Witch Krafting with Kat

Just a quick note to apologise for some gremlins that have occurred on my blog resulting in some links not working and Witchy Wednesday articles being published before their set time. Hopefully I have sorted them now! Thank you for those of you who informed me, much appreciated. Blogger are usually really reliable but like all things those cheeky gremlins do like to get into the works when we turn our backs! 🤣 Talking of gremlins here are some World War Two gremlin posters and other images! Just in case you want to know what they look like, in case you get a case of them!!!!! A gremlin is a mischievous folkloric creature invented at the beginning of the 20th century to originally explain malfunctions in aircraft, and later in other machinery, processes, and their operators. Depictions of these creatures vary widely. Stories about them and references to them as the causes of especially inexplicable technical and mental problems of pilots were especially popular during and after World W...

Toads & Frogs a Witchy Wednesday article  Welcome to another Witchy Wednesday, this week's is about Toads and their association rightly or wrongly with Witches and Witchcraft. A fascinating subject worthy of further studies. The links are articles I have found whilst researching the subject and which I found most interesting.  Julian Cox of Taunton and a man sit smoking by the hearth; a toad is by the feet of the man. Woodcut. Possibly created in 1700 AD. Pod Cast Toad Magic by Bone and Sickle.  BONE AND SICKLE  is a celebration of the intersection of horror, folklore, and history.  Every episode offers a bounty of frightful tales, fantastic legends, and macabre historical anecdotes harvested by eccentric artist, collector, and rogue folklorist Al Ridenour. I highly recommend a visit to their website.  http://boneandsickle.blubrry.net/ Update..... this link is currently not working. Will leave here for moment and update on any further information. ...

  Interesting article on English Heritage website.  https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/st-georges-day/9-things-you-didnt-know-about-st-george/ Back soon ........ remember to pop by on Wednesday for my Witchy Wednesday articles!  🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌿🌸🌿🌸 Some website links listed may contain Adult material which may not be suitable for children so I would advise visiting them before showing or allowing access to younger viewers. 🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸 🌿🌸🌿

Happy William Shakespeare Day National Shakespeare Day is celebrated annually on the 23rd of April on the anniversary of the bards death. Shakespeare was born in April possibly also on the 23rd though unproven. He was baptised on the 26th April 1564 at Holy Trinity in Stratford- Upon-Avon. On 23rd of April 1616 he passed away aged 52 and was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford. An article on the great Bard by Royal Shakespeare Company https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeares-life-and-times For Shakespeare quotes pease visit  https://www.weareteachers.com/shakespeare-quotes/ This site is great for schools, refresher on Shakespeare's work and home studies.

  Bluebells in April  One of my own photos taken at a local graveyard near to our home. Often you will see beautiful English Bluebells and other wild flowers quietly growing in local Churchyards and Graveyards as well a ancient woodlands.      The Bluebell flower fairy by Cicely      Mary Barker.  First published in 1923.  Bluebells growing in my little garden. April 2024.  Spring is definitely in the air with April showers, a good mix of sunshine, rain, hail, thunder storms and not so inviting gales! Also at long last the flowers are appearing and in my little garden the arrival of my Bluebells which bring me so much joy!  Bluebells are definitely a magical flower with folklore stories and tales going back centuries. From being used by fairies as bells to call together gatherings, from fairy hats, to being used in Witchcraft. Some stories are light hearted and others very dark warning off disrespecting them! To tread on Bluebe...

Firstly thank you for following my blog(s) I really appreciate you taking time to drop buy to read my articles, especially as I know a lot of you live very busy lives and spare time is something of a luxury.  I love writing my blog posts and will continue to share my love of Folklore, Witches and crafting. Obviously writing articles does take quite a bit of time and organisation. It takes me at least a couple of days, sometimes three, to research, find links, source images and piece articles together which is why I tend to keep it to one article for 'Witchy Wednesdays' and on a good month a couple of extra weekly postings! I am not the quickest worker and I am not a professional writer so I appreciate your patience and loyalty! 😁  This is one of the reasons I also use Instagram as it is a great way to post more instant and simpler postings. I often post daily especially via my 'witchkraftingwithkat' Instagram page. If you don't already follow me on Instagram and yo...

  Toadstones, also know as bufonite, are mythical stones that were thought to be found inside the head of a toad. They were believed to sweat, change colour or even heat up in the presence of poison. It was thought that a toadstone placed on bites from snakes, insects, spiders and shrews would extract poison from the wound. Image from The Hortus Sanitatis. 15th-century illustration showing the setting of a toadstone into a ring to use as a talisman for protection against poison. From the Hortus Sanitatis. William Shakespeare referred to toadstones in As You Like It. Sweet are the uses of adversity, which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head; and this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in every thing.” William Shakespeare As you like it Act 2, Scene 1. So what are toadstones? Toadstones are actually the fossilised teeth of Lepidotes, an extinct type of fish common i...

The Witches Dance  How I made this scene. Firstly I die cut my witches from a sturdy black card. You can get lots of wonderful Witch dies from Craft shops, Ebay and Amazon. If you don't have a suitable die cutter then fussy cut some Witch shapes ( fussy cut is a trendy way of saying cutting with scissors ✂️ )  I then glued my Witches onto a premade background. I had made the background by adding washes of ink onto watercolour paper.  I then painted the whole scene with a mixture of satin varnish and crackle glaze and left to thoroughly dry. Once dry I added white paint to add highlights to the Witches. The little stars were created by digital magic!  ✨ 🧹✨🧹✨🧹✨🧹✨🧹✨🧹✨🧹  

With so much history, it’s no wonder Britain has haunted places you can visit – or even stay, if you dare! From ancient castles to rambling old inns, and from mysterious tales to sunken villages… Please visit  https://www.visitbritain.com/ae/ar/node/49072 https://www.visitbritain.com/en

To those of you watching the Solar Eclipse later today have a wonderful time and of course please be careful, don't look directly at the sun.  Please visit these links for more information on the Eclipse, where to see it and how to safely observe it.  https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/solar-eclipses-explained https://www.itv.com/news/2024-04-08/best-time-and-place-to-see-the-solar-eclipse-in-the-uk https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68731785.amp https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/uk?iso=20240408&fbclid=IwAR39sifKAKIKJRGUzEQ1RKL3zJzLYwsi6UhbbI7WWtmdNb6J4n9spjvd_Uk

  This 'Witchy Wednesday' I thought it would be nice to re share with you how to make a miniature Witches Broom, also known as a Besom. These little brooms make magical gifts for friends, are excellent for use in magic making and are perfect projects for half term! These little brooms can easily be adapted for children's crafts by pre cutting sticks and substituting the wire for rubber bands. If using wire and clippers I recommend adult supervision or a project for older children. You will need.  Sticks. Please do not break twigs from trees! Only use what has naturally fallen from trees and bushes or been thoughtfully pruned from your own garden. 😊 You can also purchase pre cut sticks in Craft stores. Sturdy garden Secateurs ( garden pruners). String for broom bristles. Thread for tying.  Wire. PVA or UHU glue.  Ribbons and trimmings.  Assorted of metal charms. Taking your secateurs carefully snip off any thorns, little branches or leaves. I used some of my Bla...