Tag Archives: magic

March 29, 2026 · 5:21 pm

Faerie Queen in Spring )O(

Early spring blossoms

Merry meet all,

Snow coats the streets and sidewalks, determined to resist spring. The Pagan Association of Nova Scotia is hosting a Beltane Ball in May. I bought a ticket and I was completely inspired to work on my costume. I want to be a Faerie Queen! 

Although the event is in May, I”m busy preparing for it now. Faerie Queens are busy. I’m seized with inspiration. I pored over pinterest fae photos to get inspiration, including the faerie art by Brian Froud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a beautiful purple/ pink faerie dress. I examined the dress more closely and I noticed it’s in need of repair. The elastic in the casing in the sleeves was expired. I whipped out my sewing tools and patiently seam ripped the sleeves. I decided that clear elastic was too frail, even for a Faerie Queen. The sleeves are fixed. I want to add longer lower sleeves to the dress and make a shoulder ruffle. The faerie dress is fragile. The sleeve ruffle might stabilize the fabric. I lightly touched up the edges of the sleeves and bodice using clear nail polish to prevent fraying. I sewed  beautiful lavender colored embroidered flowers to the front of the faerie dress. That made the dress look even more beautiful. I want to sew a zigzag stitch to the dress hem. I sewed a shimmery trim to the dress hem. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also made a lovely hobo bag. I didn’t want to carry around a backpack all night, especially since I may be wearing faerie wings. I sewed myself a lovely magical hobo bag. I just love it. The faerie dress and the slip need more mending. 

I sewed a short overskirt to the faerie skirt and trimmed the overskirt with ribbon. The overskirt isn’t visible with the faerie dress, but I am sure if I dance or something, it will be visible then. The deep purple overskirt sprinkles faerie glitter everywhere. 

I am so proud of my faerie leaf mask. It turned out better than I expected. I don’t have the skills to work with leather (yet), so I used the cardboard from a cereal box. I painted the mask green using three coats and let the paint dry between coats. I used a scissors and an exacto knife to cut it out. I found a pattern and etched in the fine arched lines of the mask. I cut out the eyes. I used a hole punch on the far sides of the mask to be able to secure ribbon when I want to wear it. I plan to add moss, leaves (lots!), and feathers. I’ve decided to use artificial oak and maple leaves and glue them on with a hot glue gun. I promise to add photos when I am done. I also have to get my mitts on a pair of faerie ears. I found my faerie wand and wings. The fae gifted me a twig and I want to add it to the crown. I can’t wait till I get to Michaels arts and crafts. I glued green felt oak leaves, artificial leaves and flowers to the mask. I love how it looks. I have to make the large green felt oak leaf more stable and created a green butterfly from clay. I adhered a clay loop to the butterfly so I could hang it from a chain. The butterfly had to be secured with hot glue. I secured two long green velvet ribbons to the mask. I glued two green felt maple leaves to the back of the mask. I want the front and the back of the mask to look great. I repainted the back of the mask. I touched up the black paint on the mask with gold acrylic paint.  I painted a clear sealant to the mask. That makes it permanent and it also added a nice shine to the mask. The mask looks even more amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The corset – I seam ripped the fasteners on the corset. I’m installing eyelets to use as fasteners. Yup this sure is turning out to be a faerie queen costume. Today I installed the eyelets and laced up the bodice. I love how it’s all coming together. 

 I want to add herbs, gemstone chips and a tiny scroll to a small vial with a cork top, and coat green and purple candle wax on the cork, then insert a jump ring to attach to a chain, add another jump ring at the bottom of the vial, then add another fairyish charm such as a butterfly/ fairy feather or a gemstone. One vial is a gift for my friend and the second one will be for me. 

Today I attempted to sew the crinoline sleeve to the dress.  I could not sew the long sleeves to the shorter sleeves because both sleeves needed an elastic casing. I will use a safety pin to adhere the lower sleeves to the upper sleeves. The lower sleeves are beautiful. I did finally finish mending the slip, sewed in the zigzag stitch at the hem of the faerie dress, and sewed the shoulder ruffles but I still have to sew them onto the sleeves. I may have to sew by hand because my sewing machine does not like crinoline. I glued a few flowers to the dress. The faerie dress was a lot of work to repair, but I learned a lot in the process, so that made it worth it.

My crown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought these beautiful butterfly clips which I will adhere to the dress. I have the faerie wand, mask, ears, wings and gown. The last detail I have to work out is a crown. I have a few options: the gold Arwen crown, a circlet, the circlet that came with the wings. I’ll figure it out. I have a few options for how to style my hair and makeup. I still have lots of time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want to coat the frayed parts of the faerie dress with clear nail polish. The fabric is fragile and tends to fray, so that should take care of it. I glued the fairy wings back onto the poor fairy. She can now fly and flit over tops of flowers or sip honey nectar tea. I touched up the faerie house a little bit. I painted a white crown of thorns with a spellbinding mixture of brown, green and gold. I love how it turned out. It looks regal, and earthy. The gold enhances the earthy brown color nicely. 

I sewed a second corset today. The corset is black with embroidered butterflies. I had to sew the black mesh fabric to natural black cotton because I didn’t want the interfacing to show. I sewed the lining separately then sewed them together. I had to make a slight adjustment to the corset size. Once I figured out how much extra fabric I needed, I stitched that to the corset. I have to install the eyelets. Then it will be complete. It looks great with the faerie dress and skirt! I used a pdf underbust corset pattern from Etsy. 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally installed the eyelets into the corset. The corset is complete. It was a lot of work to do that, but well worth it. I love how it looks now. Sweet and edgy. I set up my work area at the table, and hammered the grommets into the fabric. I hammered on a cloth covered board. I could see the indents from the hammering. I am happy the corset is done now. I chose deep blue velvet ribbon for lacing the corset. The corset looks beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a jar of faerie dust for a friend and I’m soon making one for another friend. I bought miniature bottles with chains from Michaels. I love that store! I ground chamomile, calendula, elderflower, lavender and rose petals to a fine powder then added the ground herbs to the jar. I sealed the jar with beeswax. It really looks like faerie dust. Well, it is!

 

 

This faerie queen will celebrate Beltane in style with my beautiful Beltane gown. Till then,,…

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch )O(

 

 

 

 

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February 17, 2026 · 3:17 pm

How to start Herb seeds

Early spring blossoms

Merry meet all,

Hello my darklings! I can’t wait for spring. Spring is around the corner. I’m dreaming up what I want to grow this summer. The spring equinox occurs next month, around the 20th or the 21st. The long, dark days of winter will surrender to the fierce fresh energy of spring. The winds blow harder, but that is what ushers in the change of the seasons. Bring it on. 

Now would be a good time to start your seeds. I suspect my herb seeds are getting old. I want to get herb transplants from a garden center. I don’t have the room to install a grow light. I think it’s more expensive to buy herb transplants, but the people who sell you the herb transplants have done the hard work for you of starting herbs from seeds. I sprinkled in some herb seeds in a pot, but they did not grow. That’s how I know my seeds are old. I may just put all the seeds into a seed bomb and toss it out into the compost. Then buy fresh seeds or grab herb transplants. 

If you are eager to grow herbs from seeds, now is a good time to start. There are a few ways you can start herbs from seed. A good way to test the vitality of seeds is to spread seeds onto a damp paper towel, put the damp paper towel into a labeled ziplock  bag and set it somewhere warm. Wait a few weeks and make sure the paper towel doesn’t dry out. Or just put the seeds in a pot under a grow light and wait. Either way, a few seeds should sprout. They are the strongest seeds. You can be confident they will grow into a healthy herb. That is what you want. Save the strong seedlings and snip out the weak ones. 

Keep your seedlings in full sun at a south facing window or under a grow light. Make sure the soil is moist, not sopping wet. Plants like moist soil. Do not let the soil get that fungus or powdery mildew. Take care of them. This is the most important phase for the seedlings. They have to grow strong and healthy. Keep an eye on them. 

When they have grown to at least five to six inches, and have leafed out, you could transplant them into bigger pots. However, be careful because most plants do not like their roots to be disturbed. If you do transplant, be very gentle. If you want to give them an extra boost of magical energy, you could hang a clear quartz or moss agate crystal above the plants, or put the crystals into the soil. Be sure not to crowd the plant or hurt the roots. Keep the crystal a few inches from the plants. 

If you wish to fertilize your herb seedlings, do research first on when and how much. Do not add too much fertilizer when they are in their early phases of growing. If you boil eggs, save the water you use to boil the eggs in and add that to your plants. Fill a jug with water. Wait until the full moon phase and leave the jug where it can absorb the full moon energy. Next morning, add that to your plants. Leave the jug in the sun to grab some magical solar energy. Save your rain water. Leave a clear quartz crystal in the jug. Just make sure you do not lose the crystal! 

Here is another magical boost for your plants tip! Stand next to your beautiful magical herb plant pots. Hold your hands around the pot/s, soften your gaze and concentrate. Send them positive energy and welcome the seedlings to your plant family. Breath on them – our breath is sacred! Imagine a white shower of your magical energy is radiating to the plants from your hands to the plants. Yes, the plants do sense this. They will grow better! 

Before you know it, spring will arrive and you will be transplanting them outdoors! Be sure all chances of frost are passed first. 

I want to grow herbs on my boyfriend’s deck. He doesn’t mind. The plants do get sun, but I plan to grow herbs that would grow in shade. I want to grow chamomile in my mother’s garden. Her garden is a full sun garden. I want to grow herbs in pots, but the pots can’t take up all the room on the deck. The herbs I want to grow in pots on the deck are: apple mint, (love it), basil, purple basil, sage (maybe clary sage!), chives, parsley and nasturtiums. I want to grow the following herbs to attract bees to my flowers and herbs for pollination: lavender, lemon balm, Johnny-jump-ups, pansies and calendula. Those flowers and herbs are sure to attract bees and other eager little pollinators. I may add gemstones such as clear quartz and moss agate, maybe a fairy statue or other knick-knacks. I cannot wait! 

I hope that this post inspires you to start your herb seedlings! The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Ostara! I am as excited as you for spring to return. Blessings

 

Spiderwitch

 

 

 

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December 24, 2025 · 4:39 pm

My yule celebration )O(

Merry meet all,

I have been busy preparing for Yule. I was hit by a big creative bug. I sewed myself a lovely moon cushion, dried orange slices which I will soon make into a garland, and crafted lovely gifts for my friends. I created the gifts for my friends with love. 

My moon cushion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I gathered pinecones and cleaned them, then baked them in the oven. I sprinkled sweet orange essential oil, cinnamon and clove bud essential oils onto the pinecones. I arranged them in a basket and set the basket next to our decorations. 

A basket of pinecones

I made two new green felt christmas tree decorations. I traced a christmas tree onto green felt, cut it out, sewed the christmas tree leaving an opening to add the batting, and then sewed it shut. I sewed on a loop at the top to hang the green felt tree at the windows. 
Herbs are for Yule/ Winter Solstice! I have had a great time first foraging for wintry herbs such as juniper, white spruce, balsam fir, northern white cedar and rosemary. I dehydrated oranges. I made smudge sticks with bay leaves, the dried oranges and the foraged herbs. I used the dried oranges to decorate presents. I created a winter lantern with bay leaves, rosemary, lavender, pine and cedar. I glued found twigs to a small glass jar then painted them gold. It looks great! I tucked in fairy lights in the lantern- looks magical! I created herbal tea blends to give as gifts with hibiscus, orange, cinnamon, star anise, juniper, nutmeg, cloves, liquorice root, chamomile, calendula, elderflower, elderberry, echinacea, rooibos. I wish I could keep the tea blends! Dried oranges make great gift ornaments too. So pretty. I sewed tea cozies for two of my friends and added a tea blend. I even sewed tea coasters to go with the tea cozies. Now I want to bake gingerbread cookies. I put love and intention into everything I did. Herbs are great and I may be old school here, but I did not use a blender or a coffee grinder. I ground the cinnamon, juniper berries, star anise, reships with my mortar and pestle. I stir and grind and work in my intention and energy. I can’t wait for my friends to get my gifts.
I planted sprigs of sage, thyme and lavender and mint in a pot to have fresh herbs over the winter. I made a lavender ‘wand’ to help me with stress over the holidays.
I saved tiny sprigs of the above mentioned herbs, put them into a tiny jar with a cork top, then sealed the jar with candle wax. I  brewed a jar of apple cider liquer and I am steeping a batch of elderberry and calendula cold and flu elixir!
This will be the best yule/ winter solstice ever. I wish you all a magical holiday season. Blessings.

The best way that I celebrated the winter solstice was with the druid coven by the ocean. I have not woken at 6 am in a long time, but I did and it was so worth it. There could not have been a better more spiritual way to celebrate Yule, in my opinion. I loved it. Yes it was early in the morning, but who cares? I know it was cold, but that is to be expected. I had a great time. I loved watching the sea birds soar over the ocean, and the big waves crashing over the rocks. The Solstice, the changing of the seasons is old as time. We were carrying on a tradition that was very likely old as time, too. Chanting and drumming at that lookoff spot just felt so good. I’m sure I spotted an eagle!

The spot where the coven celebrated the solstice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind prevented us from enjoying a bonfire, but we perservered.  Afterwards, everyone left and those remaining, including Brian and Karen and a few more friends, we had coffee and a nice chat at Brian’s house. That was the best Solstice celebration I got to enjoy in a long time. Being out in nature to honor one of the earth’s natural changes felt like the best way to honor it. That is the way it should be. 

Now we can all relax and rest during the holidays. I am sure many of you are enjoying a nice, festive dinner with your loved ones. For those who are all alone during this time, you matter. You are important. For anyone who misses their loved ones who may have passed, I know, I am right there with you. I miss my grandparents. Wish they were here. 

I wish you all a magical, memorable Yule time! Blessings and love and light. 

Blessed be, Spiderwitch

 

 

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October 11, 2025 · 6:11 pm

Twisted Dreams Press is publishing my novel in 2026!! )O(

Merry meet all,

Dear readers, I have awesome news! Twisted Dreams Press is publishing my spooky novel The Mourning Tide! I am overjoyed. This is the 1000th blog post! I saved the announcement of my novel being published for the 1000th post. This all means a lot to me. My grandparents have passed and I hope that they are proud of me. I am dedicating The Mourning Tide to them. This is a dream come true, a dream that began ten years ago. I first was inspired to write the novel ten years ago. Yes, that long. I am not kidding. I can’t wait for the cover art!

The book is scheduled for release next October. There is always a reason to look forward to October and the publication of my novel is the best reason for celebration ever! I am so happy. 

I finished the halloween patchwork quilt! Today I sewed a blanket binding to the quilt. I love how it turned out. It is gorgeous, magickal and screams HALLOWEEN! I will be cozy this winter. If I may so myself, the quilt is bewitchingly beautiful. It was a lot of hard work and so was writing and editing The Mourning Tide. I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Taking care with everything we do and taking the time to get it done is the key to success. Next, I plan to sew a matching pillowcase. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Horror Writers Association hosts an annual blog event, Halloween Haunts. I always participate in the event. I shall post the link to my blog post for the event here: https://horror.org/halloween-haunts-hounded-by-the-dead-by-heddy-johannesen/ I plan to read the other posts by the other authors. 

I love October. I am not the only one for sure. I sewed a Halloween blanket, dyed my hair, bought new candles, enjoyed nature walks and went apple picking today! Pumpkins adorn many porches, and the skies are so blue! I even watched Hocus Pocus last night. I sewed myself an orange and black Halloween skirt. I have a new witch hat too! I hot glued black flowers to the witch hat. 

Today’s post is short and brief. This is my 1000th blog post!!! Cause for celebration. I hopd you all have a wonderful Mabon-Samhain. I shall keep writing here. Grab a pumpkin spice latte and get ready for more awesome blog posts. I am so happy to have reached this milestone. It feels good to have reached this milestone and to have made my dreams come true. 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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June 24, 2025 · 9:27 pm

Summer Solstice Bonfire

Merry meet all,

We must be in the grips of a major heatwave. It is so hot out. We could fry eggs on the pavement. I celebrated the Summer Solstice with my man and my cauldron. The photo above shows where we went to have the bonfire. It is a beautiful spot, that’s for sure. 

WE bought my large, large cauldron and fire starters, paper, etc. Basically what we would need to start a fire in the cauldron. It is illegal to do so so that is why we were so out of the way. The mosquitoes were hungry and herons flew over the water. We began the bonfire right away. I brought a jar of mugwort, a few cinnamon sticks, rose petals, juniper and sage. I tossed the herbs into the fire. It was so cool. 

There truly is something magical about a bonfire in a large cauldron on the night of the Solstice. The herbs I selected specifically for the ritual burned in the cauldron. The flames danced out of the cauldron and I loved the sounds of the flames crackling in the cauldron, the smoke rising. It was all just so magical and earthy and made me feel like I stepped into another time for a while. 

The waves washed over the shore. I dipped my toes in. That is mandatory, it’s summer. The sunset was breathtaking. We sat down on lawn chairs and enjoyed the peace and quiet and shared some beers and talked. I relaxed and totally enjoyed myself. The fire did not take long to expire. I added more paper to encourage the flames. 

The tricky part was not in getting caught but in how to cool the cauldron down. We tipped the ashes out. I had to leave it behind which caused me a great deal of anxiety, but the cauldron is safe. ALl in all, it was a great summer solstice ritual at the beach. I hope you all had a magical Midsummer eve too. I had no wings or crown, but I have a backup set of wings I wear- and only I know where they are. Oh the heat. 

Enjoy summer!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

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June 10, 2025 · 11:51 am

StokerCon 2025

Merry meet all,

I am more settled into my boyfriend’s apartment. It was a lot of effort to sort through all the books but I succeeded. I had to accomplish the organizing of the books because I am attending StokerCon virtually in a few days. I can feel my best now. I am really looking forward to StokerCon.

‘Welcome to StokerCon 2025, the premiere horror literary convention presented by the Horror Writers Association. This year the convention is being hosted by the city of Stamford, Connecticut, at the Hilton Stamford Hotel and Executive Center–and online for all those unable to attend in-person. Starting virtually at 3 P.M. Eastern time on June 12 and running until 3 P.M. Eastern Time on June 15, 2025, virtual StokerCon will offer a wealth of new and encore on-demand programming, author readings, academic presentations, exhibitor booths, a special online screening of the Final Frame Film Competition–and live streamed panels direct from Stamford! Our guests of honor this year include: Scott Edelman, Paula Guran, Adam Nevill, Joyce Carol Oates, Gaby Triana, and Tim Waggoner. For more information, check out the StokerCon 2025 website.  StokerCon® has been a long celebrated convention for authors of the horror genre. It is an all-inclusive event where writers of all of the many subgenres the horror world may convene to share ideas, pitch their new projects, and revel in their weirdness. The past StokerCon conventions have always been joyous occasions. And we look forward to seeing familiar faces and new at virtual StokerCon 2025 convention. Please note that virtual StokerCon provides all-new and encore on-demand panels from previous StokerCons available as soon as the convention opens in the Expo Hall. Approximately 40 panels will be live-streamed from Stamford, and these will appear in the Sessions area approximately 15 minutes before they begin. These panels, which appear on the Schedule here are the only ones that will be live-streamed. Any panels listed in the Sched app but not listed here will not be broadcast.’

How can you pass that up? I am so excited. I plan to attend as many panel discussions as possible. The panel discussions sound just fascinating. I will be there with a coffee and a notebook. These discussions are amazing  and meant to insire you to write! I can’t write in all the panel discussions here but they are the biggest reason why I sign up. I also enjoy the Final Frame Short Film Competition and the Bram Stoker awards. I have already registered and signed up. I look forward to finding friends in the chat. 

Stokercon is a great place to network with like minded fans of horror in all its glory. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed witchy mischief last night. I burned charcoal in my huge cauldron. I burned charcoal in the cauldron at the midnight hour. An open fire is illegal but witches bend the rules. Or we just would not be Witches. Now I have ash for my incense. I am happy about that. 

My altar is tucked in under the computer desk. It is a bit inconvenient but I don’t have as much space as I used to have.  So I have to think very carefully about how I will store everything. 

The next turn in the Wheel of the Year is Litha, or the Summer Solstice. I shall post more about that soon. I wish you all a magickal, exciting summer!

I attended the virtual StokerCon convention. I had a great time. I really recommend it to everyone. I enjoyed the panel discussions. It was better than the other Stokercon conventions. Also they had a moderator for the chat this time. I felt totally ignored and the other people attending virtually felt ignored too. This time there was a moederator for the chat. I am happy about that.

Blessed be Spiderwitch 

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November 1, 2024 · 10:39 am

My Samhain Experience

Greetings darklings,

The sun’s shining brightly on this early November morning. I am in recovery mode. That’s my jack o lantern in the photo. I had an awesome Samhain experience. I want to share that here with my dear readers today. 

I performed a bonfire ritual outdoors at my backyard step two nights ago. I was trying to get hydrogen peroxide and Epsom salts to ignite. No luck. I used a candle to light my hag torches made from mullein stalks. To my surprise, it worked! It proves there is something to going old school with our Magick! Candles will always work when everything else fails. A lovely fire brewed in my cauldron. It was freezing cold outside but the fire kept me warm. I felt the presence of spirits as I sat there with my black wool cloak draped around me for warmth. The smoke rising from the cauldron was so fragrant! 

The next evening, I performed a nice ancestral supper. I cooked a pot roast to perfection. I set a plate for Spirit and myself and left food for spirit too. The turnip, carrots and garden grown potatoes were perfect too. The energy was in the air and I am sure spirits were with me. The candles burned bright and flickered a LOT. I got choked up, remembering my grandparents and several memories returned to me. Yes it was solemn and sad. I can’t believe I cooked that buttery soft truly magnificent meal. I even wore my mourning veil. I ought to make all my meals that delicious and amazing. 

Last night, I left candy out for the eager trick or treaters. Tonight I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds, carved a pumpkin, brewed a batch of rose flavoured chocolate, and made marshmallows from marshmallow root herb powder. I need to blend it more. I bought granola bars and tried a s’more with the chocolate and the marshmallow blend. It tasted great but it is not quite there yet. I am so tired from slaving in the kitchen. The marshmallows can chill in the fridge for tonight. I am tired. Real tired. The kiddies ate most of the candy I left for them. I lit a candle and left it on the windowsill for the spirits. The pumpkin will go out in the back yard tomorrow. 

I was too tired from all that to perform a Solitary Samhain ritual. I still have candy left over from last night and a bowl of freshly roasted pumpkin seeds. I have a large mason jar full to the brim with pumpkin puree. I wish I was able to share all that magic, fun and savoury food with someone. I did it all alone with the ghosts and my cat. That is part of being a true Solitary Witch, I guess. 

Now it’s November, October hangover time. I want to buy a new canister of coffee but I must wait for a few deliveries to be made to my door: kitty kibble, a dress form from Amazon and copies of my published book! I can’t wait. The Arwen dress is not finished yet. The new dress form will make sewing the dress much easier. 

In other news, my novel is an Amazon Best seller! That is awesome. I will now write a sequel to The Cult of the Spider People. It’s successful so it would be worthwhile. I bought a neat Horror Tarot deck. The images on the cards make me think of the older days of pulp fiction. 

I would love to hear how you all celebrated Samhain!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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October 9, 2024 · 12:00 pm

October Musings

Merry meet all,

I’m sure you have all heard of how Hurricane Helene has left a path of total devastation in her wake in the States. My editor lives in the area where the hurricane hit. I was so worried if he and his family were okay. To my relief though they are okay and safe. I can’t say the same for the rest of the people living there. We get bad hurricanes here but they are not on the same scale of devastation as that. I have to wait and be patient and hope everything will be okay. 

In other news, Wicked Shadow Press published my flash fiction story, The Grimm Pumpkin, in the Halloweenthology: Witches Brew which will be released this fall. Wicked Shadow Press also published my other flash fiction story, Serial Blade. Sirens Call Erin published the same flash fiction story, Serial Blade. I am not sure how I managed to have my story published twice but I did. I am proud that The Grimm Pumpkin is now published 5 times! Yes 5! Wow. Sirens Call Ezine is also publishing my poem, Encounter with Death which is its third reprint. I hope Flame Tree Press publishes my story Night Terrors. That would be awesome! I have the pdf of the Flash of the Dead: Halloween 24 anthology and it looks great! 

I look forward to reading the stories in the anthologies. Reading stories by other authors helps me with my own writing. Dawn Wilson has offered to interview me about my writing. I look forward to that. I do look forward the most to the release of my novel, The Cult of the Spider People. I am not sure when that happens because the editors’ life has just been impacted by the hurricane. I hope it all goes well. I just love the cover art for my book shown above. 

I also plan to make a few awesome Halloween treats at Samhain. I want to do my traditional ancestral supper, Samhain ritual, bonfire and of course, handing out candy to the trick or treaters! I may even finally make that concrete pumpkin. 

I will soon begin sewing the Arwen gown. I bought these gorgeous trims and laces from Etsy. I can’t wait to get to work on it. The dress will be absolutely beautiful. I have to sew a scary doll for Onyx and a smaller doll for Thomas. 

October is the most magical month of the year. I intend to enjoy every minute of it. I am amazed that my garden is holding up so far. I am still waiting to harvest my potatoes. I foraged yarrow and goldenrod. I’m going to make a tincture from the yarrow and soap with the goldenrod and calendula and a herbal oil with the St. John’s wort. I dried the nettle, lemon balm, mugwort and mint from my garden. I’m overwintering the holy basil and my rosemary. The pots are heated by the grow light. 

I shall post more here about Samhain very soon. Stay spooky!

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

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October 7, 2024 · 1:42 pm

Bewitching Witch House )O(

Merry meet all,

The fall season is here! The leaves are already turning on the trees. My favourite time of year is here. The Wheel of the year soon turns to Mabon, the autumn equinox. 

I have been busy crafting a very special secret project. I crafted it with love and patience. It’s hard to believe that it was crafted from cardboard and popsicle sticks. However, I have persevered and crafted a true masterpiece. I have worked on it for a while and it was very hard work – but worth it! The best part of all it is not for myself but for someone else. 

The Witch House in its early construction stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I glued popsicle sticks together to form the front, sides and back of the house. I did the same for the roof. Then I got a good idea. I glued cardboard to the front, sides and back of the house over the cardboard but not on the roof. I painted the front, sides and back of the house black and I painted the roof grey. I created two sides of cardboard for the house and glued them onto the two sides of the house. It’s was so tedious because the cardboard from the raisins box is red. I had to cover every single piece of the cardboard with white printing paper. Then I glued on Halloween printed card stock to the cardboard and painted every single piece, large or small, black or grey. I made a staircase for the front of the house. The house needed to have a solid and secure foundation just like a real house. It’s important to get that stage down first before anything else. 

I made a board for the house to sit on from the cardboard raisin box. First I painted it brown. I had to glue on Halloween card stock and then paint it black all over. Everything I had to paint took time to dry. After a while, I realized that using the heat of a hair dryer made the paint dry faster. I am still trying to figure out how to add a chimney to the roof. The board now serves as the garden. I did add a chimney to the back of the house. 

I borrowed my Mom’s good bigger glue gun and glue sticks. I do believe I have used up most of the glue sticks. 

I had to trim down the foam block. I did it using a bread knife and a big exact knife. I needed to make the house and staircase meet evenly. Oh my gods the work that this took. I covered the foam block you see in the picture in Halloween card stock  paper. Then I painted that all black. Then I painted on a sealant. I adhered black spider figurines to the foam block. That nicely covered any flaws. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to Michaels arts and crafts store to buy miniatures for the Witch House. I painted small white foam balls black and glued them onto the Witch House. I bought a cool skull Led lights set and adhered it to the Witch House.  Now it was coming together. I crafted several ‘shingles’ pieces – and covered them in white typing paper and painted each piece grey and adhered them to the roof of the house. Now, with the black balls and the LED lights set, it was really looking like a house. I arranged a miniature fence around the perimeter of the house and garden. 

I added moss, leaves, an owl figurine,  acorns, a pinecone, a headstone, a large spider, and real herbs to the garden. The herbs are goldenrod, dried grass buds and broad leaved dock. I added a miniature cauldron to the garden. The cream coloured pumpkins lend an old world charm to the garden. I arranged an archway over the garden at the entrance. I glued leaves to the archway. I made the archway with the miniature fence. 

The two ‘sides’ of the house were not easy to make. They each have an arched roof. I measured and had to construct a box and secure it to the sides of the house and painted them black. The sides pulled from the house. I concealed that with popsicle sticks. Then I used another piece of cardboard which I painted grey and coaxed it into an arched design. I glued that on and painted it black underneath. I glued a real black feather I found outside to the front side of the house. 

I used tiny letter stickers and adhered them to the front door. Oh my gods the door. It was glued on to the front of the house in such a way that the door won’t close. I think of it as a moat now. I hurt my hands cutting the top of the door because I wanted the door to be curved or arched.

I formed the door from popsicle sticks. I glued a piece of cardboard to the popsicle sticks then trimmed them. I painted it blue and grey then I went with black and grey paint. The door looks battered or maybe weathered is the word. I carved out a space in the door. I wish it would close all the way. Ah well. 

It looks like an old world door. The letters on the front of the door/ moat read: “Flying School”. I glued on a small wooden witch hat above those words. I sprinkled glitter on to the witch hat. I glued on the letters “Witch House/ Salem/ 1692” above the entrance to the house. I covered the letters with sealant. I touched up the rough spots with black or grey paint. I added black paint in splotches on the grey paint. I wanted the Witch House to look aged, as if it had been there a long time. 

I adhered black spider and bat figurines to the house. They now crawl all over it. I glued tiny bone figurines to the garden and stairs and fence. I painted them grey. I glued a wooden butterfly to the lower right side of the house. I glued in three witches gathered around a cauldron figurine inside the house. They can’t move but they can still spell cast! I noticed that each witch had a different symbol on her black witch hat. I crafted a broomstick figurine made from lemon balm twigs and glued it to the lower front of the house next to the stairs. 

I cut these small round yellow and orange balls on ‘twigs’ from a weird tree figurine. I glued them to the moss, put one in the cauldron and ended up using the tree figurine thing for a tree. I glued it to the left side of the garden. It serves as a tree. It leans way out though and I can’t get it to stand up straight. 

I glued a piece of real tree branch wood to the front entrance of the garden. It lays flat and looks like it really belongs there. I glued on a skeleton torso in ornate frame to the front roof of the house. I painted it grey and I painted the eyes of the skeleton black to give it more definition. I made an arched window on the right side of the roof. I have to finish the window. I painted it black and grey. I painted a wooden piece – the letters read Boo! to the floor of the Witch House and painted it grey. I also added silver sprinkles to that and the staircase. I glued on two black widow spider figurines to the house. They add a wicked menacing feel to the Witch House. I added a bit of moss to the staircase. I know the moss will stay in place because there is so much covering the moss in the garden. I adhered toadstool stickers to the staircase and the fence archway. 

Now it’s coming together and making me wish I was small enough to live in the Witch House. I would never leave it if I could. I anointed the Witch House with special oils – Samhain and Bewitching. I have a mandrake essential oil to use as well. I burned sage and let the smoke waft over the house. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I fear that the Witch House is not that stable. I still have to add a large piece under the Witch House to make it adhere to the black foam block. It tips and is uneven. Once I do that and use rubber cement glue, it will stick and stay in place. It just needs to be evened out. 

Update: I have covered the large piece of craft foam with black fabric and it now rests under the Witch dollhouse. I think the Witch dollhouse is just the coolest thing I have ever crafted! It really is and I almost wish I could keep it. The rubber cement glue didn’t work. 

I didn’t want to go for something campy. I wanted to capture the true spirit of Samhain. When the LED lights are on, the whole house is instantly alive and magickal! It appears so bewitching! The Witch House has been a true labor of love. I don’t regret it, and I want one for myself. I have nowhere to store it though. I am going to be happy to gift this beautiful, decadent and wicked witchy Witch House! 

I still have to paint the Witch House and garden in a sealant. Once I am done doing everything else. I  have painted the entire Witch house in a sealant. The Witch house is now done. I added another black block to go under the house to keep the house stable. I am so proud of my achievement. I hope my friend loves her gift! 

I found a huge box to mail her gift in. My cat Penny naturally and instantly believes the box to be hers. I needed a box that was a certain size to be able to mail the gift. I can’t wait for Nora Peevy to see it.!!!! Talk about a treat (trick or treat). 

I assembled a collection of school supplies for my niece and nephew – Halloween pencils, pens and pencils, a homemade pencil case, notebooks, scribblers, a ruler and pencil sharpener, etc. I hope they love it. I mailed it to them and I know they will love having new school supplies! So they get those straight A grades! 

I bought beautiful deep blue knit fabric, grey lining material, blue chiffon and blue lace. I want to craft a witch gown. I am tired of this other Witch gown I have. I am retiring and donating it. The dress has served its purpose. I plan to make my own pattern though. I ordered a pattern from Judy’s Little Shop. I thought I lost the original Arwen pattern only to be reacquainted with it later. But the first pattern is pretty tattered. I want to save the bodice though. I can use it for the new gown. It’s black and silver but I will find a way to make it work. I also ordered some beautiful silver floral lace from Etsy. I want to use that for the trim on the collar and sleeves. The best part of using the bodice for this dress is the eyelets are already done for me. I hate setting in eyelets for the lace up bodice. 

I love to craft and that is certainly evident here! I can’t wait to start making the gown. I guess I should get started by cutting out the pattern pieces! 

In other news, I passed the second test to become part of the Nova Scotia Guard. I successfully completed the Volunteering in Emergencies exam. I even received a certificate. The edits are done on my novella. Now we move on to formatting. Getting closer to publication! 

The finished Witch Doll House

 

Blessings, Spiderwitch 

The lace trims – 

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/766918166/dark-silver-romantic-lace-3d-flower?click_key=54f1cf584262be0c431185264bdd6bb9919a1337%3A766918166&click_sum=c1302c61&ref=hp_rv-1&pro=1&sts=1&fbclid=IwY2xjawFKojRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHT4pm6k3_jPARFOvp8ZQVLNyAaeLJujQO5bUqgHDQZ8IAuRLIlByiKLAcQ_aem_7PYNYomrbabE5b-60BaGrg

Embroidered Mesh – EXQUISE – Navy

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Filed under magic, pumpkins, witch

May 4, 2024 · 3:30 pm

Beltane

Merry meet all,

I know it’s a while since I’ve posted. However, I have been under the weather. I had to take time to recover. I am still in recovery but now I’m up and about. While I recovered, Penny and I stayed with my Mom. The bathroom is so lovely now that it’s painted and the toilet is fixed! I love it!

Beltane is here! Are you all excited? I am. However, a cold wind lingers this spring. I still have to bundle up and be warm. My starter plants are at my Mom’s. When I stayed there, I brought them over with me. I want to nurture my plants here but Penny munches on them. Once it is warm enough for the plants to go out, I will bring them back. For now, the plants are thriving there under her care. 

I have to lay down new soil on the garden. I am so eager to do so but it is not time yet. It’s almost time. My garden needs a real clean up but I have to wait till we get warmer temperatures! Yes the waiting kills me. I know that insects are nesting in the garden yet and that the frost has still not left. Removing the protective layers of straw and the autumn leaves now means risking damage to the plants and what has nested there all winter. Yes I must wait. 

I bought a cool new book. It’s Frankenstein by Mary Shelley but it is in a new print format. I shall have a good time reading that! The book is hardcover, with 25 illustrations, distinctive gilded page edges, a ribbon marker, the collectible hardcover volume makes the book standout on the shelf. 

This link will tell you more about it: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1454951575?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details This one-of-a-kind deluxe edition hardcover edition is an exquisite work of art. It features an alluring, transparent acetate jacket to highlight Coulthart’s art printed on the hardcover case, color-printed sprayed edges, and intricate two-color artwork throughout. Wow! The book is beautiful. I will enjoy reading it. 

I am so happy spring is here! I have missed working in my garden. Now if the frost and cold wind would just go away! Enjoy Beltane!

Blessings, Spiderwitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

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