Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Summer is Upon Us..... Sweet Smoke......

Gentle Friends - my post title is odd, but since I am stitching on an exchange piece I haven't a snaperoo of that, yet, so I will post other snaps...

The pool opened up a couple of weeks ago (here in SF to have a private pool is wonderful, and not very common) so when we all got notices that the heater was cranked up and we were able to swim again..... it was like a stampede of water buffalo to the river...

however in reality it was a little more like....


.... you can tell it's Summer by the fog bank pouring over Twin Peaks....
____________

As you may remember I am a big fan of incense - I burn the stuff all the time.  So, I thought why don't I try an make some of my own???  My sister and her family had given me a Gift Card from Mountain Rose Herbs, and they have a beginners "making your own Incense" kit... so I got one of these kits recently and tried my hand at making some....

  Here's all the stuff that came in the kit....


basically you take a "recipe" and measure everything into a mortar...

 take the pestle and grind and mix everything together making a very fine powder...


add enough water to make a sticky play-dough ball of raw incense...  (I made two types)


pinch off enough to make a small cones, shape with fingers and let dry for a few days.   Then ignite...


The first batch was hard to burn, so I re-ground the cones, added more of the Makko (ground bark binder) and reformed  the cones and those work just fine.  I was really surprised at how easy these are to make - I usually buy solid stick or coil, but you need a machine to make these types.  I like the idea of making specific types of incense and will be making more in the future.

That's about it for today sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,
edgar


13 comments:

  1. Enjoy the pool! That looks really inviting.
    I didn't know you could make your own incense? What a great idea. I like to burn essential oils. I'm not sure about incense, but I should give it a try. Thanks for the tutorial.
    Have a great rest of your week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Edgar,

    Blackboard crashed, so I'm taking a little break from my grad studies to see your little corner of San Fran. I had no idea you could make your own incense. I burn the cones occasionally so I might have to try it someday.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I bet your home smells wonderful Edgar

    ReplyDelete
  4. Making your incense? That's really cool! Enjoy the pool...

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you really wanted to, I bet you could use candy molds or similar to make them in custom shapes, too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, that's great you can make your own incense! I love burning it too. I have a store I go to that I call the witchcraft store, they sell all kinds of stuff, even love spells and stuff like that The have the best sticks, the shop owner's mother makes it, I usually go stock up when I am in the neighborhood I like it so much. I'm sure it's not good to breathe the stuff, but oh well! Myrrh and patchoulie are my favs.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, how cool is that! I never would have thought of making my own incense. I bet you will never need to buy any from this point on. Nice! Enjoy that pool -- looks refreshing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love seeing the fog coming over the mountains. The pool looks so refreshing! Who knew a person could make their own incense! That gift card was very thoughtful of your sister : )

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are too funny. That first pic is great! Your pool looks very inviting. Enjoy it this summer! I didn't know you could make your own incense. That is cool!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That pool sure looks refreshing!!! The incense making is so interesting. I love good smells in the home but never thought of making my own incense.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What an incredibly cool idea! I have a long list of "Make Your Own (fill in the blank).......cheese, hand dyed threads, pet treats, candles, bug repellent..... An eclectic list indeed. Now I can add incense to the list.
    Those water buffalo are hysterical. I think they would fall into the Make Your Own Cheese category!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The pool looks very inviting. We had one in New Hampshire (don't ask why anyone would build a non-heated pool there!!) and I really do miss it. Never would have thought of making your own incense, but it looks like fun

    ReplyDelete