This year has endured some extreme weather patterns throughout the country. Prolonged bouts of high heat, hurricane-like winds, torrential rains and hail have hammered areas from spring into summer. These extreme weather patterns can take a toll on finished items while in transit, as well as once reaching their destinations. A few years back excessive hot weather in Arizona caused us to rethink some of the glues used in the making of our products. Products which originally had a season, the colder fall and winter months, are now in demand throughout the year. Not a bad thing! However, industrial hot melt glues do not fare well in excessive prolonged heat, inside or out. The extreme heat this year has had an occasion to create failure in some of our alternative glues, creating a need to adapt how some items are constructed. One failure is too many in our book.
Garden of Blood & Bone has always utilized natural materials when at all possible. Items made by nature are Earth friendly. What comes from the Earth returns to the Earth as was intended by nature. However, sometimes we are forced to make a compromise to ensure the integrity of our products. This summer our Baron Samedi Voodoo staff has recently received an upgraded staff due to hot weather issues. The original design utilized cotton bound real bamboo poles, which later became segmented in half and connected via brass cane connectors. A redesign created as a result of the dimensional weight calculation instituted by usps several years back, essentially doubling and tripling shipping costs. Segmenting cut down on length which in turn kept shipping costs reasonable. Once again Garden of Blood & Bone has risen and adapted to circumstances.
The Baron Samedi staff itself has been upgraded to a more durable design, inspired by nature. A synthetic alternative molded from real bamboo for a natural look. Every characteristic of bamboo has been reproduced to deliver a perfect replica, which is cotton bound to maintain the original look. Devil's in the details after all. The upgraded highlights are as follows;
Each segment has a threaded design to maximize seamless installation, efficiency and stability, eliminating the glued brass connector with potential to fail in excessive heat.
Made from 50% recycled bamboo and 50% recycled resin to promote conservation.
100% recyclable and eco-friendly.
The A-6 special reinforced resin is highly resistant to mechanical impact and high temperature - split and crack resistant.
Non-toxic
Biodegradable
New Editions
This spring we released several West African based mixed divination tray sets in various sizes. The release was scheduled for January of 2023, but complications arose in the wood used for the divining trays. This was resolved by using a tropical mango wood which is durable and hardy in temperature and humidity changes. It's core visual characteristics are similar to Teak. However, the population of the Mango tree can be more quickly replenished than those of teak making it highly sustainable. As a result the wood is also more affordable than its hardwood counterparts.
The fascinating texture of mango gives this wood a special appeal, with colors ranging from dark tones to light brown, sometimes with a hint of pink. This coloring accents the diagrams engraved or burned into the divining trays. As with many other types of woods, Mango wood will slowly get darker with age. Mango’s hardwood consists of very dense grain that is durable, strong, yet easily workable, lasting for decades. It has a strength comparable to Ash and Oak, making it a good choice for divining trays.
Mango wood doesn’t require much maintenance which is great, but during dry weather it is prone to get dehydrated. If the wood is exposed to heat sources or the sun, cracks can form relatively easily. A good polish will prevent the wood from cracking, but also make its unique grain stand out.
Fun Fact;
Various parts of Mango trees (including its fruit) are today used in traditional medicine to create various remedies and for the cooking of countless types of food. Bark, laces, steam, and unripe fruits have all been proven to have antibiotic properties, which can be absorbed by our body without special processing and preparation.
OOAK Fetiches
Several one of a kind fetiches have made their way to new homes this summer. These will not be released as new items. However, variations may be released in the near future. Commissions are always considered.
Protection / healing fetiche Songye Bocio Jar Fetiche
The fall and winter holiday seasons are fast approaching and orders are beginning to come in. The frequency will determine new items that may be released before the new year. Stay tuned in the coming months. Subscribers receive newsletters on new items, special discounts and updates first.
As always, thank you for your interest in my craft!
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