I was out in the yard clipping back some overgrown hedges last weekend and some of the shrubs that required trimming were my lavender varieties. Then I remembered that I forgot to share this sweet and simple sewing project that I made last year for Souvenir Magazine.

Lavender is my favorite botanical scent, and I’m lucky to have a few dozen plants that thrive and produce dried lavender every year, but you can also find dried lavender buds online -  check Etsy! I gave a few of these to my sister in law, and I use them in my dresser drawers. The scent of lavender is therapeutic and these are easy enough to make as a gift for moms, sisters, friends, and teachers too.

Supplies you’ll need to make them: 5-6 oz. dried lavender, 3 cups rice; simple cotton or linen cloth (4 layers cut into 6″ x 6″ squares for each); pale purple and green embroidery thread, embroidery needle, small embroidery hoop, sewing machine.

Mix the dried lavender with a few cups of rice. You can also add a few drops of lavender essential oil to intensify the scent.

Read the rest of this entry »

My sister’s birthday is coming up this month so I wanted to make her something nice that I know she’d appreciate. I also like a hot bath at the end of the day especially since I’m exercising and eating raw foods and my body is rebelling (“Where’s the cheese? You’ve always fed me cheese! Where’s the d*#$ cheese lady?”) and as a result I’m a hint cranky. 

Plus there’s the whole kids home from school this week and climbing the walls and they’ve already played with their toys 3½ times and watched those two movies I bought, and they’re all “Get out of my room, stop touching me, Mom we’re boooored”.  So bottom line: momma needs a little aromatherapy. 

I go to Whole Foods maybe five times a year, and I stay away mostly because their prices are kinda obscene. My friend Staci calls Whole Foods ‘Whole Paycheck’ and that girl is right on. But the only place I could think of in town to buy the trifecta of ingredients for this latest concoction (essential oil, sea salt, and body oil) was Whole Foods, and since I’m a one stop shopper with kids in tow, I made the trip. 

I took some pretty pictures (with the lens I mentioned here) of the process and officially apologize for the next sentence which sounds like a commercial. A gentle rub with sea salt will exfoliate the skin and the essential oils possess beneficial moisturizing qualities and antioxidants!

To make your own, first equip yourself with some decent containers. Canning jars, old jelly jars, even plastic containers with lids will do.  I chose these 12 oz. glass jars with plain lids from The Container Store since I wanted to give two away as gifts.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m still recovering from the Fourth of July dessert course.  And I still don’t have a working refrigerator (more on that later this week).  

I also have a serious bee problem because I have a ton of lavender on my property, which means my kids resist playing outside, and because I need my kids to play outside for their welfare and my sanity, I have decided that today is the day that I will definitely harvest all that remains of my French lavender.

This is just the beginning. 

I

And because there is just no way that I can keep all, here’s my proposal.  I’ll harvest it and giveaway fresh bundles this week.  Would you like some? 

I’ll fill a USPO medium flat rate box with several bunches of French lavender and ship it to five people later this week (randomly selected by Random.org).  Giveaway ends tonight at midnight PST.

Simply leave a comment to be eligible to win some.

Bee back soon  (couldn’t resist).

** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED **

. 

Yes, there is another reason why I love June.  June is when the bees start buzzing because like me, they are drawn to nature’s perfect perennial: lavender.  June is the month when (at last!) my French lavender plants are finally ready for harvest.  

I wait patiently all year for these few weeks in June, and I do my best each season to create something new with my two dozen French lavender plants.  I’ve baked cakes and stitched linen eye pillows in the past.  This week, I made lavender lemonade and a summer wreath.   More on the wreath next week, but meanwhile . . .    

Don’t you love lemonade? 

Could anything define summer more than this beverage?  I think only iced tea could compete, but there is something about that taste of citrus poured over ice that forces one to pause and appreciate the simple pleasures of summer.

How to Make Lavender Lemonade

Combine ¾ cup of water with ½ cup of sugar in a saucepan.  Bring to a low boil and stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat.  Add 3-4 organic lavender buds to heated sugar water mixture and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

Prepare frozen lemonade as directed, minus 1 cup of water.  Remove lavender buds from sugar mixture, then pour sugar water into prepared lemonade and add fresh slices of lemon.  

For color (optional), mix ¼ cup of water with one drop of blue food coloring and one drop of red food coloring. 

Read the rest of this entry »