| LAVENDER GIFTS DRYING LAVENDER It's really easy to dry lavender, gather the lavender in bunches (about a good handful), and tie the stems together with either a cord, raffia or ribbon, leaving enough left over so you can tie it onto a hanger or over a closet rod. (You'll be drying the lavender upside down.) Then, just hang the lavender in a closet to dry, or out in the open if you want to use it decoratively while it's drying. I've even pounded a couple of nails into my kitchen wall and hung the lavender to dry that way! How wonderful to have so much lavender, there is alot you can do with it. Dreampillows, bathoils, bath salts, potpourri, lavender water........yum! LAVENDER WATER Be sure to save the water used in the process - it's called a "hydrosol" and is great to spritz yourself with as it has properties of the laveder in it. If you'd like to learn more about hydrosols and how they can benefit you, there is a website that has great information on it. www.aromaticplantproject.com LAVENDER OIL The only way to obtain pure lavender oil is to distill the plant material. If you are interested in doing a home distillation, Jeanne Rose's book Aromatherapy: Applications & Inhalations has a chapter on distillation and tells you how to build a small, basic home still. If you just want to obtain lavender scented oil, all you have to do is place the lavender buds in a glass jar and cover the buds with vegetable oil such as Sweet Almond, grapeseed, hazelnut, or olive oil (or you could mix all those oils together!) cover, and let steep in a cool dark area for a few weeks. (an old spaghetti jar works great) A good source of the vegetable oils is www.aromaland.com, or you can get them from the health food store and olive oil is available at the grocery store. The oil will take on the fragrance of the lavender and it makes a great body oil. After the lavender is done steeping, you could strain the lavender buds out, pour it into pretty glass bottles and give them as gifts or just keep for yourself. LAVENDER CANDLES Materials: Dried stems of lavender Pillar candles Wax glue Double saucepan Dipping can Small paintbrush 2 lb. parafin wax Deep saucepan 1. Sort out some good straight stems of lavender and cut them approximately �" shorter than the candle you're decorating. 2. Melt a little waz glue over hot water in a small double saucepan. With a small paintbrush put spots of the melted glue onto the candle where you want the lavender. It dries quickly. Press the lavender onto the candle for a few seconds while it dries. 3. Continue sticking the lavender around the candle leaving between � & � " between each stem and varying the heights. 4. Put the dipping can full of parafin in the double boiler and melt the wax. 5. Holding the candle by the wick, dip quickly in and out of the melted wax to coat the lavender and candle. Usually you only need to dip twice as more dippings will make the lavender less noticable |