Halloween Craft: How to Make a Smudge Stick

How to Make a Smudge Stick

Halloween Craft: How to Make a Smudge Stick

Halloween Party Host Gift Idea: Smudge Stick

Halloween is on a Friday this year, which means it’s time to par-TAY! (That’s “party” for those of you who haven’t been to one in a while.) I’ve got a few friends who are throwing bashes on Saturday too. It seems people’s need to get their “freak on” really  comes to life when Halloween falls on a weekend.

So with a growing list of ghoulish get-togethers, there’s not much time to think about a host/hostess gift. Mommy dearest says it’s NEVER polite to show up empty handed to these things, especially when it’s a Halloween party. I mean, your friends have gone to a lot of trouble to spook-out their home and create clever blood-and-guts themed cocktails. So you don’t want to arrive without a little somethin’-somethin’ to show your appreciation.

Yes, those novelty vampire wines are cute. Those Frankenstein cookies from the supermarket are easy – but  you can do better than that. How about making a smudge stick! Think about it – if your friends are going to fill their homes with Prom King Zombies and Sexy Witches then they’ll surely need something to purge all that evilness on the day-after.

If you’ve got an herb garden, you probably have everything you need to make a few homemade smudge sticks. If not, pick up fresh herbs from the grocery store. It’s just that simple.

Halloween Craft: How to Make a Smudge Stick

You only need two things:

  • Herbs (I suggest rosemary, sage, lavender and mint.)
  • Cotton twine or string (Nothing synthetic.)

Here is how you put your smudge stick together

  • Cut your herbs to six inches in length. You can make them as long as you want, but six inches is a good size.
  • Lay your herbs on top of each other. Bunch enough herbs together until it’s about an inch thick.
  • With a long piece of  string, wrap the bottom of the herbs together. Loop it several times to secure it.
  • Wind your string around the length of the herb bunch, pulling the herbs in tightly.  You can do fancy loops or just a simple wrap – whatever holds the bunch together.
  • When you get to the top of your bunch, wind the string around the end of the smudge stick several times, similar to the way you did at the other end.
  • Tie off your string and BOOM! You’ve got a smudge stick!

Halloween Craft: How to Make a Smudge Stick

The herbs in your smudge stick need to dry before using. A few weeks works best. If you’re making this the night before your Halloween party, then tell your party host to simply hang the smudge stick somewhere in their home until the herbs are dried out.

For those of you who are into this kinda stuff, certain herbs mean different things. Sage drives out negativity. Lavender creates harmony and tranquility. Rosemary brings calmness. Mint, well – it just smells nice! Hocus-pocus stuff aside, once dried and lit, these herbs give off a wonderful aroma.

If your host is totally creeped-out by the idea of a smudge stick, just tell them it’s an all-natural air freshener. But I’m guessing they’ll get a kick out of your homemade, spirit-inspired gift!

If you’d like to see what kind of herbs I use for my smudge sticks, check out this video.

Halloween Craft: How to Make a Smudge Stick

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