Making Lavender Wands

In honor of lavender season coming to an end in Provence and those last few sprigs in the garden, today is an easy homemade gift idea of Lavender Wands. Keep reading for:

THE HOW-TO >

Also known as lavender bottles it's said that these bundles of dried lavender were originally given as an engagement gift for scenting the brides to be's dowry chest back in the old country. Then in Victorian times they became a popular craft for use in scenting linen drawers and to chase away pesky moths. Next to sage smudge sticks these are one of my personal favorites to make as the scent of French lavender lingers for ages in such a calming way.

What You Will Need:

- 15 to 25 stalks of fresh lavender
- A ribbom
- Essential oil of lavender (optional)

How To Make Them:

Gather your bundle of lavender and tie a ribbon to the base of where the lavender buds start. If you wish, this is the time a few drops of essential oil of lavender can be applied to the flower buds and allowed to soak in.

Spin the bouquet around to invert it ans start pulling the green stems down over the buds.

Now it does look rather bottle-esk, start weaving the one end of the ribbon around between the stems basket style.

Personally I like to keep the weave on the looser side so that the lavender flowers on the inside are not crushed and also so there is enough air flow so that everything dries properly without growing mold or mildew.

Keep weaving until you get to the end and tie off with a bow, trimming the excess ribbon.

Allow to fully dry and you're done!

For more on drying herbs and flowers see this previous post over here.

To refresh a drop or two of essential oil of lavender really does the trick.

Images: by Magda K. and  mam for Gave That