Kitchen Home News

Thank you again for joining me this year, it was a delicious amount of fun for me! I did receive all your email entries and just about gave myself carpal tunnel by writing out all your names (twice, at times). Thank you for making me smile and for digging the books and goodies and folks I've featured this year. Do click through all the photos and links, and track these authors and artists down, too. My internet dropped out yesterday during our first snowstorm of the season, so I'm a bit late in posting this, but...the lucky soul taking home Aidan's beautiful work is: Jennifer Larochelle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You know it is coming. Every year. The last day of October. The haunt of all haunts. The motherlode of candy. The scent of scorched pumpkin, spent firecrackers, and the bonfire smoke on the wind. The laughter and the screams of all the little monsters running amok. And all that before you engage in your own festivities. Samhain reigns from dusk on the 31st until sunset o

The decks will be haunting the halls of the following folks: Halloween Tarot: Rebecca The Wild Unknown: Liz D Santa Muerte Tarot: Johanna ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As this most magic of months inches toward a spirit-fueled (or spirits-fueled, if you partake, or candy-inundated, if you trick-or-treat) climax, I thought I'd pass along something to assist with your Samhain divinations. You may prefer to peel an apple in one long piece, and toss the peel over your shoulder to spy the initial of your love. Or perhaps you'd rather place chestnuts or apple seeds in a fire to see if you and your crush are meant to be together. I am hoping that you've grabbed yourself a deck of playing cards to experiment with, but if you are still looking for the predictive tool that feels just-right to you, I might have something to tickle your fortune-telling bone. My very first tarot deck was The Halloween Tarot by Kipling West. It's the one I still go back to time and again, and is so well

The following folks are taking home books: Embracing Willendorf: Rhi and Danni Glamour Magic: James and Joe Love Magic: Dre and John ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I had some different words planned in order to introduce this next giveaway, but then a week ago the #metoo hashtag bloomed all over social media. It wasn't the way I had ever hoped to connect with other women. It's not the sort of thing I wish I had in common with anyone. For a great number of years I had a difficult time looking in the mirror. I didn't love myself. I didn't believe I deserved love. I wasn't entirely sure that I was worthy of much of anything. I was wrong. I had believed people that I shouldn't have trusted. I bought into a religious system that told me that I was fundamentally flawed. And I rated my value based on the size of my jeans and whether or not I looked like the girls in the magazines I was reading. I'm happy to say that most days I don't struggle with my worth anymore. My

*The two books are flying off to Stephanie Clayton and Cathi!* There is little that is more perfect company on an autumn evening than a good book. Except perhaps a flicker of flame, or wisps of burning incense, or even a warm slice of cornbread straight from your favourite cast iron cookware. This next giveaway combines the delight of a sweet read, and fresh inspiration to work magic with one of the witch's most captivating tools - the cauldron. Whether you prefer to burn petitions in it, cense your sacred space with billows of herb-scented smoke, or cook something bone-warming on a cool October eve, this book will encourage you to attempt new alchemy and creativity with your cauldron. Part of Lewellyn's "Witch's Tools" series , The Witch's Cauldron: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Ritual Vessels is a spellbinding look at this classic and beloved vessel. Written with charm and wisdom by Laura Tempest Zakroff , dancer, artist, witch, and author, this engaging

Thank you all for playing along, this round! Mr. John D. Jackalope is going home with: Sparkless! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October is known for entertaining marauding creatures, dressed sharply (or scantily) in the guise of their favourite mythical beings and otherworldly monsters. As the daylight hours fade and the earth gives up its last fiery show, this month feels inspiring for letting your most fetching fantasies come to life. In this next round of trick-or-treat, I have the perfect beast to help you navigate through this month of magic, and beyond. Is he a fetch, a cryptid, a poppet, a spirit house, or simply a bewitching guide on how to look good while finding your way through these October eves? The winner will get to decide. In the words of his enchanting creator, Polly Lind : "Introducing Mr John D. Jackalope, Star Path Navigator, Guide and Fetch extraordinaire.  He is a magician with the extraordinary ability to interpret and navigate the universal truths of both the wo

The following folks are taking home cartomancy prize-packages: lillie8302 - 54 Devils and the Sleepy Hollow cards Tessa - 54 Devils and the Midnight Calaveras cards dampviolets - Kat - Fortune Telling Using Playing Cards and the Bone Riders deck Tonight the clouds are racing across the moon, and the wind is just substantial enough to send a ghostly kiss along the back of your neck. It is a delightful night for divination. After all, who doesn't want to know what the deeper recesses of October will offer up? What will help you tell your tales then? What tools will you unwrap from silk cloth to answer your questions? You could throw the bones, or your own magpie collection of charms and oddities. You could scry into flame or water or black bowl. You might shuffle the Tarot. Or...you could take out that innocuous deck of playing cards you rarely use anymore, and try an age-old system of prophesying with pips and royals. On a recent trip, while languishing in an airport during an extra

**The following folks are taking home books: Melody - Alchemy of Herbs Jessica - The Witching Herbs Aidan - Under the Witching Tree The time has come again, good friends, to gather up your cup of cocoa (spiked or not, 'tis your choice) and join me by the fire for some autumn cheer. Seven years ago this month, I passed along two books to kind folks who had been stopping by this blog to read my words and now, after eight years of blogging, I am sitting here staring at a glorious stack of tomes and other treats to hand out as October blossoms and then deepens into the ambrosial (and devilish) days we love so well. This yearly event is my way of offering to those who have come by my blog, a warm hug (or a remarkably good cup of coffee if you aren't a hug-person) and a thank you for keeping me company on this delightfully strange blogging adventure. Whether we bump into each other here, somewhere on social media, or out in the physical world, I think the world is infinitely cooler w