy Baking,

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

A bigger lie was never told to the American population than how they should and shouldn’t eat. Yes, I know- this is coming from someone who claims to love food science. And I do. It is precisely that reason that the American Food Chain System frustrates me so much. Today I want to talk about having a healthier food lifestyle.

There is so much misinformation out there about what ingredients are good, which are bad, what will help you shed weight quickly, what will balance your gut bacteria, etc. that its easy to get lost in the ‘data’ if you’re not paying attention and you’re not an informed consumer.

This misinformation changes so constantly that it shouldn’t be surprising how many people have little to no idea what they’re putting in their bodies. It is politisized, capitalized, and propaganda’ed to death. Which leads to swaths of people with eating disorders, malnutrition problems, and a great many other issues. Today we’re going to cut through all the red tape. This is a political, propaganda free space. Below is a list of 7 things that I use as pillars in my dietary choices to have a healthier food lifestyle.

Disclaimer

This is one of those topics that I can end up on a soap box about and by the end of the soap box people are reminding me to breathe when I talk. You’ve heard me talk a bit about this in our post on Kitchen Sustainability and Nutritional Paradigms and I’m excited to dive deeper. I get passionate about a number of food topics and this one is right up there with people cutting any form of filled doughnut in half. I could spend hours, days and even weeks talking about all the different levels and complexities of the American food system. In fact, I plan too. That’s kind of the whole point. But today, at least, I wanted to give you a brief overview of my overall stance on food, so that as we build on topics, you know where I’m coming from.

You don’t have to agree with me, in fact, I’m hoping some of you won’t because I love discussions. Much of what I currently believe has come from discussions with other people in conjunction with my own experiences and learning- my views are much different than they were when I was younger. All I ask, is that you come in with an open mind. Afterall, these are my opinions and experiences, and I’m sure my experiences will differ somewhat from yours.

I’m Not a Doctor- What I am sharing is My Opinion Based on My Experience and Education

The easiest thing to do is tell you what I believe, and why. From there we can build on and discuss different areas in depth in the coming months. As I have said previously, I am not a doctor– and for any topic specific, truly in-depth medical advice, I would urge you to talk to a doctor and nutritionist/ dietician (I did). But I believe we are smarter as a community when there is collaboration and I see no harm in sharing baselines and guidelines.

At my core, my food beliefs are simple and few, and I will try to pass it on that way as I think most things in life are easiest to adopt when kept simple. I think most people would have a better overall quality of life if they had a healthier food lifestyle. And we’re all about quality of life here.

A Healthier Food Lifestyle Means Everything in moderation

This applies to all my other opinions/ beliefs on this list as well. Heck, it’s solid life advice. Even when you make a less than perfect choice, its not a huge deal if you do not overindulge. It removes much of the pressure, and I never want someone to feel pressure or stress when eating. Also, you can have too much of even the ‘healthy’ things, which makes them not so healthy. In everything- moderation is key. So many times its not a matter of good food vs bad food but too much or too little. A healthier food lifestyle is about balance!

There Are No Bad Foods In A Healthier Food Lifestyle

This is a more complex concept and people tend to balk at this. There are things that are less healthy, there are things you should reach for first. There are things I try to minimize in my life or avoid 99% of the time. A healthier food lifestyle cannot exist in an environment where we are vilifying foods and food parts.

Food is fuel. Carbs are not bad. Fat is not bad. Chocolate is not bad. Gluten is not bad. Sugar is not bad. Things in EXCESS are bad. Is there a right way to eat carbs/gluten/sugar/fat etc.? You betcha. Are there specific individuals who due to allergies/medical conditions/ etc. need to avoid certain things? Yes, myself included. But that does not rule those categories out for everyone. Blanket bans on foods are a red flag for me. When we get into marketing, food psychology, and fad diets- you’ll see what I mean.

Erase the Word Diet From Your Vocabulary

Diets suck. I do not believe in diets. The phrase ‘I’m on a diet’ or ‘I’m watching my diet’ implies temporary. It implies restriction. It usually comes with a groan, an eyeroll, or a wave of sadness over pastries left un-eaten. “Diet” is a noun, not a verb. The second you tell yourself you ‘can’t have’ something- you want it three times more.

People quit diets; and the second you stop your ‘diet’ things go back to the way they were- weight, sleep, energy levels, brain function, sex drive, etc. I don’t do diets. I believe in lifestyles, intentionality, and eating things I love. Having a healthier food lifestyle starts with consistency. And consistency requires it to be something sustainable.

There are No Shortcuts to A Healthier Food Lifestyle

This is a hill I will die on. No matter how many times I get my hopes up, time has taught me- if you want it sustainable, healthy, balanced, and attainable- there are no shortcuts. There is no magic food to make you drop pounds quickly. Quick fixes don’t exist. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and you should run for the hills. It took time to make you the way you are today and it will take time to make you into anything else, whatever that may be.

No Two People’s Diets Are the Same, Nor Should They Be

No two people are the same, so why do we have a one size fits all approach to food historically? This is where I say- talk to an expert. Learn what’s right for YOU. And WHY those choices are right for you. When you know WHY you’re doing what you’re doing- it’s a lot easier to do. I personally also believe this would eliminate 60% of fad diet crazes.

Ever heard “My cousin _______ has been doing keto and she lost like 50 pounds, maybe you should try that.” Or my personal favorite “you really should go gluten free, it would help with ______” 2000 years of mankind eating bread as a staple of our diet and all of a sudden EVERYBODY thinks gluten is satan’s favorite food. The gluten isn’t the problem, but we’ll get to that. Are some people gluten intolerant? Absolutely, but not everybody is. See where I’m going with this? A Healthier food lifestyle requires acknowledging your body as a unique individual, learning what those uniques individual needs are, and listening to them.

Whole Foods

Taking into consideration “everything in moderation” and “There are no bad foods”, I still reach for whole foods as often as I can because those are the best options for me. This is the difference between Food and Edible Food Products. Bell pepper= food. Oreos= Edible Food Product. I still pick up Oreo’s from time to time, but I try to go 90/10 in favor of foods that are exactly the way nature made them. Whole grain vs white bread, macaroni from scratch vs the kraft box.

My rule of thumb is: If I can’t say it- don’t eat it. If I don’t know what it is- don’t eat it. It’s not as hard as it sounds. I would rather you take pleasure from time to time in a homemade cheesecake or the extra queso you made from scratch to go with your burrito bowl than eat the box of hamburger helper or the prepackaged ‘dietary’ TV dinner (yes, I mean even the ‘healthy’ ones.).

So many people think they already have a healthier food lifestyle because they’re picking up the SmartOne instead of the Kraft Mac n Cheese. But the truth is- if you read the ingredients tab, they’re still loaded with things that aren’t meant to be in your body; they’re just low calorie or carb balanced (we’ll get to food marketing later because that’s a whole different animal).

Remember to Not Food Shame

Edible food products aren’t evil and can be enjoyed, I’m a terrible sucker for Girl Scout Cookies, They are in season and I have a couple boxes of Thin Mints in the freezer and several boxes of Samoa’s, Do-si-Do’s and Tagalongs hidden in the closet where my husband can’t get to them and eat them first. The point is everything in Moderation!

Meat is Not Bad

Yes, I know that this kiiiiind of fits in with “no food is bad”. And Yes, I know I just lost some of you. BUT it’s a big enough food schism that I think it warrants its own bullet point. I’d also like to remind you that I asked for open mindedness and that these are MY beliefs. They don’t have to be yours. If you are vegetarian or vegan- I do hope you keep reading. Not only because there are still other things in this section of our blog that are of value and will still be relevant to you but also because I think these kinds of discussions are important to working on that visceral schism.

I do not have a problem inherently with vegetarianism or veganism- though again, I believe there is a right and a wrong way to do both. However, I’m never going to be offended or bothered if someone chooses to not eat meat. If eating animals or animal bi-products bothers you emotionally or morally, I can accept and respect that so long as you afford me the same courtesy.

So here’s my stance on meat vs no meat in a healthier lifestyle:

Scientifically, we as humankind are omnivores. That means you are biologically designed to eat meat AND plants. It’s why you have front sharp teeth for the tearing of meat and flat back molars for grinding and chewing plant matter. Kind of like bears or wolves. That’s why you have one stomach and the intestinal structure you do instead of a crop like a bird or 4 stomachs like a ruminate. Plant protein is physically different than animal protein, and you are genetically designed to need BOTH. I personally do not believe in arguing with the natural order of things, mother nature knows best. I also happen to like how most meat tastes.

However, I’m picky about the meat I eat. Having a healthier food lifestyle means being a responsible consumer. I’m picky about where it comes from, how the animal is raised, its quality of life while alive. I’m picky about giving thanks, and making sure to call a spade a spade. If you’re going to eat pork, acknowledge it was a pig.

Additionally, I believe in moderating meat consumption- If China alone ate the amount of meat that the U.S. does- we would need 2.5 planets just to grow the amount of corn needed to feed the cows (see also, I don’t think cows should be fed corn products in feed lots, I only buy grass fed) that’s insane. We do not need nearly as much meat as modern society has trained you to consume. The rest of the world does not consume meat at nearly the same rate that we do.

In Conclusion for My Love of Food and a Healthier Food Lifestyle

Obviously, I’m very opinionated when it comes to food. I tried to pare down my biggest beliefs in their most generic and simple ways, knowing that we have all the time in the world to peel back layers and explore specific topics. I’m very excited to get to share nutritional tidbits, debunk theories, share recipes, discuss, dive deep, and learn more with you.

If you have a passion for food like I do- I would offer one parting piece of advice. Check out the Master Class by Michael Pollan. He presents a very straight forward and impartial view of several food topics and really stretched my critical thinking muscles and challenged some of my thoughts in a fresh and respectful way. He also articulates much better than I can and said something in that class that basically covers it all in the simplest of terms better than I ever could. I’ve been keeping it in my pocket as my easy to remember sentence for talking to people but also to help me make decisions about my food throughout the day: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

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