Magickal Household Plant Master Post

LET ME TELL Y’ALL ABOUT THIS WRITING APP

Fighter’s Block is the best writing app I’ve come across in a long time.

You type in the amount of words you want to write and as you write, your mini lil avatar fights a monster. Each word you write acts a hit towards your monster, and once you’ve hit your word count the monster is defeated!!!

How cute!!!!

Work quick though as how long you spent not writing decreases your avatar’s health. It’s a productive fight to the death against the clock!

Best things about this app:

You can PAUSE it!!!! Need go get a cup of tea? Need to sneeze? You can!!!!!

Settings are adjustable! You can change the monster’s speed and the attacks!

You can change the theme and font!

You can level up!!!!! The number of words you write equals your EXP. You can unlock one avatar thus far, but I believe there may be more in the future!

You can minimise the fight above if it serves as a distraction, and only show the decreasing green bar.

Best of all: If you don’t hit the target word count in time, YOUR WORK DOES NOT DISAPPEAR. In the past I’ve lost so much work because I wasn’t typing fast enough, or sneezed.I cannot express enough how thankful I am that it presents a challenge where the consequence is a knock of pride and not a fit of rage.

Honestly, I urge all writers out there to give this app a go. It’s my new favourite thing. 

orriculum’s witchcraft 101 masterpost ✨

✨ basics:

unpacking witchcraft - spell types ✧ some basic terms to know ✧ methods for spells ✧ grounding, a quick how-to ✧ how to write your own spells - resources ✧ when to cast a spell - by weekdays ✧ when to cast a spell - by time of day ✧  low effort witchcraft ✧ how to cleanse

✨ tools:

tools of witchcraft overview ✧ a witch’s wand ✧ building a broom/besom ✧correspondence resource  ✧  on making moon water  ✧    understanding herb associations with rosemary  ✧   herbs for spells : grocery store vs. home grown vs. edible wilds  ✧   grounding  ✧  disposing of spell materials  ✧  nullifying spells  ✧ how to substitute in a spell

✨ you should know:

“to be a witch” falsehoods ✧ other witches and you ✧ witchcraft and the law ✧ difference between a witch and a herbalist ✧ self care for the witch ✧ when your spell fails ✧ tarot and pendulums can get it wrong

WITCHY ART CHALLENGE  ✨ 🌘🔮

Summer is coming and here is for you, all witch artist/writer of this world, a Challenge with only witchy stuff to draw or write about! You can do whatever you want with it, whenever you want! It’s just a list of witches I really wanted to design and bring to my story or I really wanted to draw just for fun~ 

You can mix it with some color palette meme found on the web, there is a lot of it around deviantart and Tumblr! It doesn’t have to be done in the order, you can just reblog it and ask to you followers to suggest you some of these! And you can suggest me some of these too! I’ll do it in July or August anyway ;D

This is a character design challenge~ You can do anything, any body type, any skin color, any disability, any religion or any gender you want, it’s totally free, so be creative ♥ That’s the only thing that counts! 

Lots of love *:･ﾟ✧

Hestia/Vesta

Small devotional acts.

Keep a tealight on you, light it wherever you may be

Clean one small area of your house

Savor a hot drink

Do small, unnoticed acts of kindness

Always greet animals, both big and small

Do anything by candlelight 

Get cozy and read a good book 

Wear colors you associate with her

Practice your patience, both external and internal

Be a listening ear or shoulder to cry on for those who need it

Make compromises when it is healthiest for both parties

Bake!

Become the one who always has a lighter or matches

Listen to music that reminds you of her

Spend time tending to your body

Leave a big tip the next time you have a chance

Practice kindness in all areas of your life - including driving

Host/organize a gathering of friends or family

Take a hot bath or shower with no time limit

Decorate a space

Leave the first bite of your food for her

Build a fire!

Veiling (can come in many, discreet forms)

Compliment people - both strangers and loved ones

Donate something, be it clothes, money, or your time 

Create something - I really like knitting!

Look at photos and embrace the happy nostalgia 

Wear makeup or jewelry that reminds you of her

Wake up early to see the sunrise - or watch the sunset

Watch/read about acts of kindess - be inspired!

PRACTICE LOVING YOURSELF

Many, many, many other things not said here

Additionally, this post is great!

I accidentally created the most soothing drink in the world after trying to recreate the hot honey drink in Ponyo! I guarantee it will remove all stress and troubles, I’ve had like 3 today because it makes me so happy

GUYS

MARIE KONDO HAS HER OWN MANGA BOOK

AND IT IS LIKE SO ADORABLE

JUST LIKE MARIE HERSELF

Magical correspondences of food

abundance and fertility: apples, bananas, barbecued foods, basil, beef, berries, cabbage, carrots, coconut, corn, figs, fish, grapes, honey, kiwis, lettuce, milk, mustard, oats, olives, oranges, peaches, pork, rice, tropical fruit, walnuts

cleansing: barbecued foods, bay leaves, beer, chicken, cinnamon, coconut, fennel, garlic, grapefruit, honey, horseradish, hot peppers, hot sauce, lemons, limes, mint, mustard, onions, oranges, peppers (all kinds), red foods, rosemary, sage, thyme, vinegar, water, whiskey (or any distilled beverage), white foods

comeliness: apricots, avocados, basil, beets, cucumbers, eggs, ham, honey, oats, olive oil, peanut oil, pears, rose water, rosemary, tea, water

creativity: anything made in pot or served in a bowl or cup, allspice, carrots, celery, grapes, ham, honey, mead, milk products, mushrooms, mustard, pomegranates, pork, water, wine

decisions: brazil nuts, caraway seed, celery, coffee, dill, grapes, hazelnuts, honey, mustard, raisins, rosemary, tea, turkey, watercress

knowledge and education: apples, beans and seeds, caraway seed, celery, citrus fruits, coffee, dill, figs, grapes, greens, hot foods and spices, meat, mint, nutmeg, root vegetables, rosemary, savory, tea, walnuts, watercress

employment: alfalfa, almonds, basil, bay leaves, cashews, chamomile, cinnamon, cloves, dill, ginger, grapes, maple syrup, meat, mint, nutmeg, oats, oranges, pecans, pineapple, pomegranates, radishes, salt, wheat

luck: allspice, bamboo shoots, bananas, beer, black-eyed peas, cabbage, champagne, coconut, coleslaw, fish, hazelnuts, kumquats, mincemeat, noodles, nutmeg, oranges, pears, pineapple, pomegranates, red beans, rice, sugar, tea, wine

happiness: apples, apricots, barley, beer, bubbly beverages, celery, cherries, chocolate, cucumbers, cumin, honey, lemons, lettuce, marjoram, milk, mint, olives, oregano, peaches, quince, raspberries, saffron, wine

money: alfalfa, allspice, almonds, bananas, barley, basil, beans, berries, cabbage, cashews, chamomile, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, dill, eggs, figs, ginger, grapes, lettuce, maple syrup, marjoram, milk, mint, oats, onions, oranges, parsley, peanuts, pears, peas, pecans, pine nuts, pineapple, pomegranates, rice, sesame seeds, spinach, tea, tomatoes, wheat

promises: bay leaves, cumin, figs, garlic, honey, lemons, licorice, mulberries, nutmeg, onions, oranges, peanut butter, plantains, rose water, rye, salt, sunflower seeds, tea, wine

psychic awareness: bamboo shoots, bay leaves, bean sprouts (all), carrots, cauliflower, celery, celery seed, cinnamon, citron, coconut, cucumbers, dill, fish, flowers (garnish), grapes, lemons, lettuce, mace, mint, mushrooms, nutmeg, onions, potatoes, rose water, thyme, tofu, vegetarian fare

relationships: apples, barley, basil, bay leaves, cabbage, catnip, cheese, cherries, chestnuts, chocolate, cinnamon, dill, ginger, honey, kiwis, lemons, marjoram, nutmeg, oranges, parsley, raspberries, strawberries, sugar, tomatoes, vanilla, wine

protection: almonds, artichokes, bananas, basil, bay leaves, birch beer, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cayenne, chives, cloves, corn, cranberries, dill, eggs, garlic, horseradish, jalapeno peppers, leeks, marjoram, mustard, nettle, olive oil, onions, parsley, peppers, pineapple, prickly pear, radishes, raspberries, red rice, rhubarb, rosemary, rum, salsa, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, vinegar

sex: beans (men), blackberries, brandy, caraway seed, cardamom, carrots, celery, cherries, chocolate, cinnamon, figs, fish, ginger, honey, mangoes, mint, mustard, nutmeg, olives, oysters (women), parsley, peaches, plum wine, raspberries, rice, rose water, sesame seeds, shellfish, strawberries, truffles, vanilla yams

changes: asparagus, beans, beets, beverages, celery, cheese, citrus fruits, fennel, fermented items, frappés, ginger, grapes, lavender, microwave foods, mint, mulberry, oregano, rosemary, saffron, tea, vanilla, vinegar

health: alfalfa, allspice, almonds, apples, bananas, barley, basil, beans, berries, bran, brandy, cabbage, chicken, cinnamon, cloves, cornmeal, cucumbers, dill, eggplant, eggs, figs, garlic, ginger, honey, kumquats, lemons, marjoram, milk, oats, onions, parsley, peanuts, pears, peas, pine nuts, pineapple, rice, sesame seeds, spinach, thyme, tomatoes, walnuts

Source: Bubble, Bubble, Toil &Trouble – Mystical Munchies, Prophetic Potions, Sexy Servings, and Other Witchy Dishes by Patricia Telesco  

Ten Mistakes New Herb Gardeners Make (and How to Avoid Them!)

Mistake 1: Growing from seed. When you first start out trying to grow fresh herbs, I recommend you begin by trying to grow from seedlings rather than planting your own seeds. These great little starter plants are widely available in grocery stores in the late spring. For the same price as a packet of fresh herbs from the produce section, you can buy your own little starter plant. Lots can go wrong in the seed to seedling transition (including not thinning out plants properly), so its probably best to begin by skipping that complicated task or you are in danger of washing out before you really begin.

Mistake 2: Starting with the wrong varieties. I recommend you start by trying to grow fresh basil. It is the perfect trainer herb. First, basil grows quickly, allowing you to observe the effects of your care more easily. Second, basil leaves wilt visibly when not watered enough, but recovers well if you water the wilted plant. This makes basil a great ‘canary in the mineshaft’ to help you figure out how much water is enough.

Mistake 3: Watering herbs like houseplants. Instead, water herbs a moderate amount every day. While some houseplants flourish with one solid watering per week, most delicate herbs require moderate and regular watering. This is particularly true during hot summer months. If you have good drainage at the bottom of your pot (at least a drainage hole, possibly rocks beneath the soil), it will be difficult to water herbs too much.

Mistake 4: Not cutting early and often. As a novice gardener, it may seem like your puny little plant just isn’t ready for a trip to the barber, but then you will find yourself sitting there wishing for leaves without much success. Again, basil is a great herb to practice pruning. As with all herbs, you want to cut the herb just above a set of growing leaves. With basil, when you cut the plant that way, the originally trimmed stem will no longer grow. However, two new stems will grow around the original cutting, creating a “V” shape (see the photo above, can you spot the Vs?). If you don’t trim basil aggressively, it will continue to grow straight up, and become too tall and top-heavy. Making your first trim approximately 3-4” above the soil produces a nice sturdy plant. Of course you want to be sure you are always leaving a few good sturdy leaves on the plant (see below). As it continues to grow, continue to prune it approximately every 3-4" for a nice solid plant. I like to let it grow for some time and then cut back to within 2-3 inches of the original cut. After only a few early trial cuts, this usually makes for a nice clipping with plenty of basil to use for a pizza.

Mistake 5: Taking the leaves from the wrong place. When you are just starting out it seems to make so much sense to pick off a few big leaves around the bottom of the plant, and let those tender little guys at the top keep growing. Wrong. Leave those large tough old guys at the bottom alone. They are the solar panels that power your herb’s growth. Once your plant is big enough to sustain a decent harvest, keep on taking from the top, as you have been when you were pruning. That way you get all those tender new herbs that are so tasty, and your plant gets to keep its well developed solar power system in place. Plus, if you pluck from the base and leave the top intact, you get a tall skinny plant that will flop over from its own weight (and yes, I know this from experience). When you pluck from the top, instead of clipping off just below a pair of leaves, you want to clip off just above a pair of leaves. It is a bit counter-intuitive as a novice, but trust me it works. The place where the leaf joins the stem is where new growth will occur when your plant sends off new stems in a V.

Mistake 6: Letting your plants get too randy. If you are pruning regularly, this may never become an issue, but unless you are growing something for its edible flowers, be sure to cut back herbs before they start growing flowers. My friend once brought me to her backyard garden and pointed, frustrated, at her wimpy, small basil plants. “I just keep tending them, but they don’t even produce enough leaves to put on a salad!” she lamented. I pointed to the glorious stalk of flowers at the top of each plant, “That’s your problem” I explained. Because herbs are kind of like college boys: if you give them half a chance, they will focus all their energy on procreation and neglect growth. If you want leaves, keep cutting off the little flower buds whenever you find them (see photo above), and it will encourage your plant to focus on growing more leaves.

Mistake 7: Using tired soil with no nutrients. Tired soil that has been sitting in your garden or lawn for ages often looks grey and a little depressing. Would you want to grow in that stuff? Give your plants a dose of the good stuff and they’ll thank you for it. I grow my herbs in a combination of potting soil, used coffee grounds (with a near-neutral PH, available for free at Starbucks), and organic compost. If I have some on hand, I also throw in crushed egg shells. Those without access to compost (and no deep commitment to organic growing) may find Miracle grow useful. My momma swears by it for tomatoes. A diluted solution of Miracle grow occasionally can help many herbs flourish.

Mistake 8: Getting in a rut. There is an element to passion about herb gardening. In order to be good at it, you need to feel rewarded. So don’t stick too long with one or two herbs just because they work. Branch out to a few other basic herbs that you will use regularly in your kitchen. There are few things more rewarding as an urban foodie than being able to pop out to the fire escape to clip fresh herbs to use in my cooking. Once you have become comfortable with basil, I recommend moving on to try growing oregano, mint, rosemary and thyme. All are regularly useful herbs in the kitchen, and all are relatively easy to grow. You will notice that rosemary cleaves after cutting in a somewhat similar way to basil, but grows much more slowly, so the effect is difficult to notice. Some plants also respond to clipping by throwing out more full leaves at their base. I have long wanted to grow cilantro but have not had much luck with it.

Mistake 9: You mean there’s more than one kind of mint?When choosing herbs, read the label carefully. For example, there are two main varieties of oregano: Mediterranean and Mexican. Mediterranean oregano is the more common variety, and what you likely own if you have conventional dried oregano in your cupboard. I have Mexican oregano growing on my back fire escape. I love Mexican oregano in spicy dishes, for making beans from scratch, and often use it in tomato dishes where I don’t want the flavor to seem too much like marinara. Similarly, there are many different kinds of mint. You don’t want to be thinking of the pungent spearmint plant and accidentally take home the much more subtle (and not mojito savvy) applemint by mistake.

Mistake 10: Feed me Seymour! If you are planting in soil instead of pots, take care that your cute little herb seedling doesn’t become a giant plant that takes over your garden. A word of warning for oregano and mint: both can be voracious growers. If you are planting outside in a garden, rather than in pots, you may want to consider potting these herbs and then burying the pots in the ground. This will add a measure of control to the root systems of these herbs, which can otherwise take over a garden and strangle nearby neighbors. When in doubt, check out wikipedia, they usually are careful to point out which herbs are in danger of overwhelming your garden.

Some really useful info here if you’re new to herb gardening.