How to Make a Besom (Witch's Broom)

A Besom (Witch's Broom) is a great way to spice up your fall decor. And, it is super easy to make!!

What you'll need:

Birch Twigs

Grapevine

Thick wood for handle

Wire for wrapping

~Gather a bunch of birch twigs and trim them down to the same basic length. 

~Find a strong stout stick for the handle. Traditionally it is made out of ash or hazel wood....I found a very cool crab apple branch with some sort of strong vine wrapped around it:

Too cool.
~Next, take your bunch of birch twigs and start gathering them into a bundle (with the thick ends at the top to be attached to the handle):

~Once you've got a nice thick bundle, fit the handle into the bunch and tightly wrap some floral wire around it in two different spots: wrap once near the end of the handle inside the twigs and another time near the thick end of the twigs up the handle a bit.

~Take some grapevine and wrap it around the areas with the wire.....just tuck the ends into the twigs and they should stay.

And, you've done it:

I shared this post at the following linky parties:

Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Thrifty Thursday 

A Marvelous Mess #32 and Features!!!

Well, it's fall......and I saw lots of fun fall themed projects this last party. We're even talking some Halloween stuff!! I have got some Halloween projects waiting for the right time....I guess it's here!!

Here are my fave's from last weeks party:

Champagne crate inspired table from Art is Beauty

Autumn Yarn Pumpkins from Everything Under the Moon

Measuring Cup/Spoon Display

And, the post I am going to feature on my sidebar is...........

Wedding Bells from Turning a House into a Home!!

This wedding looks SO fantastic. I absolutely love the apple centerpieces and all the fall inspiration....I know you'll love it too:

Thanks to all of you for linking up and don't forget to grab a featured button!!

<br /><center><a href="http://marvelouslymessy.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="A Marvelous Mess" src="http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/MarvelouslyMs/buttonbackground1-2.jpg" /></a></center>

Reading Tea Leaves

It's in my family to read tea leaves. My great grandmother could do it. Obviously, I was inspired at an early age to do some reading myself. I am totally loving my leopard pants and dirty socks in this picture....the dress my friend was wearing was one of my mothers and *coveted* by any girl who stayed at the house. It was way more gypsy than my costume.....then again.....that was probably just what I was wearing that day. :-) We were pretty retro back then.

Now, there are plenty of way to try and get your fortune read to you. Reading tea leaves is officially called Tasseography. If you would like to try to read your own tea leaves here is a basic guide:

~Make a cup of coffee with loose tea leaves.
~Drink the cup and leave a little liquid in the bottom to swirl the leaves around. 
~Swirl the last of the tea around and then drain the rest of the liquid. 
~Take a minute to focus your mind and look carefully for patterns in the tea leaves. 

Go HERE for a list of symbols and their meanings. Symbols close together are usually grouped to make a prediction.

Tea leaf reading probably originated in China, as tea was not introduced until the 1600's by Dutch traders. In some places, Turkish coffee has been used to read fortunes (with the same rules applying....drain the cup and swish the last bits around).  Other way to figure out your fortune include: tarot cards, numerology, melted wax readings, scrying (as in the picture above), astrology, augury....this list could go on for quite a while. One form of fortune telling that I have seen all my life is palmistry:

For more information on palmistry check out THIS site.

This post was written in association with Kasamba. All words and opinions are entirely my own.