There are five basic steps in creating almost any magical tool. Whether it be a magical staff, a wand, a cloak, a wooden athame, or even a drinking horn, the process is much the same.
Finding: This is the easiest part! When you are walking through the woods, down the shore at the beach, even in the city, have you ever noticed how certain stones seems to call to you? How certain sticks seem to make you pause for just a moment? While the reasons for this attraction will be dealt with in other materials, those natural items that seem to jump out from the background of the world around you are the raw materials for magical tools. If you decide to take one with you, (over time you'll learn which pieces just want to be noticed and which want to go home with you), leave a biodegradable gift in its place. Scatter some birdseed and ask the birds to bless the area with their songs. In the springtime, you can leave a few small twigs or dry grass for nesting marterial. (Who carries this sort of stuff with them, you ask? Sylvan witches do!). If you don't have anything to leave, bless the energy of the place by picking up some of the garbage that's in the place and take that with you as well. Or if the area is clean and pristine, simply close your eyes and send out your thanks to the world around you. One of the most important concepts in Slyvan Witchcraft is living in balance. Try to never take more than you give and do your best not to have a detrimental impact on the world around you.
Listening: Once you have the raw materials for the tool and are ready to begin its crafting, take the wood or stone in your hand and clear your mind. With you eyes open, turn the material over in your hands, "listening" with your eyes to the material you hold. Shapes and designs will slowly begin to make themselves known to you. Perhaps you will only recieve a rough idea of how to begin. If that is the case, proceed slowly, stopping often in the tool's crafting to listen to the piece, letting the material tell you how to shape it. It is best to work with the spirit of the material, allowing it to express itself in your work. Time and again, you will end up with a wonderful tool, rich in power and magic. And all you have to do is listen.
Bringing to life: As you begin to shape your tool, speak to it, either aloud or in your mind, telling it your intentions, visualizing the rituals you will do with it. As you do this, you will not only connect with the tool's energy from the very beginning, but you will also align it magically for the purposes you intend.
Blessing: Once your tool has been crafted, a simple cleansing and blessing is needed. While there are a variety of ways to cleanse tools, only a few of them are immediate. Emmersing the tool in any of the Elements will do the trick. For example, you could quickly run it through a candle flame (Fire), sink it into a dish of salt (Earth), submerge it in Water, or move it magically through the Air and blow on it. For certain tools, you may want to cleanse it in all four Elements. If this is necessary and you've followed the above steps, you will know that you need to do this. If you choose to use a single Element to cleanse a tool, choose the Element whose properties you wish to have absorbed into the tool. As you cleanse the item, say something simple like, "By the power of Air, I cleanse this wand and call it blessed. May it carry my intent on magical winds to the ears of spirits that may aid me in my magic."
Charging: Depending upon the tool and what you wish to use it for, you may choose one of the following ways to charge the item (or even come up with a technique totally your own). To charge an item sacred to the Goddess with Lunar energy, simply cast a Circle on the full moon and follow the steps similar to the cleansing above. But instead of using an Element's properties to connect with the tool, you are using moonlight and the Goddess to bless it. In the example above, the wand that was to be used in nurturing magic could be connected with Air (to carry your intent) and the Mother aspect of the Goddess. Dependening upon your need, you may choose to charge the tool in various phases of the moon, but that is more indepth than space allows here.
If you intended to bless an item sacred to the God (for instance, an athame), you would hold a ritual similar to the above, but do it in the sunlight (even that streaming through your bedroom window).
Alternatively, you can simply still your mind and, holding the tool in your projecting hand, "push" your own energy into the item. While a bit draining (unless you are experienced in energy work and capable of establishing a ciruit between yourself, the tool, and the Elemental energy -- ie the Earth), this method works well.