Lavender Hearts

Delicate, fragrant lavender hearts make a charming accent. Hang several hearts in a group around a favorite picture.

Materials: 12-inch square piece of thin cardboard or newspaper White glue Small dish 9 inches 20- or 22-gauge florist's wire 1 roll 1/2-inch green or brown florist's tape 1/2 cup lavender flowers Small paintbrush 2 8-inch lengths satin ribbon (1/8-inch wide) Quick-drying glue 1 Rosebud 3 to 4 uva-ursi or boxwood leaves

Instructions:

1.	Place a piece of cardboard over the work surface. Pour some white glue into a small dish. Bind the florist's wire with the florist's tape, pulling and stretching the tape so that it covers the wire smoothly.
2.	Shape the tape wire into a heart and tightly twist the two ends of the wire together. Cover any sharp ends where they join with another piece of florist's tape.
3.	Make a 4-5" square bed of lavender on the cardboard. Then, with a paintbrush, coat the wire heart thickly with the glue.
4.	Place the heart onto the lavender bed. Using your fingers, cover the heart with the lavender flowers. Allow it to dry in the lavender bed.
5.	Tie one piece of ribbon around the center point of the top of the heart to form a loop for hanging.
6.	Tie the other piece of ribbon into a simple bow with two loops and two tails. Attach the bow with a few dabs of glue.
7.	Place a drop of quick-drying glue on the base of the rosebud and tuck it into the center of the bow.
8.	Glue the uva-ursi or boxwood leaves, one leaf at a time, around the rosebud, hiding their stem ends under the rosebud to give the appearance of a green halo surrounding the flower.

Potpourri and Fragrant Crafts, by Betsy Williams. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. ©1996. Page 102-103.