Feathering the Nest: DIY Dream Catcher Garland

My name is Leah Kent, and I am a teacher, maker, designer, and the founder of Skill It. I am also one half of the team offering “Feathering the Nest,” an e-course to guide you through the process of making your house into a cozy, nurturing home. My co-creator and co-teacher in this project is Stephanie Perkinson, a certified holistic health and lifestyle coach.

When Stephanie and I met we recognized that we are kindred spirits in every sense. We instantly bonded over our shared love of art, design, sewing, and finding small & simple ways to breathe more beauty and soul into our living spaces. We think that the things you choose to surround yourself have a profound effect on your mind, body, and spirit.

In Feathering the Nest we want to guide you to finding ways for your home to not only reflect the beauty inside of you, but to nourish and give back to you, in a way that transforms how you move through each day. This class is an eclectic two-week journey through your home, a sensual path to self discovery.

We will be creating beautiful things for our homes with our own hands, getting cozy with intuitive writing exercises and cooking up some delicious recipes. You'll also receive beautiful printables to use over and over as you hone your nesting style.

A little of what you can expect:

• Inspiring exercises to draw out your dreams & desires
• Step-by-step tutorials for beautiful, creative projects
• A gorgeous Feng Shui & Home Chakra map for your nest
• Tools and resources for carving out spaces of retreat & rejuvenation
• Ideas for energizing and bringing life into your rooms
• Recipes for natural, lovely-smelling cleansers
• A sacred space online to share inspiration, photos, projects, and more

Because the journey is so meaningful when we share it with others, Feathering the Nest includes membership in a sacred online space to share your experience, pictures and inspirations with kindred souls.

Whether you space is large or small, rented or owned, we think you are going to love learning how to infuse each corner with your essence to create a sanctuary for you and all who inhabit it.

If you’d like to read more about the class that starts on April 1st, just click here. And be sure to use the exclusive 15% discount code for Moondaughter readers – just enter “MOON15” when you register.

You’re probably ready to dive in and start feathering your own nest right now…so we are delighted to share a beautiful tutorial for our Dream Catcher Garland with you today. Just click on the lovely image to print yours out and start nesting with soul…

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I am so happy Leah and Stephanie approached me about this gorgeous offering, since my word of the year is NEST! I want to make a dream catcher garland now! And I now have to save some pennies and take this beautiful course!

Thank you so much Leah and Stephanie!

If you have a question about Feathering the Nest, please email them and they will get back to you right away:

Leah: skillithome@gmail.com

Stephanie: wellnessbydesignsp@gmail.com

Love and Blessings,

Marissa Moondaughter

This Season: Autumn 2012

I want to live more consciously in my seasons. So here are things I am planning to focus on and do this Fall. I would love to hear yours too ladies!

~Found some lovely DIY's so fitting for fall, a crochet poncho and beeswax candles-- I am thinking I can add essential oils to it too?

~Carving out more sacredness during the day and week, I think the Intuitive Heart Sanctuary is helping with this.

~Taking Dominee's Inner Journey for Stress/Anxiety has given me some huge wake up calls... I need to figure out what relieves stress for me, because I am not good at that at all.

~We just got a crock pot, so bring on the stews and ciders.... mmmmm

~I am currently writing an e-course and e-book for you lovely ladies focusing on our Moon-times and going within :)

What do you want to do this Autumn for your beautiful self?

Love and Autumnal Blessings.
Marissa Moondaughter

Ps. I am still having my sale this whole next week at my Etsy shop! Use the code: 'mabon2012' to receive 25% off! This includes my Follow Your Moon readings! The next readings are for the New Moon cycle starting October 15th!

Guest Post: DIY Hula Hoop!

So I recently got into hooping with some friends and when Tamber said she would like to show everyone how to make a hoop on the blog, I had to say YES!! So here it is! Thank you Tamber!!

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I'm going to show you a few tricks for making your own hoop at home.

Here's what you'll need:
-3/4" or 1/2" 100psi Black Irrigation Tubing.  This can usually be found at most hardware stores, you may have to buy a whole roll--enough for a few hoops.  I recommend 3/4" for beginners, but you can use 1/2" as well.
-Connectors.  They should be somewhere in the same aisle as the tubing, get the same size as the tubing you chose.
-Something to cut the tubing with.  If you think you will enjoy making your own hoops, I would highly recommend a cutter like the one I have pictured.  It makes life so much easier than using a saw, etc.
-Tape.  Electrical tape is cheapest and you can pick that up while you're at the hardware store, but if you want fancy shiny tape you will more than likely have to order some.  I use this website.  (http://identi-tape.com/hooptape.html) They have shiny and glitter tapes, glow in the dark tape, and gaffer's tape (for extra grip).
-Scissors.  For cutting the tape.

Step 1: Cut the Tubing to Size
For a beginner I recommend 3/4" tubing for a hoop that measures from the floor to about your belly button, or larger if desired.  The bigger the hoop, the slower it turns...the slower it turns, the easier it is to learn a trick!  It's nice to have different sized hoops hanging around.  Sometimes if I'm having trouble learning a trick I'll pick up a larger hoop and try it out for a little bit.  Once I've got it down with the bigger hoop it translates pretty easily back down to the size I usually use.

Step 2: Put the Connector in
You can cut a few notches off of the connector (as shown) with your cutters (be Careful!! those little ends will fly!) so it doesn't create such a flat spot in the hoop, but if you don't have a cutter the connector can go in as is.  You can heat up the ends of the tubing with a hair dryer to soften them up so that the connector goes in more easily.

Step 3: Tape!
(Taping can be a bit of a challenge the first time, but it gets easier each time you make a hoop..)
With electrical tape of any color, go over the spot where the connector is a couple times to reenforce that joint a little.

I put down a layer of electrical tape first.  I like the stripe look so I spin two tapes at once, but using only one color is perfectly fine too.  I hold the hoop between my legs and use both hands to turn and guide the two tapes around the hoop at the same time for the stripe technique.  The trick to taping is getting the right angle so that the tape slightly overlaps and you don't have any gaps where you can see the black tubing underneath.

If fancy tape isn't in your budget right now, don't worry you can just use electrical tape--or even strips of pretty leftover fabric, be creative!

*If you want some extra grip, you can put gaffers tape around the inside of the hoop.  Be sure this is one of the middle tapes and not the last to go down, because it will peel away really easily if it doesn't have any other tape over top.  You can also put it along the same way as the electrical tape---that stuff comes in plenty of colors too!

*If you're using shiny tape it has a paper backing on it...I recommend not trying to use it right off of the roll but cutting it into manageable lengths and pulling the backing off as you go.  Angles are REALLY important for shiny tape.  I always border my shiny tape with thin electrical tape or gaff so that it lasts longer.

Step 4: Hoop!!
Go outside if you can, put on your favorite jams, and dance with your new partner!  Youtube has a ton of great tutorials and hoop videos for inspiration and how-to.

I have met so many wonderful inspiring people through being involved in my hoop dance community and I’ve had a ton of fun too.  Since becoming a full time student I haven’t had the time to be as involved as I once was but I still regularly hang out with many of the people I’ve met. Together we’ve helped out at kids’ events and benefits through a non-profit we started called RVA Hoop House (http://rvahoophouse.org/) and performed regular and fire hoop at bars with bands or at outdoor events.  I’ve even substitute taught hoop dance classes for friends a couple times. I never really sought out to do any of these things---I’m actually kind of shy---but my friends were encouraging and inclusive and I always have a blast.  You would be surprised how many opportunities there are out there!

Here are a couple sites you might find helpful for learning more or making new hoop friends:

Hooping.org. (http://www.hooping.org/)  There is a plethora of all things hoop here.
Hoop City (http://www.hoopcity.ca/)  It's kind of like facebook for hoopers.  Make a profile and connect with other folks.
Meetup (http://www.meetup.com/) This site is not just for hoopers, it's a great place to find other things that are going on in your community too.  You can use this site to find hoop dance classes or local hoop jams.  Here in Richmond, we have tons of things for hoopers to do and a lot of the word gets out through facebook and/or meetup.

Happy Hooping! :)

Go check out Miss Tamber's : Blog // Shop //Twitter//Blog lovin'//Pinterest

Moon Days: Willow, Sacred Tree of the Moon

Happy Moon Day! My lovely friend Kim at Red Moon Mama is helping me out today and talking about the beautiful Willow Tree and its association with la Luna. Sigh... enjoy :)

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Willow: Sacred Tree of the Moon

By Red Moon Mama

"I am a willow of the wilderness,

Loving the wind that bent me."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

White Willow (Salix alba) ~ Black Willow (Salix nigra) ~ Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)

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The willow is one of the most instantly recognizable trees with its pendulous branches gracefully swaying in the breeze. I know it’s one of the first trees that I learned to identify as a young child!

Come along with me as we take a closer look at this ‘tree of enchantment’ and discover some of its mystical, magical and medicinal properties. I will even share how you can make your own willow bark tincture to relieve a variety of ailments. Let’s get started…..

The Mystical Willow

Willow is the tree most associated with the moon, the element of water, the Goddess and all that is feminine, thus making it the tree of dreaming, intuition, the subconscious and deep emotions. The willow has much to teach us in its associations with our feminine aspects. By spending time with willows, or using the wood to make a talisman; by taking it as a tea, tincture, or as a Bach Flower Essence, we can deepen this connection to the willow.

If you decide to spend time with willow trees, try doing so during the full moon. This can increase the potency of any insights and understandings that you may gain. This was something the ancients used to do too! Groves of willows were considered so magical, that poets, musicians, and priestesses would meditate within them to enhance their visionary skills and to gain inspiration and clarity of mind. Being in the company of willows was believed to promote psychic and intuitive powers, making dreams more vivid.

But more than anything else, ‘willow moon energy’ puts us in touch with our feelings and deep emotions, and it is the ability of the willow to help us to express these, let them out, and own them. This is the power of the willow’s essential energy.

The Magical Willow

In traditional spells, willow leaves are used to attract love. The Gypsies (Romani) use willow to divine future husbands, and an old custom for rejected or abandoned lovers was to wear willow in their hats! Why not try to attract your own love with this simple Willow Spell for Love. Just take three long supple branches of willow, braid them together and then fasten it into a circle with pink, red or white ribbon. Place a picture or the name of the person you love in the center and then put it next to your bed. 

If you have lost touch with your dreams or wish to increase the potency of them, make a willow wand and sleep with it under your pillow. Not only will you will find that your dreams become more vivid and meaningful, but the wand will protect you on the journey into your subconscious as well. Willow wands are also wonderful to use for any ritual or magic associated with the moon.

Willow Correspondences:

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Stone: Moonstone

Bird: Owl

Color: Silver

Sabbat: Beltane

Many ancient goddesses are associated with the willow tree: Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, had a sacred willow grove. The Greek sorceress Circe had a riverside cemetery planted with willows that was dedicated to Hecate and her moon magic. Hecate, most powerful goddess of the willow and water, presided over the magic of the dark side of the moon.

The Celtic goddess Brigid was guardian of an eternal flame that burned within a sacred enclosure at Kildare. This hallowed precinct was surrounded by a protective hedge of interwoven willow branches that only women were aloud to enter. A peeled willow wand was one of the choices for the ‘Brigid’ doll in Scotland during Imbolc. The willow is also associated with the Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone, as well as Artemis, Diana, Selene and Luna respectively.

Use willow in magic for: love, fertility, safe childbirth, healing, protection, luck, moon magic, divination, and psychic abilities.

The Medicinal Willow

Willow bark has been used for it’s pain-relieving properties for thousands of years and was the tree (along with elder) most used by healers, the Wise Women of ages past. The White Willow (Salix alba) is famous for its rich salicin content, which is an active ingredient in today’s modern aspirin.

An infusion or tincture of willow bark helps to relieve pain, inflammation, and fever. An astringent tonic rich in tannins, willow slows diarrhea and helps stop internal bleeding. The infusion can even be used as a gargle to ease a sore throat, and as a wash to heal bleeding gums, cuts, burns and sores.

Applied externally, it softens growths, such as calluses, tumors, warts and corns. A poultice of willow bark heals cuts, sores and wounds and it can also be applied to heal the navels of newborns. :)

The willow flower essence can help us accept responsibility and forgive others. It can assist in letting go of blame, bitterness and resentment.

Please note, that those with a known adverse reaction to aspirin should avoid taking willow bark. Also, please avoid willow bark if you have a medical condition in which aspirin is contraindicated.

Make a Tea

Steep 3-teaspoons of the bark in one cup of cold water for two to five hours, then boil for one minute, and strain. Sweeten with honey or maple syrup and enjoy.

Make a Willow Tincture

The method I use for making herbal tinctures is the traditional or “simpler’s” method. It is super easy and doesn’t require any math calculations, scales or measuring cups. 

Supplies:
~White willow bark, fresh* or dried (Salix alba)

~100 proof vodka (100 proof is the perfect ratio of alcohol to water)

~Pint canning jar with tight-fitting lid

~Cheese cloth or muslin

~Amber glass bottles (1-ounce is a good dispensing size)

* If you are collecting fresh willow bark, collect it in the spring time, being careful not to ring the tree or it will die.

How To:
1—Place the herb in the canning jar.

2—Pour the vodka over the herb. Completely cover the herb with the vodka, and then add an additional two to three inches more liquid. This allows room for the herb to swell as it soaks up the liquid. If the herb starts to emerge above the liquid, just add more vodka. Cover with a tight-fitting lid.

3—Place the jar in a warm, dark place and let the herb and liquid steep for 4 to 6 weeks.

4—Shake the jar of tincture daily. This not only prevents the herb from packing down on the bottom of the jar, but adds a bit of magic too. During the shaking process, I like to recite little chants, wave my wand or a feather over it. You can even shake the jar under the moonlight while  chanting to the Moon Goddess!

5—After the herb is done steeping, strain it. Line a glass bowl with cheesecloth or muslin, then use the cloth to wring out every last drop of the herbal essence. Reserve the liquid, which is now a potent medicinal tincture! Be sure to return the spent herb to the earth, by composting it, or leaving it in the dirt to decompose.

6—Rebottle your tincture in individual amber glass bottles and label it.

Dosage:
Tincture of willow bark can be taken 10 to 20 drops, up to four times a day. Tinctures can be administered directly under the tongue or diluted in water, tea or juice.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the willow, the sacred tree of the visionary, dreams, intuition, psychic powers and of course….the moon.

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Thank you so much Kim! I am definitely going to make this tincture! Do go check out her blog and shop!

Love and Blessings,

Marissa Moondaughter

Creations: DIY Canvas Frame Version #1

Hello Lovelies!

I am not much for DIY projects (usually I am just lazy LOL), so my blog will be very limited in these types of posts (unless they are guest posts!), but I thought I would share this one because it really is so SIMPLE. And it took me less than 3 minutes to do, no joke!

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I used a 5x7 canvas of an old painting I did a while back (I am not a painter!) and a pretty card I received from a dear friend (it's about 3x4)

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First, I found where I wanted to put the picture and made sure it was straight on the wall, and then used the tacks on all four corners. The tacks bring their own little design flair, which I like!

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The, I lined up the card in the middle of the frame and used two tacks to secure it. Since it is a card, I tacked it on the inside so you couldn't see them.

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And viola! You have a cute, chic, little canvas frame in less than 3 minutes!

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This week is a little busy for me, I am preparing some blog posts, and getting ready to go camping this weekend! So it will be quiet on the blog until I get back!

My love and I are going to drive to Flagstaff, Arizona (about 8 hours away!) and camp until Monday. I vowed to myself I am going to "unplug" this weekend and only use my phone for pictures! It will be a nice break in nature and to reconnect with my spirit.

I am bringing my spirit animal guide books, and my animal spirit oracle cards I just received in the mail too! I will share my experience with you all when I get back! Maybe I will connect with my animal spirit guides on this trip to the mountains.  I have been reading oracle cards for years now and I want to offer readings very soon, so I am going to have a giveaway in the works too when I get back :)

I hope you all have a great rest of your week!

Love and Blessings,

Marissa Moondaughter