A Cottage Witch's Gift Guide: The Art of Frugal Hedonism
“No one has ever become poor by giving” – Anne Frank
Summer has arrived here in Australia, and the days are getting warmer and longer in my sleepy little valley. Each morning I wake to the sound of magpies, fairy wrens and bower birds, happily chirping as the first rays of the sun spill out across the mountains. It’s easy to forget the outside world here sometimes, and, to be honest, I prefer to do so... A handful of friends and I, refer to this town as ‘The Shire’ sometimes, and I certainly feel like a harfoot at heart, wandering barefoot in my garden searching for berries, talking to faeries and following dragonflies along forest trails. But, adopting a slower pace and opting out of the modern world, requires some adjustments, and as the holiday season draws near, I’m reminded that one of those is developing the practice of frugal hedonism.
Simply put, it is the art of spending less, while enjoying everything more. Instead of trading your time and energy for money, ending up stressed and exhausted, with very little time to enjoy life, you can take back those precious hours of your life, and get creative with what you already have, rediscovering the incredible amount of free, and low cost, resources around you.
When we begin to recognise that the myth of ‘more’ is not in the best interest of human biology, we can slowly start to say ‘no’ to the cult of consumerism, and ‘yes’ to the abundance of the natural world, and to the generousity of loving, conscious community. We can slow down, heal our tired, tender bodies, and focus on what we truly need to be happy.
With a global recession looming, it seems many of us are tightening our purse strings even more this Christmas and so, I thought I’d share some ideas for delightful handmade gifts that you can make with materials found around the home, in the garden, or at your local thrift store.
A SWEET PET PORTRAIT – My first handmade gift idea, of course, is for the arty witches out there. Whether you are a painter like me, a photographer, or gifted with another creative talent, I thought to myself, what could be more special than a sweet pet portrait!? Pets are our beautiful, furry family, and our loyal familiars, so, I decided to gift one dear friend a painting of her beloved cat Forest. I will share a photo of Forest with my patrons on Patreon, so you can see how I did capturing his likeness.
SCENTED CHARM BAGS – My second thrifty gift idea is for all the skilled seamstress witches! It’s an easy little sewing project whether by hand, or machine. And you know, even my sewing machine and kit are thrifted! Since it’s high summer, the rose goddess garden I shared with you in the last episode is in full bloom, so we’ll be using the petals to create a heavenly scented charm bag. With a pinch of glamour magick. I’ll need to dry these petals first, but don’t worry, I have some dried ones saved up from last season. Now I only took up sewing again recently, and in true rambling rose style, I totally winged it with this pattern: I made quite a few mistakes, which is no surprise when you don’t even measure first! But I promise to write it up perfectly for my Wild Roses on Patreon, so you don’t have that feeling of ridiculousness when you realise it’s all inside out and upside down.
CHOC MINT TRUFFLES – My third homemade gift idea is for the kitchen witches, using any ingredients you have on hand to make a yummy edible gift. Now, I’ve got peppermint growing every which way in my garden this summer, even underneath my steps - let’s give them a quick sweep on the way to the herb garden shall we? I thought I’d use this voracious peppermint, along with some other ingredients in my pantry, to make choc mint truffles. I’ll pop the truffles in gorgeous tin from – you guessed it – the Op Shop! And i think they’ll make a lovely gift.
MINI FAERIE GARDEN – My fourth frugal gift idea is for the green thumbs, the garden fairies that just have a gift with plants, and it all started with a cutting from this beautiful spotted begonia. So, with an old painted pot that I previously repurposed, I thought I’d make a miniature fairy garden with this begonia cutting. With my own gift wrap and some more thrifted ribbon, in a charming bow, this gift cost next to nothing… and I feel like any garden faerie would adore it!
SUGAR SCRUB BARS – My final thrifty gift idea is for the green witches, the lovers of potions and lotions, and it uses another ingredient that’s growing in abundance this summer. Calendula! This magical flower stimulates collagen production, and will make your skin so youthful and bright. Along with some other ingredients in my home apothecary, we’ll be making some luscious sugar scrub bars for radiant, glowing skin. I think they look like the golden sun itself, don’t you? Beaming away in the garden. Once again, this recipe will be shared in detail with my Wild Roses on Patreon later this week, but they are quick and easy to make, and cost next to nothing.
Watch the full episode here…
Sweet Beltane: A Romantic Witch's Self Love Rituals
We’re supposed to be in the height of Spring here in Australia, our skin being kissed each day by the warmth of the sun, and the bright fire being ignited as the wheel turns towards Summer... but, unbelievably, it has been snowing, and this little rose needs full sun to blossom.
And so, this Beltane, I’ll celebrate by treating myself to the most romantic and relaxing day ever, embodying both the god and the goddess, and spoiling myself as I would a lover. I’ll start with a long, lazy morning baking a scrumptious breakfast in bed, lots of cuddles with my beloved furry companion, and an indulgent herbal bathing ritual in my outdoor tub. I’ll paint just a single page for my new book ‘Wild Faerie Magick’ and light a Beltane fire in my moon garden to burn away any stagnant energy and invoke the bright new beginnings of the season ahead.
If you’ve been following me for some time, you might have noticed what a hopeless romantic I am. And I couldn’t think of anything more perfect than luscious Sweet Strawberry Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting. Strawberries are, of course, an aphrodisiac. Named so after the goddess Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, fertility and sensuality, who I’ll be invoking in all of my rituals throughout this day.
As a Taurus Sun, Pisces Moon and Libra Rising, it is no surprise that Aphrodite is my favourite goddess, and I work with her often in my spellwork. According to mythology, when Aphrodite rushed to the side of her dying lover, her tears mingled with his blood. Wherever this tincture of her tragic heartbreak fell to the earth, strawberries grew. (I will share the strawberry rolls recipe as a printable page for my beloved ‘Wild Roses’ over on Patreon).
My date for Beltane this year is my beautiful white wolf, Noah. And, since we’re all in such a romantic mood, I thought I’d share the inspiration behind his name. Firstly, it reminds me of the rainbow that appeared after that fabled ocean of tears that threatened to drown the earth. Just like that rainbow, Noah appeared in my darkest hour, and I will always love him for that.
Another reason I named him Noah, was after that epic romance ‘The Notebook’. Do you remember how the main character, built his sweetheart the house of her dreams, a white house with blue shutters and a room overlooking the river so she could paint.
On the wheel of the year, Beltane marks the midway point between the spring equinox and summer solstice. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s traditionally celebrated on the first of November, and in the north, the first of May. The exact date this year (2022), however, falls on the 7th, so there’s still time to plan your witchy celebrations.
Beltane is the festival of passion, pleasure, fertility and love. The word translates to ‘bright fire’, and in earth-based traditions, represents the symbolic marriage of the God and Goddess, and their eternal embrace. But, with the endless winter here in Victoria, it has felt so much more like Samhain, or Halloween, than Beltane recently. There have been mushrooms growing in my garden, spooky stormy nights, cool winds and there are still leafless trees. I’ve even felt the veil thinning and ancestors walking beside me. It’s quite unnerving, and I fear that climate change is affecting the earth’s deep primordial rhythms, her heartbeat, and our ancient rituals, by unbalancing the wheel of the year.
Perhaps because the seasons seem so jumbled this year, I’m not all feeling the customary energy boost of Spring’s peak. In fact, I’ve been feeling utterly exhausted, and so, I’ll turn to Aphrodite again, to make blissful herbal bath soak in her honour. I’ll provide the recipe over on Patreon, but you can also follow along via ‘The Rambling Rose’ vlog.
Watch the full episode here…
Garden Quiche with Potato, Kale & Rosemary
In the latest episode of my cottage witchy vlog ‘The Rambling Rose’, I share this recipe for a simple Garden Quiche, made with seasonal herbs and greens harvested from my very own veggie garden. I also use eggs from my two beautiful chickens, Hollyhock and Foxglove, who have been laying again – another wonderful sign that spring is just around the corner. In the episode, we also gather flowers such as daffodils, jonquils and snowdrops that herald the Return of the Light, or Imbolc on the pagan Wheel of the Year, and use them as inspiration to paint a few pages of my new book 'Wild Faerie Magick'. With this Garden Quiche we enjoy a simple brunch and a cup of tea in honour of the goddess Brigid. Here’s the recipe…
Ingredients
8-9 free range, happy eggs
2 sheets of vegan puff pastry
1 tbsp of plant-based butter
a splash of almond milk
50g of almond feta
a small handful of kale leaves
a sprig of rosemary, stem removed
1 potato, sliced thinly
salt & pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C and grease a pie dish with the butter.
Press pastry into the pie dish and around edge to form a crust, trimming excess. Poke holes with a fork and press around the edges for a decorative effect.
Whisk together 6 eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour on top of pasty in the pie dish.
Spread potato gently on top of the egg mixture and then crumble the almond feta on top. Strip the stems from the kale, wash the leaves and chop roughly, then sprinkle on top along with the rosemary. Crack the remaining eggs on top and gently break the yoke.
Brush the pastry edges with a little extra egg mixture and bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Enjoy!