Passing Time with Clay Crafts

I know it's been awhile since I blogged. I've had a few things to talk about but not one singular topic I thought would really make a great blog post.

Lord & Lady gifted to Magaly of Pagan Culture.

First of all I've finished some crafts. I sent some things to Magaly from Pagan Culture. She thought the Lord's horniness was funny. Hehe. Well he is a Lord is he not? Along with the figurines, I sent her book she recently won from me and some herbs. You should check out her post, A Fat Candle for Old Man Winter, for a wonderful cleansing infusion recipe.

Elder Futhark Runes.

I finished clay runes that I took to Inanna's Spiritual Center to sell. I also made a new set that I just have to finish making a bag for so I can mail them to another friend of mine. I think most of my art end up becoming gifts for friends. Which is perfectly fine. Honestly I don't craft to make money. I enjoy making things because it keeps me busy and gives me a bit of "me" time.

Speaking of me time, I may not have so much of it. On Wednesday I had a job interview for a deputy clerk position. I think the interview went well but there was a huge turnout for the job. They said 60 people was in their interested list. Out of that number I don't know how many got interviews, but I'll either get a letter saying thanks but no thanks or I'll get a phone call soon with the job offer. Honestly I don't know which one I'm rooting for. On the one hand it is a dead end job. Their one major question was why do I want to work for so little pay? Probably not a good sign is it? There is no upward mobility however there are benefits and a possibility of yearly raises.

On the other hand, we need the income. I will really miss my kids and if I were to get the job Sierra would probably have to go back to regular public school. She's done well with K12 and I really don't want her education to suffer by going back to a brick and mortar school. They have very low test scores. I looked them up and they are getting 45%. Passing is 75%. So yes it is a really really bad school! In the end all I can say is, whatever is best for my family is what should be. Sierra happily performed her own mini ritual the night before the job interview. I was proud of her, with daddy's assistance she led a wonderful uplifting ritual. It's wonderful seeing my little witch-let blossom. :)

Wyatt is talking more but I think he should be farther along than he is. Once in awhile he will say a few words clearly. Then the next minute he's babbling. I may end up having to take him to a speech therapist. I'll wait till after his second birthday to do that.

Well goodnight and Blessings, Light, and Love dear readers.

PBP: Buy or Make Tools?

Prompt: Who Makes Your Tools?

credit: daillywicca.com

A lot of Pagans perform rituals. Even those who do not, still have at least one tool that belongs to their practice, whether it be a Book of Shadows or a candle....

When it come to the tools of your practice, does it matter who made them or where they come from?
Does something you made yourself have more power? Or can you simply purchase what you need, then cleanse and charge it for your use?

Remember, what works best for you may not be for everyone, so please don't get too 'preachy' on this subject...

~Magickal Graphics~  

I definitely believe the more energy you put into the tool the better that tool will work for you. That doesn't mean you have to craft every single tool you use. It can be as simple as buying a statue that isn't painted, and doing the painting yourself. It doesn't need to be perfectly painted! As a matter of fact, imperfect art is absolutely perfect for my craft. Which is why I set out to make clay art to sell. I've been a bit lax in making more art. That's because I'm a busy homeschooling momma with a toddler. You can see my imperfect art in my Pagan Creation Etsy store. The Isis statue you see in my store is a apart of my current altar. I also have a Cernunnos statue I use on my altar that I made.

My Cernunnos statue. Pic taken while he was still in the mold and drying.

There are some things that you may not be able to craft or just feel like you don't have the talent to do. That's OK too! That's what cleansing and charging is for.

My Book of Shadows is just a simple notebook. Your tools do not have to be fancy or expensive. We are the craft of the wise. It's not wise to spend all your money on an expensive item when it's not necessary. Often the most simplest of tools is what you feel most connected with.

Moonstone Goddess & Tigers Eye God

I have finally found some time to start crafting again! I just made this beauty. As a matter of fact she hasn't dried out yet. But I couldn't wait to show her off.

Moonstone Goddess on Etsy by SalemWitchChild

Here is my Moonstone Goddess. She's made out of non-toxic air dry clay. She's approximately 6 inches tall and 1 1/2 inches wide at her hips. Click on the link under the picture to view the Etsy listing for her.















I've also created an ambiguous God. If your like me and have gone several years without really identifying which Patron God you have but want to bring the masculine to your altar, here is a male sculpture with a tigers eye crystal imbedded over his heart. He measures approximately 5 inches tall. 

Tigers Eye God on Etsy by SalemWitchChild

I'm also working on the second installment of Dragon Love. So hopefully you'll have something to read very soon. ;)

Much love and I'd appreciate it if you'd click the little button to share on FB down below! Thanks.

SWC

Pagan Creation

August 31st, 2012. Blue moon. Photo by Robin LC

So last night was the blue moon and I know many of you were outside enjoying yourselves or doing a ritual. My daughter and I sat under the moon and mostly talked for awhile. She is coming into her own and I'm teaching her a bit more about my faith, and she is participating when she wants to. We made an offering just as a thank you for all we have in our life. Unfortunately, the night was cloudy and we didn't get a good look at the moon. But it did come out for a few minutes to greet us. 

Image Source

I'm one busy little bee. I'm enjoying crafting with clay. So much so that I am making an endeavor to open an Etsy store. I do not have any products to add yet, however I will soon!

This is what I finished tonight. I started out just making a nameless young goddess. She turned out to be a crone. Hey nothing wrong with that! She just called to me to be older, and cloaked.

Cloaked Crone by Robin LC

Her face is a little rough, but that just adds to her character. My Etsy store is titled Pagan Creation and my tag line is "Finding perfection in imperfect art."

See I am no great artist. However I think art that is hand done with love is far more powerful than any mass produced statue most Pagans find in stores. And... I'm not charging an arm and a leg for them.

So how do you like my cloaked crone? Does she speak to you?

Our BOS & Isis!

Sorry I've been a little quiet lately. I assure you I'm not sitting on my bum doing nothing. OK I am sitting on my bum but it's for a good cause. After making my Cernunnos out of clay I realized, I really like sculpting! I may not be very good at human features but I do pretty good for my purposes. After all it doesn't have to be perfect, but the energy I put into making it just gives my clay figurines that much more power. I think it's better than going out and buying a Cernunnos and Isis statue. Now I just have to think about what I want to make next. hmm. Suggestions?

Clay Isis. By SalemWitchChild

Here is Isis. Overall I like her, though there are a few things I wish I'd have smoothed over before I allowed her to dry out too much to fix. I made her with an offering cup at the bottom, which as you can see I've yet to take her out of the molded cup because I just finished her today. I'll do that in a couple of days and here's hoping it comes out smoothly! Otherwise I think I owe my MIL some Tupperware. How do you like her?

I've thought about going back and adding the same cup, or maybe one slightly larger, to Cernunnos. We'll see how Isis comes out of the mold first before I go messing around with his design.

I've also been doing my research on Cernunnos. I think most witches and Wiccans have a Book of Shadows. Or at least a journal. I don't specifically call mine a BOS. Instead it's titled "Thoughts, Feelings, and Dreams." I also have poems and other Pagan related information written in here. Yes, a couple spells as well. I'm not a good little witch when it comes to documenting all my witchy stuff. I usually end up writing out rituals on loose paper and burning that paper at the end of the ritual. So for one to make it into my BOS is rare. I also think it's rare for today's modern Pagan to not have his or her rituals on the computer. I guess I'm old fashioned in that I want it on real paper. It doesn't have to be fancy. Mine is just in a normal half sized journal type booklet. I feel more comfortable with a tangible item than typing it all out and saving it on my PC. Probably because like the other day, when my laptop screen bit the dust. I'm using my daughters Netbook for the time being.

Do you keep a written BOS, a computerized BOS, or a little of both? Do you like your own crafted tools better than bought ones?