WITCHY WEDNESDAY: Making My Own Incense

Over the holiday break I got a wild hair to see about making my own cone incense.  I love burning incense almost daily, and there are lot of gorgeous fancy cone incenses being made by small companies.  I purchased handmade incense from Brothers Supply Shop as an Xmas gift and I also love Blackbird's incense, but I got curious about the freedom of making my own scent combinations.

Could I make a decent version of cone incense at home?  I found this video on White Witch Parlour's YouTube channel and got inspired.

[If you like this video, be sure to watch her other videos, they're all great.]

My first attempt was made with ingredients I already had in my cupboard to make my own teas: elderberries, sassafras, etc.  I also used a small, shallow, stone mortar & pestle I already had.  The results weren't great but they were encouraging.  I found that my mortar & pestle wasn't deep enough to get a good grind, and that I wasn't strong enough yet to pulverize the sticky elderberries. I shaped my incense into a bumpy cone and left it to dry, and it burned alright a few days later. I didn't love the smell but it was alright.

A few days later I was in Marin County to drop off some garlands at The Herban Garden.  I stopped to get my favorite coconut latte at Sol Food and while I was waiting for it, I noticed they had a wood mortar & pestle for sale for $12.  It had a deeper & narrower bowl, so I bought it. Perhaps my all-time most unexpected impulse purchase!

A better mortar & pestle

A better mortar & pestle

On my way back from Fairfax, I decided to stop in to see the new, expanded location of Gathering Thyme, a wonderful herb store in San Rafael, CA.  While I was there I picked up some herbs for a new batch of incense:

  • rose petals
  • vitex
  • frankincense
  • angelica root
  • witch hazel
Rose petals, vitex, frankincense, angelica root, witch hazel

Rose petals, vitex, frankincense, angelica root, witch hazel

I chose them like I choose my essential oils, I just go by smell and vibe. I trust my intuition. I don't really know what I'm doing but I have faith it'll all work out fine. That's my own method, it's not necessarily the best method!

My new mortar & pestle worked much better, but I still don't yet have the strength to really get a good grind going.  The frankincense proved especially tricky, so I only got a bit of it.  But overall my consistency was better than the first batch, as was the scent.

These cones put off more smoke than a stick incense, so next time I make them I'll form the cones to be even skinnier at the bottom.

This homemade incense is definitely not better than incense you can buy, but it is totally personalized and I enjoyed the process of making it. I can see how it could become a pleasurable ritual for setting intentions, or a good tool for visualization and meditation.

Thanks White Witch Parlour for the inspiration!

 

Homemade Prickly Pear Soda Recipe

Do you ever have a hard time getting started on a long project?  Whenever I have a project that's going to take a couple hours of concentration, or involves a big setup like a photo shoot, I like to motivate myself with a tasty beverage.  Usually that's coffee, but lately when it's after 2pm I've been making myself a prickly pear soda.  To me, it tastes a little like hippie Sunkist.  

HOMEMADE PRICKLY PEAR SODA RECIPE

  • 2-3 T prickly pear syrup - My neighbors have a giant cactus that supplies plenty of prickly pears, so I usually have some prickly pear syrup in my fridge.  
  • 1t - 1T apple cider vinegar (it's good for you & adds tartness)
  • 3-4 squeezes of lime, up to half a lime depending on your taste buds
  • optional glug of maple syrup to sweeten
  • sparkling water to fill the rest of your glass
  • tiny ice cubes

Serve yourself, and get back to work.

SUPPORT SMALL BIZ: Bergamot Beauty

This is a full-circle "Support Small Biz" post!  A few weeks ago, I entered Honey Kennedy's contest to win $150 in credit to Bergamot Beauty.  Honey Kennedy is a blog written by Jen McCabe out of Portland.  She features indie businesses and designers, shops from Portland and beyond, and always shares dreamy photos that put me in a good mood.  I hadn't heard of Bergamot Beauty before, but she described them as a "natural and organic beauty haven" so I entered.  AND I WON!

I'm a one-person business, and I'm grateful that my art pays my bills, but I don't always have enough money left over for luxuries like new skin care products.  I'm a devotee of natural serums and organic beauty products and I do my best to eliminate chemicals from all aspects of my life.  Plus, the products work!  They feed and enhance my hair and skin, rather than strip it, correct it and pummel it.  Natural beauty products are worth every penny, but let's just say I haven't had extra pennies for them lately.  I was SO EXCITED to win the contest.

I spent a couple days looking through every item on Bergamot's website and researching all the lines I hadn't heard about.  Bergamot's owner Salwa was in touch via email, ready to answer any questions I had.  My package arrived today!

Everything arrived safe & sound. This tape is so cute.

Everything arrived safe & sound. This tape is so cute.

Here's what I selected:

Salwa threw in several bonus samples for me to check out - so generous!

All of these brands and products are new to me.  It is such a treat to get to try these out and I'm so grateful to Jen at Honey Kennedy and Salwa at Bergamot Beauty for running this contest.  Thank you, ladies!  

If anyone reading this would like me to follow up with my thoughts on any of these products, let me know.