Patiently Waiting....

Ahhh...there sets my Cauldron...

)~::~(

patiently waiting outside my shop...

waiting for crisp days and downright chilly nights.

perhaps I'll brew up a batch of apple butter?...
no...more like a stew of marigold heads and lamb's ear
to over-dye some of my wool...

or maybe a stew of black walnuts and clove to over-dye my samplers with?

making either one will be a pleasure.
a menial task that I look forward to each year.

MMmmm...
I can smell it wafting on the Autumn breezes already...

the tang of woodsmoke.

Blessed be, Friends

Lori

the Witch of Birch Woods...

"Our Pleasures are borne but to die,
they are tied to our Hearts but to sever...

and like Stars streaking cross'd a Black'd Skie,

Burn their Brightest when Fading
Forever..."
from a sampler dated 1727

a little Woodland Witch holding a sweet songbird in her hand,

a grove of Birch trees are set against the Night Sky...

...just another art print available in my etsy shop:

www.notforgottenfarm.etsy.com

Many thanks to those who have purchased or commented on my art prints...
there will be MANY more to come!!!

)0(
Brightest Blessings be Yours,

Lori

*NEW* Halloween Prints

"SUNFLOWER WITCH"

...just one of three new prints in my Etsy shop ~

each on is 8" x 10"

and ready to frame!!

please visit:

www.notforgottenfarm.etsy.com

to see my other ones!!!

Blessed be
Lori

Silhouettes and Scrying...

aside from working with needle & thread, one of my favoroite things to make are

SILHOUETTES...

I even love the word...
silhouette...

...it rolls of the tongue like a decadent dessert...

I began snipping paper waaaaayyyy back in my teens..

being from a PA German heritage, my Mom's side of the family was always

ummmm......well, let's just say,

"crafty"

I can remember my Aunt Dorothy
(I called her Ant Dot)

painting in oils, snipping silhouettes,
and (I thought)...
she had thee most wonderfully decorated house in all of CT.

the outside of the house was Federal Blue
(not common then)
...and had a humongous Wisteria vine growing up the back porch,

where, as children, us cousins would sit in it's shade & ponder great things...

All the while, Ant Dot would be in the house,
making us grilled cheese 'samwiches'
or creating some form or an other of a
Masterpiece....

I remember smelling the turpentine and linseed-oil...
holding her nubby,
but still useful paint brushes in my little hand,
and being completely awestruck at her work-in-progress,

which always held place-of-honor on her oak easel in her dining room....
...always wishing I had the patience and talent that bestowed her...

I am fortunate to be able to visit my Ant Dot, when i visit CT...
which is usually every June...

she is now in her late 80's...
her once supple hands can no longer hold a toothbrush,

let alone a paintbrush...
from the crippling arthritis she suffers from...

but, somehow...I have recieved her gift of creativity...

I Thank You, Ant Dot

...for the blessing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i have just listed a paper mache box on ebay~

(the one you see pictured above...)

the entire time i was snipping away paper, I was thinnking of my beloved aunt...

I hope it pleases you well...

http://shop.ebay.com/notforgottenfarmprimitives

Blessed be, friends...

let your creativity shine on for all to enjoy...

~Lori~

Another little Halloweenie !

to see just hoooooo is holding this little jack 0' lantern,

please visit my auctions~
http://shop.ebay.com/notforgottenfarmprimitives

Props....

there's nothing I love more, than hunting for treasures
to use as props for my Halloween decorating!

I found this styrofoam skull at Michaels' for 4.99
and this awesome silver-plated candlabra at an antiques shop for 14.00!!

Both will accompany me on my trip to Michigan in October,
for the Ghoultide Gathering show...

Now I am looking for some really neat little candles to go in it...
I am trying to find those black tapers that have the orange switl going around them..
like candy-canes, you know?

Anyone out there know where I can buy 4 of them??

Blessed be!
Lori

The Witch's Inn...

Fresh to ebay this evening, especially created for my
Witchy Friends!!!

"The Witch's INN Tavern sign"

painted on an antique breadboard to replicate the olde Tavern signs of long-ago...

please visit:

http://shop.ebay.com/notforgottenfarmprimitives

to see more detailed pictures and description...

Brightest Blessings to you,
Lori

Some Olde Friends...

Every year, this time of year it seems,
when the Black Walnut trees start to offer their leaves and nuts
back down to Mother Earth,
I get a yearning to start my Autmnal Decorating!

Yes, yes...I know it's August still,

but the thrill I get from unwrapping my favorite and beloved
Witch Dolls...
well, it's pure MAGICK!!

The fine Ladyes above, reside on my Mantle in my Keeping room...

this little girl hangs on by blue cupboard in my b'fast nook...

...and these sweet sisters keep me company in my little den off the kitchen,
where the woodstove is, and where I set & create most of my things...

just thought I'd share some of my Olde Friends with you!!!!

Blessed be, NEW Friends!
~Lori~

Works on Spooky Time Jingles ~

I've been busy!!!!!

Restful Witch Scherenschnitte

Needlepunched Witch Portrait

for details please visit

www.spookytimejingles.com

New offerings and other musings ~

.. cross stitched skeleton-key necklace with rosary beads,
pearls, jet beads, glass beads and black crow toggle...

Bottled Witch #1 with feathers and herbs..

Bottled Witch #2 with feathers and herbs

available this evening on my ebay auctions...
http://shop.ebay.com/notforgottenfarmprimitives
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

AND
please remember to stop by
http://www.spookytimejingles.com/

on August 13th to see my new offerings...

I am so humbled to be a member of this website...the creative energy there just HUMS!!!!!

also, go check out the SPJ blog!

http://www.spookytimejingles.blogspot.com/

Blessed be, my Friends~

Lori

Halloween countdown at FlashBannerNow.com

The Corn Moon ~

please visit the link below for info on the Corn Moon!!!

Happy Harvest & Blessed be!!!

~Lori~

http://www.llewellyn.com/free/spell.php

I dream in color....

but my color palette may differ from yours...

my favorites are

dark, moody blacks...
burnt pumpkins...
bone whites...

acid greens...

parchment...

mourning dove greys....

As a child, I would re-arrange my crayola box of 64 colors...
grouped by "Halloween Colors"!!!
(i never really used the pinks and purples, or sky blues and reds)
and I would draw & color all of my creations using my little palette.

I went to a favorite haunt of mine yesterday,
Cottonwood Quilt Shop
located in Charlottesville, VA.

where they offer a huge selection of wonderful cottons, homespuns and linens...

I came home with the ones you see pictured above,
but of course,
last night I was dreaming of the ones I didn't choose...
I think I'll be haunting them again today!

these will be used to finish my needlepunch and sampler Halloween Offerings!!

**Blessed be**
Lori

new sunday offerings ~

Newly Listed on Ebay:

White Witch Whisk Broom Doll

Tiny Witch's Spells Pocket

please visit:

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/notforgottenfarmprimitives

many thanks, my Friends~

**BLESSED BE**

Lori

Flying High...

I have an affinity for brooms of all shapes and sizes...
I collect the decrepit, broken and used-to-a-nub castoffs that other people throw away...

To me, a broom symbolizes an object of cleansing, protection and projection...
a well-worn broom shows me that the past owner
used her broom frequently,
that she kep a tidy home and, perhaps, had 'other' uses for it as well
(like chasing children from the kitchen, where by they could be harmed by the cook-fire)

I never leave home without mine!!
I wear a pewter besom on a black cord around my neck....
especially when I'm travelling to shows!!

I have a bumper sticker on my van that reads
'My Other Car is a Broom'
(LOL)

a small collection of early brooms in my keeping room...
the small broom to the far left was a child's broom, and show not only signs of
hours of play, but also has scorched ends!

my besom, which resides in my den...
I use this broom to sweep my farmhouse
(psycichally and physically)
and keep it near our woodstove for the ashes!!

a broom, straw end up, stands vigil against negativity
at the front door of my shop...

Welcome!

The information below,
was found on Wikipedia: ~

Brooms have long been connected with witchcraft,
almost universally portrayed
as medieval-style round brooms and associated with female witches.
Despite the association with women, in 1453,
the first known case of claiming to have flown on a broomstick is recorded,
confessed by the male witch Guillaume Edelin.[2]

Anecdotally,
the broom served another purpose during periods of persecution...
Witches and other magic practitioners would disguise their wands
as broom sticks to avoid suspicion.


Today the broom is included in lists of ritual tools in many books,
where it is often referred to as a besom.

A broom is sometimes laid at the opening of some covens' rossets.
Representing the Element of Air, brooms are utilized in the purification of areas.
They are used to sweep ritual circles clean of negative energy.
The high priestess or high priest walks clockwise,
traces the cast circle and sweeps with the broom a few inches off the ground.

This practice can be used in addition to or in place of incense to purify a ritual space. It is often employed by those allergic to incense, and during rituals practiced in smoke-free areas.
It is also a technique associated with "kitchen witches" who use what's on hand to work spells.

As a tool of purification, decorative brooms are sometimes hung near doors to cleanse those entering a house.

**Blessed be, my Friends**
~Lori~

Lughnasadh ~ August 1st, 2009

August 1: Lughnasadh,
is the time of the first harvest,
when the plants of spring wither and drop their fruits
or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops.

Mystically, so too does the God lose His strength
as the Sun rises farther in the South each day and the nights grow longer.
The Goddess watches in sorrow and joy
as She realizes that the God is dying,
and yet lives on inside Her as Her child.

Lughnasadh,
also known as August Eve, Feast of Bread, Harvest Home
and Lamma, wasn't necessarily observed on this day.
It originally coincided with the first reaping.
As summer passes, Wiccans remember its warmth and bounty in the food we eat.

Every meal is an act of attunement with nature,
and we are reminded that nothing in the universe is constant.

*Herbs*
All grains, Grapes, Heather, Blackberries, Sunflowers

*Incense*
Sandalwood, Rose, Aloes


*Color *
Yellow, Orange, Green, Brown

*Decorations*
Corn Dollies, Any Wheat Weaving Crafts, Shafts of Grain

*Foods*
Breads, Cider, Blackberry Pies and Jellies, Rice, Meadowsweet Tea, Berries

*Special Activities*:
As summer passes, many Pagans celebrate this time to remember
its warmth and bounty in a celebrated feast
shared with family or Coven members.
Save and plant the seeds from the fruits consumed during the feast or ritual.
If they sprout, grow the plant or tree with love
and as a symbol of your connection with the Lord and Lady.
Walk through the fields and orchards or spend time along springs,
creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes
reflecting on the bounty and love of the Lord and Lady.

**Blessed Be!**
~Lori~