Crafting for the Winter Solstice

Some Craft Projects and instructions and Recipes for Winter Solstice Projects for you and your family
Blessed Yule

Herbal Yule Trees

By  Darlene Bersch


You will need:

A small 8" to 12" artificial Christmas tree.
Pieces of german statice, dried purple, pink, blue statice. Pieces of baby's breath,
love-in-the-mist, cock's comb, and other dried floral materials.
Hot glue gun.
Mauve or blue or any other favorite color ribbon-about 1/4-1/2 inch in width.


Start tucking in pieces of dried floral material into the branches of your tree, hot gluing them in place. Fill in all the branches until tree is  full, and you almost see the green of the tree. Top the tree with a tied ribbon, adding 1 star anise to the top!

***
Yule Kissing Ball

Source: Unknown

Items needed:

* Red velvet ribbon, 1/2 inch and 1 inch

* 6 or 8 inch embroidery hoop

* Mistletoe

* Florist wire

* Hot glue

Directions:

1. Separate the two pieces of the embroidery hoops and fit them together, one inside the other, at a 90 degree angle. Secure in this position with florist wire or hot glue.

2. Secure a piece of the 1/2 ribbon to the bottom of the hoop. Wind the ribbon around the edges of the hoop, wrapping each "arm" in a spiral motion until the wood is covered

completely. Secure with hot glue.

3. Form two bows with the 1 inch ribbons, leaving the ends dangling. Secure one to the bottom of the joined hoops, the other to the top.

4. Gather the mistletoe into a ball, secure the ends with florist wire. Insert inside the globe and twist the florist wire to the top of the ball.

5. Hang the ball somewhere you are sure to get kissed!
***
Yule Gingerbread Ornaments

1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup molasses
1-1/2 tsp ginger
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder

Cream butter with sugars, molasses and egg yolk. Mix all remaining
ingredients, except egg white. Stir into butter mixture to form stiff
dough Chill for 1 hour, then roll out on floured surface to 1/8"
thickness. Use cookie cutters or knife to cut out shapes (such as
sun-shapes, moons, stars, candles, spirals). Preheat oven to 350 F. and
butter cookie sheet. Brush shapes lightly with egg white. Bake 8 minutes
until crisp. Make a hole 1 inch from the top, then cool. Icing as you
choose. Thread holes with gold cord.
***
Scented Pinecones

Needed items:

Cinnamon
Ginger
Nutmeg
Craft glue mixed with equal amounts of Water
Foam brush
Pinecones


Add any other spices that you like the smell of. Mix in the
proportions
that you desire
Rinse pinecones under running water. Lay the pinecones on an old
cookie
sheet and bake at 200 degrees until the pinecones open up (this not
only kills any
little beasties that may be residing within the pinecones but also
melts the
sap resulting in a pretty glaze).
Spread pinecones out on layers of newspapers and set aside to dry
completely
Use the foam brush to apply the glue to the pinecones.
Mix the spices in a bowl using a wire wisk. Roll the pinecone in the
spice or add the spices to a baggie; add the pinecones one at a time
and shake to coat (like shake-n-bake)
When coated, allow to dry thoroughly.
Use these wonderfully-scented pinecones in gift baskets, as
christmas tree ornaments, on christmas wreaths, or placed in bowls
to add a wonderful scent to a room.
If, after storing, you need to refresh the scent of the pinecones
just stick
them in a microwave until the smell if revived.
*******

Twelve Herb Yule Sachet


7 parts Juniper
4 parts Cinnamon
4 parts Allspice
4 parts Ginger
4 parts Caraway
2 parts Nutmeg
2 parts Rosemary
2 parts Lemon
2 parts Orange
1 part Clove
1 part Bay
2 pinches Orris


Tie up in a small square of green, red or a Yule print cloth and
give as gifts or save them to scent your drawers.
******
Christmas Spice Potpourri

2 cups dried pink rose petals and buds
1/2 cup dried bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 cup dried orange peel
1/2 cup dried pomegranate slices, chopped
1 Tablespoon grated nutmeg
1/2 cup small pine cones
1/2 Tablespoon orris root power
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon mixed spices, lightly crushed: mustard seed, black,
green and white peppercorns, red spindle berries, juniper berries
10 drops frankincense essential oil
5 drops clove essential oil
20 drops orange essential oil
5 drops myrrh essential oil
Source: Heaven Scent by Julia Lawless
.*******

SOLSTICE DREAM PILLOWS

Copyright © Catherine Osborne

Materials needed: 1-4 oz (30-120 gms) each of the following five herbs: dried chamomile, mugwort, catnip, hops, lavender, whole oranges & lemons, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, (optional) myrrh or frankincense resin lumps. Scraps of lightweight cloth (4-7 inches/100-175 mm, two for each bag) optional bits of ribbon, embroidery floss, scraps of lace or a few small beads.

For those who are sitting up all night on the Solstice, this is a special dream pillow you can make for prophetic dreams when you go to sleep the next night or throughout the year. (If you are not sitting up a vigil, go ahead and make them anyway - I get some interesting quirks to the dreams when I use the spices in the dream pillows.)

Take the first five dried herbs and mix them in whatever proportions you desire/have on hand. More Mugwort will lead some folks to more psychic dreaming, more hops will lead to a sounder sleep for some others, more catnip may encourage feline pillow sharing.

As the night passes, eat the oranges, and use the lemons (minus their peels) in teas/punches/hot drinks. As you use them try to remove the peels in large chunks or in easy to work with sections. Using a spoon, carefully scrape out as much of the white inner rind as you can without damaging the zesty outer peel. Scatter the remaining outer peels on a cookie sheet and dry them on low heat in the oven (200F or less). Watch them to make sure they are drying but not scorching. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool.

If you have a fire or incense burner, burn some of the incense resins, saving most to use in the pillows.

Crumble the dried peels up into smaller bits, break up the cinnamon sticks up into smaller pieces, and add the spices, resins and peels to the herb mixture. Mix well. Gather up the scraps of material, and sew up small bags: 3-6 inches/75-150mm should be fine. Leave one side open: small openings will make it more difficult to fill the bags later. If you want to use the ribbons and floss to embroider protective or other magical symbols or representative designs, it will be easier to do before you stitch the sides together. Work on this to keep you awake, thinking of the season and what it means to you as you do it. If these are intended as gifts, think kindly and lovingly of the folks you will be giving these to.

Fill each of the bags with the herb/spice mixture, but not so full that it is hard: people will want to smell them, but they need to be soft enough to sleep on. Fold the last side inward, and stitch closed. If you want, a small loop of ribbon may be added at this point at the top.

After the sun rises, and you have finished your celebrations, set these aside, and finish them when you have/make time during the day if they aren't done. When you go to bed, slip one or more of these into you pillow case, and inhale deeply as you relax before sleeping. Watch for special dreams as you sleep.

Yule Oil
Copyright © http://www.dimensional.com/~kierian/cupboardw96.htm


1 pint jar with a tight fitting lid


1 6-8" branch of fresh cut Spruce


1 6-8" branch of fresh cut Short needle Pine


1 6-8" branch of fresh cut Sweet Cedar


2 Tbs. Frankincense


1 Tbs. Bayberry oil

Cut Spruce, Pine and Cedar into 1" lengths and place in jar. Grind Frankincense to a powder with a mortar and pestle then add to jar. Add bayberry oil to dry ingredients. Cover all with enough oil to fill the jar. Close tightly. Let stand for several days. Mine usually sets for a year or more and is charged under each full moon until Summer Solstice. In this way, the growth energy of the first half of the year fills the oil and intensifies the Yule experience.

This oil can be used for dressing candles, adding to incense or worn in moderation on the skin.

A Yule Wish Tree
by Lady Chandra

from: Cauldrons and Broomsticks E-zine - Yule 2000 issue
http://www.cauldrons-broomsticks.net

Each year I have a small artificial tree that I set up on an end table in our house. It is only about 1 foot tall, and reminds me a lot of the ever faithful Charlie Brown Christmas tree until it is filled with wishes.

Next to the tree I set a bowl of cheerful, colored ribbons. They can be any color you like, but at Yule time I prefer red, green, white, silver, and gold colors. Each ribbon is about 6-8 inches long. I prefer using 1/4-inch ribbon as it is a small tree, but of course the choice of ribbon is up to the individual.

Through the holiday season, as visitors come to our house, they are invited to choose a ribbon, hold it in their hands, make a wish upon it and tie it to the tree. There the ribbon fills the little tree with beauty until the season has passed.

I used to offer the ribbons in a thurible during my Yule ritual, but modified my actions until after the traditional New Year. I did this for a couple of reasons. One reason is because we have visitors that come after Yule who wouldn't have a chance to make a
wish, and the second reason is that I like the thought of offering the ribbons in a thurible during my Full Moon Ritual better.

This idea of course can be modified to suit individual preferences and needs. It is a very cute decoration as well :o)

A Blessed Yule Season to All!!!

****
Yule Egg Ornaments

Egg ornaments are a great way to recycle used eggshells if you do
not compost them and can make beautiful gifts for loved ones at
Yule. You will need:
clean blown eggshells
pencils
acrylic paint
thin ribbon
glue (with a little water added)
fine glitter and/or gold and silver acrylic craft paint
paintbrushes
hot glue and glue gun (optional)
acrylic glaze.

To make a blown egg, take a nail or large needle and hold the egg
firmly in your left hand. Use the nail to drill a hole in the tip
using a small amount of pressure. You can use a small hand drill if
you wish or a small drill bit. Poke a hole in each end of the egg
and hold it over a glass. Blow through one end of the egg into the
glass. It may take a little bit of work, but the egg bits will soon
come out easily. Once you have blown out all the contents, rinse the
egg out under the water and let it dry for several hours.
When you are ready to paint your egg, set it on a soft surface such
as an old towel and draw your design on the egg in pencil. Don't
worry too much about making a mistake. You can erase and you will be
painting over the lines anyway. Be sure that the egg is completely
dry when you begin to paint. Any type of acrylic paint can be used
and bright bold colors work best. The large point of the egg goes at
the top and the tip should point down. When you are finished
painting your design, coat the egg with a thin layer of acrylic
glaze. This will make the egg shiny and the colors bolder. If you
want to cover the hole at the bottom before you paint, you can fill
it with hot glue. If you want to add glitter to a portion of the
design such as a star, you can paint the shape with Elmer's glue
mixed with a little water. Then roll the egg in glitter while the
glue mixture is still wet and let it sit for 10 minutes to dry. Once
the egg is completely dry, blow or brush off the glitter with a
clean, dry paintbrush. Cut a piece of ribbon about eight inches long
and form it into a loop. Glue the ends down to the top of the egg.
Make a small bow from the ribbon and glue it down over the ends of
the loop. When the glue dries your ornament is ready to hang!
****
CRAFTING THE SEASONS

Project #1 - Yule

Yule Balls
Needed items:
Assortment of new or old Xmas cards (this
is a great way to recycle last years cards!)
glue
a small piece of thin cardboard (for pattern)
glitter
scissors
pen/pencil
ribbon or string (optional) for hanger

To make pattern:
You need to draw a circle with a diameter of aprox 2 inches. It is
easiest if
you trace around the bottom of something round or use a protractor to
make a
round circle.  You need it to be exact so don't sketch this by eye.
Next you
need a triangle with equal sides that fits into the circle.  The point
of each
side of the triangle should touch the outer edge of the circle but not
go
over.

To make a Yule Ball
Begin by cutting out the full sized pattern in cardboard.  Place the
cardboard
circle pattern centered on the area of the card you want to use and
trace
around the outer edge of the pattern using a pen or pencil.  You will
need 20
circles to complete your project.  On some cards you can get more than
one
circle.  After tracing the circles you need to cut them out carefully.
Now
you must sort your designs to be assembled into 3 parts.  You will need
5 for
the top, 10 for the middle and 5 for the bottom.

Middle: Beginning with the middle ten place the triangle pattern
(making
5
with the picture point up and 5 with the picture point down) over the
circle
you have made and fold the edges up at a 90-degree angle.  Looking down
there
should be a triangle on the table picture right side up with its sides
folded
upward. You need to complete 5 point up and 5 point down.  Now placing
your
ten pieces as you will assemble them
(alternating point up, point down) put glue on the side edges and hold
each
seam for a few seconds to let it take hold.  You will end up with a
line
of
these all glued together. Once the glue has dried glue the final seam
and make
it a closed circle.

(Top/Bottom) You will need to complete as above except you will make 5
point
up for the top and 5 point down for the bottom.  If you wish to use a
hanger
you should make a loop with the ribbon or string and place it in the
very top
(there will be a small hole anyway) and then glue in to make a circle.
Depending on how wide you ribbon is it may still move freely and if it
does
make a knot in the bottom of the ribbon on the wrong side of the top.

(Final) Place glue on the top edges of the middle and place the top on
holding
it in place letting the glue dry then do the same with the bottom.  Let
the
glue dry.  Make a line of glue on the outer edges (use a thin line for
less
glitter, thick for more) and sprinkle glitter over the glue.  Cover all
the
outer edges.  This glitter hides a multitude of mistakes.  Those places
where
the edge doesn't quite fit... Happy crafting.

These projects can be done alone or with a group and will help you
explore
your creative side.  Don't expect perfect results the first time.  It
is
the
seasonal celebration that is important and I hope these projects bring
you
closer to your friends and family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kitchen Witchin' For Yule


Celebrate the Winter Solstice -- Do a little Kitchen Witchin'!  Warm
the
home
with wonderful aromas, decorate festively, and make a little magick!

For the kids...
Make your own smudge sticks!  This is an easy project that children can
take
part in. Collect fallen cedar and pine tips.  Please don't cut any,
they
are
easily found fallen, or use clippings from your Yule tree.  Have the
children
bundle and bind them tightly with cotton crochet thread.  Try to create
a
simple chant for the children while they bundle and bind the smudge
sticks.
Hang to dry.  When they are fully dried, cleanse and empower them,
light, then
use to clear any room of impurities or negative energy.
Kitchen Witch Tip:  Save any loose pine or cedar, dry thoroughly, and
store to
use in homemade incense mixtures throughout the year.

For the grownups...
Try this delicious cranberry drink at your Yule festivities!
Mulled Cranberry Cocktail
Makes 1 Quart
1 qt. cranberry juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a medium saucepan, combine the juice, cinnamon stick, and cloves.
Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer.
In another saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, and water; cook over
medium-
low heat, stirring until cranberries pop and are coated with sugar
mixture.
Let cranberries cool.
Skewer three to four cranberries on a toothpick and add to cups.  Pour
in
cocktail mixture, and serve!
Kitchen Witch Tip:  Be sure to stir in your intention for Health,
Wealth,
Happiness, Wisdom and Love, and make this a magickal brew for all your
guests!

To scent the air...
Yule Incense
3 parts ground Frankincense Resin
A few drops of Juniper Oil
1/2 part Pine (use those loose pine needles!)
1 part crushed Juniper Berries
A sprinkle of crushed Cinnamon Stick
Mix together in a glass bowl.  Cleanse, consecrate and empower.  Burn
on
charcoal and enjoy the aroma!
Kitchen Witch Tip:  Put in a jar, decorate with ribbons  and a label
and
give
as a Yule gift!

Herb of the Month:
Holly (Ilex Aquifolium)
There is a rich history of lore surrounding this tree.  It was a sacred
tree
of our Pagan ancestors, representing the male aspect of divinity, hence
the
legend of the Holly King!  In the Black Forest, its leaves were used as
a
substitute for tea. Another name, Bat's Wings, is how the Pow-Wow
referred to
this tree.  It is planted by homes to protect against negativity.
Traditionally, the Fey are attracted to this tree.
Kitchen Witch Tip:  This time of year you can find inexpensive tabletop
sized
trees in supermarkets and nurseries.  Bring one home to use on your
altar, and
invite the energy of the Fey in to bless your home!

For the soul...
Take time to find a way to do something meaningful year round.  At this
time
of year we are being blitzed to BUY; "'Tis the season to give" is heard
over
and over.  Why not find a way to give the whole year through?  Make
plans (and
follow through) to do something to give a little of yourself throughout
the
Wheel of the Year!

Brightest Blessings and Merry Yule to All!