Christmas is right around the corner! Although this year has been unconventional at best, scary at worst, I have tried to make the best of the holiday season. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been setting up different activities to spend time doing with my mother, just the two of us. That mixed with my new interest in witchcraft/witchery led me to these amazing witchy ball ornaments! They were pretty easy to put together, and you can use your creativity and imagination for each one.
Each "ingredient" that I added to the ornaments has a different meaning/use. In addition to your own intentions, these ingredients will bring their meanings to your home. I bought most of the materials from Amazon; as you can see, I especially like Anthony's brand of assorted materials. The rest, I got at the grocery store. Some of the things I used in my ornaments were:
Rosemary: used for protection, healing, love. . .
Dried orange: love, friendship, success, happiness
Chamomile: peace, love, healing, protection, sleep
Lavender: love, purity, serenity
Whole cloves: love, money, protection
Star anise: purification, protection, love, divination
Cinnamon sticks: protection, luck,
Bay leaves: protection, healing, wisdom, inspiration
Not all of these are solely Christmasy, some of them were just aesthetically pleasing and useful for their attributes. I am what one would call a "baby witch", meaning I know very little about witchcraft. I am sure that some of these combinations can mean different things. For example, adding star anice and cinnamon would, in theory, be good for divination. I, personally, do not want to divine anything as I am decorating my Christmas tree. I do know that things only work if you have the intention though, so that is a relief! Some combinations I did were:
Rosemary + Orange + Clove + Bay leaf
Star anise + Cinnamon + Chamomile + Orange
Bay leaf + Lavender + Rosemary
Lavender + Chamomile + Star anise
In order to make the ornaments, themselves, I took clear ornament balls and put different herbs, leaves, and flowers inside them by hand. I did tr a funnel, but I found it was more efficient just to use my hands. Then, you could use wax to seal the ornaments, but I just closed them without any adhesive. Most importantly, I incorporated balance into the decisions I made as to what I put into each ornament. For me, that balance comes from complimentary colors, similar attributes, or "Christmasy" looking insides.
In addition to their witchy meaning, I think they just look so warm and cozy with the rest of my decor. They incorporate more natural materials that, in my opinion, give your Christmas decor a classic look. I used these as Christmas tree ornaments, but they would also look amazing as a garland, tied along a long string of twine.
Supplies:
Bay leaf
Cinnamon Sticks
Dried Orange (you can find how I dried these oranges here!)
Twine
Instruction:
Clean out each clear ornament ball. You can cleanse further with sage or crystals, but I did not do that for this craft.
Lay out all your materials that you want to put inside your ornaments.
Decide which ingredients you'd like to put into each ornament (based on color, attribute, smell, or a combination of these aspects).
Once you have closed up your ornament, tie a piece of twine to the top I a circle so that you can hang it on your tree or attach it to garland.
Note: I used information from this site (Wicca Now) and drew inspiration from this content creator (@simplywitched).