Amethyst and the New Moon

Tonight is the new moon, which is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of spring. I love spring and everything that it stands for. I get most excited for the new moon because I use it to charge my crystals.  The new moon promotes new beginnings, personal growth, and creativity. As an artist I use this positive energy to my advantage.  There are so many different crystals, and ways to activate and charge them, it may seem overwhelming to know which one is right for you. I figured today would be a good day to share how I found the right stone for me and how I maintain my crystals energy. 

I'm not saying these are exact steps on how to find and manage your crystals, but rather suggestions to get you headed in the right direction.  You'll learn after experimenting what works best for you, and these are just things that worked best for me. 

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Choosing the right stone for you:

When I decided to use crystals as a form of healing I had no clue wear to start.  I decided to just type in "Crystal meanings" into google.  This lead me to thousands of different places.  I began reading some of the descriptions of the healing properties of crystals and matching them with some of my own personal symptoms to find one that fit the bill for me.  After several days of research I prescribed myself Amethyst.  

Why does Amethyst work for me? 

Well a few things I've had to deal with my entire life are bi-polar disorder, night terrors, and oral fixation (in recent years, smoking for example).  Amethyst works for me in the way it is a natural sedative.  It can be left under your pillow to help you sleep.  It can also calm your mind and ease you when you become manic.  Lastly it will sway you from addiction.  I've read that one meaning for the word "amethyst" would be "without drunkenness", or "without addiction". Amethyst can also be used around the house to ward off evil, cleanse the property of negative energy, and help your plants grow.

"I can't find the right stone for me.":

If you don't feel comfortable with any thing a stone has to offer, you could start yourself out with clear quarts.  Clear quarts is considered a universal stone.  It is great for programming for many different healing purposes, and promotes a clear mine, and rids your body of negative energy.  

Charging crystals:

I find my crystal most effective if charged by the moon.  You are not supposed to over expose amethyst to sunlight, unlike clear quarts, which I found best to charge with the sun. Research which way it would be best to charge your crystals and what to protect them from.  

"How do you charge your crystal?":

Like I said I prefer to charge my crystal with the moon.  I've always felt a special connection with the night.  I'm very pale and the sun has a vendetta with my skin! I'm also most active at night, so I enjoy having a crystal that reacts very positive to the energies of the darkest hours.  When I feel my mind becoming clouded, and my moods shifting more frequently I like to set my stone on the porch while I sleep, and I retrieve it in the morning. 

It is said that to set your crystal in grass for the night while it charges for best results, this way the crystal becomes grounded once again, and it given the opportunity to regain some of it's natural properties.

Cleansing crystals:

There are so many ways to do this so I'll just share the way that I prefer. I like to clean mine with a very light soap and warm water. After that I place it in bag of sea salt for the night so that it can cleanse itself of the old tainted energies.  I then charge it the next night.  I only charge and clean my crystals once a month. Some crystals need to be charged and cleaned more often then others.

Activating a crystal: 

I activate my crystal by holding it tight in my hands and rolling it between my palms.  I then to myself think about the task I would like to carry out now that my crystal is newly charged (ex. painting, starting a new project, trying a new recipe.)  I do this to let my crystal know my intentions of using it, and that they are positive.

Image source

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I hope all of this information wasn't too much for you and will help you find your very own crystal!  If you have any questions feel free to ask me in comments and remember this is just some examples of things that worked best for me.

Vacation Without a Destination

Today is a beautiful lazy Sunday. All of the overcast yesterday led to the inevitable down pour around 5 or so this morning, only to be followed by the amazingly warm, and sunny Sunday afternoon.  Lately I'v been missing childhood a lot and feeling a bit nostalgic.  I miss all of the rainy summer days spent hiding under the arching bamboo stocks that had taken over the side yard of our country home.  I have also been thinking a lot about get away's we went on with our papa.  He would load my brother and I into the car, and then we would just drive. 

I'm thankful for these vacations without destinations.  For many families all of the time you would have spent bonding was lost in the anticipation of reaching the nice hotel room, or theme park.  These vacations spent with out dad were just better, more meaningful.  We would look at maps and pick places to stop.  Most of the time we would just see something interesting out of the car window and want to get out.  I think the fact my brother and I were only about 8 and 9 at the time made it even more exciting.  We found average things extremely fascinating. Like a stone on the side of the road or a little trickle of water out of a rock wall.

After all of these years these vacations have been long retired but there are still remnant of childhood left behind in the same car we took the trips in.  You can find the same maps in a cubby behind the seat and a bag of rocks collected on the floor bored.  Even a soda stain left behind from kicking about trying to find a cozy spot. 

So I guess with all that's been said, it really is the journey not the destination. 

(This photo was taken over us about 4 years ago in the redwood national forest.) 

My Birthday Wishlist!

     I know my birthday isn't until May but I figured I'd get an early start... And by early start I mean I add stuff to this list everyday of the year starting the day after by birthday.  I love handmade goods, if I can't make it myself I go straight to Etsy.  I have a relatively large list of just a lot of little things this year.  I know it makes me look totally selfish!

I've been wanting this for a while! It reminds me of all of the lavender scented eye mask and heating sacs we had around the house when I was little, and I just know if I owned this it would be a little piece of nostalgia.  You can get your very own here ((❤))

I think these are so neat, I know it would be easy to make myself, but they would not look as rustic/cute.  I would hang them over my desk with pretty little cactus in them. ((❤))

SO MANY CRAFTS TO BE HAD!!!! I love this shop they have so many different raw cut points and I day dream about all the things I could make.  ((❤))

 It speaks for itself. ((❤))

I want a metric butt ton of wash tape.  It's just so pretty. ((❤))

Morbid I know but I collect various skulls and this one is adorable. ((❤))

These... just these! ((❤))

These are only the undies of my dreams.  ((❤))

I pretty much want one in every color hahaha. ((❤))

I know this isn't on Etsy but I've really wanted a new camera for a while, This one in particular. ((❤))

Instaweek

     This week has been amazing! Well, actually all these pictures took place in just 3 days.  Thursday night I went to dinner at the Sierra Nevada brewery with my dad, his girlfriend, and my favorite dude.  While I was there I ran into the creator of one of my favorite Tumblrs "The Aquaman Adventures!". Where he was sad to inform me that Aquaman had been swept out to see and that Aqua lad will be standing in from now on.

     I decided to go home with my dad this weekend because my friends and I were spending the weekend in Reno, Nevada.  Why; you might ask?  Because we were going to see the CHIP N DALES!!!!  And let me tell you, it was pretty fun.  We had a great weekend and even got friendship tattoos. I know that's cheesy, they were literally cheesy, and you'll see why.

I love me, I love me not

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  Dear little Lauryn,

     Happy Valentines day.  First off let me just say that you're going to be weird forever but you're teeth won't.  Never take for granted the moments you will spend with your family and friends.  Change is hard but you will endure so much.  You are an adorable crafty goof ball and you should always hold on to that.  It's why people love you!  You'll grow up way before it's due but try and stay a kid for as long as possible and be a little more social.  

     No matter how much everyone makes fun of you don't let it jade you towards people!  You are able to read people incredibly well, relate to so many situations, and empathize.  You should always hold that dear not many people have the gifts you do, so embrace them completely.  Never put yourself down because other people do.

     

You're amazing and you only get better.

Love, 

Grown up Lauryn.

P.S. You're going to get hit in the forehead with a baseball going like 40 miles an hour!  You should move over an inch or two. 

P.S.S.  This is your cat!

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     This post was inspired by a series of post written by Savannah of "Maiedae". At the end of each post she writes:

"We are celebrating Valentine's Day by writing love letters to our little selves. This idea stems from one of my favorite quotes by Kris Carr, “Picture yourself when you were five. in fact, dig out a photo of little you at that time and tape it to your mirror. How would you treat her, love her, feed her? How would you nurture her if you were the mother of little you? I bet you would protect her fiercely while giving her space to spread her itty-bitty wings. she’d get naps, healthy food, imagination time, and adventures into the wild. If playground bullies hurt her feelings, you’d hug her tears away and give her perspective. When tantrums or meltdowns turned her into a poltergeist, you’d demand a loving time-out in the naughty chair. From this day forward I want you to extend that same compassion to your adult self.” This Valentine's Day, take time to write little you a love letter. What are three things you would tell yourself? Show yourself some fierce love this month. ♥"

Bloglovin!

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Macabre Bombshell

     Hello everybody!  Today I would love to introduce you to the part time Etsy shop owner of "Coffin QT" and full time rat mamma Reyna Casey. I personally have never seen anything in her shop I didn't want for myself.  It has the perfect mix of retro and modern clothing, and she's all ways on top of what is currently trending. If it's not trending, leave it to her to bring it back by adding it to her personal wardrobe.  There is nothing that girl can't wear that wont leave you dying inside that you hadn't bought it!  Today Reyna is going to give us a little peak in to the world of "Coffin QT", and let us know what inspires her drop dead gorgeous take on fashion. 

Where are you based?

Im based in Chico,CA

What does your shop Sale?

   I sell vintage clothing and accesory items in my shop currently. Most of the stuff I list for sale is either from the 1990's or late 70's to early 80's. 

Where do you see yourself and your shop?

     As a business owner I'd like to expand my shop in the future to other platforms besides Etsy, such as my own clothing website. I have thought about opening my own brick and mortar store, but that would take alot of resources and time and I'm not sure if being a real retail business owner is what my future holds....We'll see. 

Do you plan on expanding your merchandise?

     Yes ! I do plan on expanding my merchandise to include a larger variety of vintage but also introducing hand made items I've made or sewn. I also plan on putting hand made taxidermy items up but I don't expect that for at least 6 more months. 

What inspired you to open your shop?

    My shop was inspired by bringing dead things back to life and repurposing them to give them a new life. In a sense I bring vintage clothes back to life and with the taxidermy items I plan to list in the future, I am also bringing them back to life in a way.

Go visit Reyna at "Coffin QT" on Etsy.com!