WWP Yule Swap Round 24 (SU 11-5 to 11-15, SO 12-13-10)

[squire_inaria]

Hawkeyes_girl is right; essential oils are made by distillation. It's a long and complicated process, and some plants have more oil that is able to be extracted than others. This is why oils like jasmine are so expensive- it takes a lot of flowers to make a bottle of oil. For most things infusions can be used instead of EO's, as can the actual herb. What were you wanting to make that needed EO's?

[lydiaharper]

Thanks hawkeyes_girl. I did read about distillers and something like 1000 pounds of rose petals to make 1 oz of rose oil!  LOL

I was just thinkin that using a strong infused version may be basically the same as using a pure essential oil mixed with a carrier oil.  I haven't stumbled on any recipes using essential oils full strength. So by my lazy thinking, that is one step already done.  LOL

The oil I make would mostly be used as aromatherpy, anoiting oil, etc.  I may be interested in making some bath products, too.

[Fullmoon]

I have a crafty question too... I wanna make incense but I don't know how... Has anyone else done it before?

[lydiaharper]

Fullmoon, I have never made my own incense before, but I do think it would be fun.  I *think* you could mix your ground herbs and just sprinkle on a little charcoal disk for them to smolder.

I have absolutely no cluse how to make the combustible kind.  Not sure that I would wanna try that either.   

[squire_inaria]

Incense is much easier. You'll normally be making a powdered form instead of sticks or cones. What you do is take your herbs and resins and grind them to a fine powder. The you can add a drop or two of EO and mix before sprinkling over a charcoal disk. Resins will burn longer and better than herbs, but herbs will burn decently well too.

[Fullmoon]

O: maybe I'll have to do this!!!

[Spidersweb]

Hi, everyone!  Just checking in:

I had a busy day today (Took students to a regional language competition from 8a-1p), but later this afternoon, when I went to visit my mother, she handed me a Michaels' coupon, and I said, "This is a sign!"  I acquired materials for one of the things I am hoping to put in the stocking and plan to work on it tonight, with a possible accompaniment of white wine and some Celtic music on Pandora.   

[Fullmoon]

Sounds fun
I'm sitting in my moms car in Oregon, knitting my boyfriend's Christmas present trying to think up what to put on my Christmas list and what supplies to take to grandma's with me next week, because I'm going to stay with her over Thanksgiving break, so I am going to take advantage of the fact that grandma has a working sewing machine and make things for swaps that my machine might eat.

[Ladyblades]

I have a crafty question too... I wanna make incense but I don't know how... Has anyone else done it before?

squire_inaria is right, powdered is the easiest but cones & sticks aren't hard to do either. I have added beaten egg white to the powder to form cones and it burned ok but took a LONG time to dry. If you have access to the self-igniting charcoal cakes, do the powders to get you started. Books for Kitchen Witchery often have recipes...

[Fullmoon]

Two things....

1: Either I'm going to have to wrap some goodies as just little presents and send them with the stocking, or I'm going to have to send FinRaziel a stocking that's like 1.5ft wide and like 2 or 3 feet long XD;;;

2: Have any of you ever made a poppet before? If so, did you use the doll eyes? If so, did you use 8mm eyes or 12mm eyes or some other size? I wanna make a poppet, not sure if it would be for this or not, but I'd like to know in case I wanna use one for a future swap or anyyything else :3 ...Plus I wanna make a steampunk poppet hehe... >w< b