Rose Petal Beads
What You Need:
4 cups dried rose petals
Coffee or spice mill OR mortar and pestle
Cast-iron pot/cauldron
Bottled rosewater
2-quart glass or porcelain bowl
1/4 cup flour
Rose essential or fragrance oil
Large plate or tray
Carpet thread
Darning needle
Coat hanger
Beading thread
Instructions:
Pulverize the petals with a mortar and pestle, coffee or spice mill until they're finely powdered.
In a cast-iron pot/cauldron, blend the rose petal powder with enough rosewater to make a mash. Simmer on the stove for 30 minutes, stirring often.
Add rosewater as needed to prevent scorching. Repeat the simmering process three days in a row, leaving the mash in the pot from day to day. The mash will gradually react with the iron and turn black.
Place the mash in a glass or porcelain bowl. Blend in the flour to form a dough. If you don't shape the beads right away, cover the dough and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
To shape beads, pinch off bits of dough; roll them between your thumb and forefinger into smooth, pea-size spheres. Dab your fingertips with rose essential oil to intensify the beads' fragrance as you shape them.
Set the finished beads on a large plate. String the beads onto 15-inch lengths of carpet thread, knotted at one end, using a darning needle. Push the needle through the center of each bead; slide the bead onto the thread.
Tie strands of beads to the bottom of a hanger; knot each strand to secure it. Hang the beads to dry in a warm, dark place. Each day, gently slide the beads up and down each thread to prevent them from sticking to it. Beads dry completely in a week to 10 days.
Restring on beading thread in desired length. Attach a clasp, or tie the strand with a knot.
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