Lavender is one of my absolute favorite flowers.
Besides the fact that I love purple and adore the way lavender smells, it is also very evocative for me.
Lavender makes me think of summer, of the buds releasing their scent into the sun's heat. It makes me think of the soporific droning of bees buzzing. It reminds me of southern France, the summer I spent with family there during high school, and how we'd walk through Medieval streets to the food market to buy fresh goat cheese or vegetables.
In short, lavender makes me think of living life more slowly and savoring the experience.
With our summer trip on my mind, I decided to put together an ultimate lavender crafts tutorials roundup!
Because I always have culinary lavender and lavender essential oil at home, I'm also including tutorials for a lavender sea salt scrub, simple mini lavender bunches, and a lavender pomander!
This post may include affiliate links, which means I may make a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
What are the types of lavender?
Let's start off with a little discussion about lavender, the types of lavender that are available, and where you can get lavender for crafts and culinary explorations.
As you probably already know, lavender is highly-regarded as a natural way to reduce anxiety and stress, help heal burns, alleviate headaches, repel annoying insects, and much more. It's been used as a perfume, medicinally, and religiously since the time of the ancient Egyptians!
Your intended use should guide the variety of lavender you purchase or plant.
Lavender is a member of the mint family and, just like there are different varieties of mint (chocolate mint, peppermint, spearmint, etc.), there are different varieties of lavender that grow in particular regions and have specific advantages.
- English lavender is native to the Mediterranean but grows well in the English climate. It's more cold-tolerant than some other varieties, and tends to grow long stalks with beautiful, deep purple flowers. There are actually several types of English lavender - some grow even larger than the usual 2-3 feet tall. English lavender is a favorite for making ribbon wands and culinary lavender.
- French lavender prefers warmer climates with mild winters. It isn't as delicious for culinary purposes, but it's lovely for landscaping and works well for wreaths, potpourri, and sachets.
- Portuguese or spike lavender also prefers a warmer, drier climate. Its flowers tend to be lighter purple, and the plant is strongly aromatic.
- Spanish lavender or butterfly lavender tends to tolerate higher humidity than English lavender. Interestingly, the flowers are not aromatic, but the silvery leaves are!
- Lavandin, a hybrid lavender, combines the heat tolerance of Portuguese lavender with the cold tolerance of English lavender, which makes it versatile variety. Both the flowers and leaves are aromatic.
These are just a few of the more common types of lavender - there are even more! For detailed information on lavender varieties and their uses, I recommend looking for a book like The Lavender Lovers Handbook or Growing and Using Lavender.
And, of course, you can always use lavender essential oil! Essential oil is frequently used in sprays, soaps, and other lavender-self care protects. There are many brands of pure essential oils available - whichever your favorite is, please ensure you use actual lavender essential oil, not a fragrance oil.
If you're a serious lavender lover and live in a climate conducive to growing lavender, you may enjoy reading about how to cultivate your own lavender. {{BTW - if you climate or soil aren't right for lavender, it can grow in pots and even indoors!}}
If you already have some lavender but want more, this post on how to propagate lavender from cuttings by Get Busy Gardening is sure to help you out!
Maybe you're lucky enough to have some lavender growing around your house, but you aren't sure how to use it. This guide to harvesting English lavender from Garden Therapy can help!
Kimberly Hites also has advice on Drying your own Lavender.
Not in a situation to grow or harvest your own lavender? Me neither. (Hopefully one day!) I typically purchase organic culinary lavender on Amazon, but you can sometimes find it at local speciality and organic stores.
Purchasing fresh lavender online, especially in large quantities for an event, can take some planning ahead. Sunshine Lavender Farm allows you to place advance, bulk orders for fresh lavender. Victor's Lavender farm in Washington state sells both wholesale and retail, plus they have free farm tours if you're ever in the area! There may also be local lavender growers in your area - check at farmer's markets or natural food stores to see if you can buy local!
There are also a variety of dried lavender options available online. You can choose from dried lavender stalks and dried lavender buds. The buds typically cost less, but you can't use them for making wreaths or bouquets. Craft-quality lavender buds work well for sachets, pomanders, heat packs, and other, similar projects. Let your intended use be your guide!
Lavender sea salt scrub recipe
Lavender is always popular for self care products! To get the self care lavender crafts roundup started off, let's take a look at a super simple lavender sea salt scrub recipe. You can use this as an exfoliating scrub or a delightful bath soak! You'll need:
- A clean glass jar (may I suggest upcyling a jar from jam, honey, or a sauce?)
- 1 cup dead sea salt (or another course sea salt)
- 10 drops lavender essential oil, or to suit your personal 'taste'
- 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil (or jojoba or fractured coconut oil)
- A small spoonful of lavender buds - optional
Increase or decrease the ingredients, while maintaining the same ratios, to change the size of your batch.
To make a simple lavender sea salt scrub:
- Pulse your salt in a food processor, if desired. You can also grind half a cup until it's relatively fine and then combine the fine & coarse sea salts for a fun texture difference!
- Stir in the essential oil, almond oil, and lavender buds. Mix until fully combined and then transfer to your prepared jar. If desired, decorate the jar with lace, ribbons, lavender sprigs, etc.
- Use as a scrub or a soak, or give as a gift.
Now let's move on to the lavender self care crafts roundup!
Lavender bath & body recipe roundup
Lavender Linen Spray from Design Sponge
Homemade Lavender Bath Salts from Lia Griffith
Soothing Lavender Mint After Sun Spray from The Artisan Life
Lavender Bath Bombs from Mama Instincts
Lavender Oatmeal Soap from Beauty Crafter
Homemade Lavender Deodorant from Six Dollar Family
10 Minute Honey Lavender Soap from Happiness is Homemade
Lavender Milk Bath from My Frugal Adventures
Lavender Loofah Soap from A Pumpkin & A Princess
Lavender Coconut Oil Bath Melts from Rebooted Mom
DIY Bug Bite Relief from Attainable Sustainable
Lavender Crafts
One of the simplest ways to bring lavender into your home is by hanging bunches of dried lavender. These bunches don't have to be huge - they can be small and cute!
To make a decorative mini-bunch of lavender to hang in your kitchen, a window, or wherever feels right in your home, grab a small handful of lavender, a pair of scissors, and twine. You may also want some burlap, ribbon, or lace if you're feeling fancy!
If you have fresh lavender, consider breaking the stems with your thumbnail instead of cutting. This can help reduce the likelihood that the stem will split and tear. The same strategy can work with dry lavender, too!
If this isn't your style, cut several springs to roughly the same length using your scissors. You're just looking to make a mini bunch, so don't make the pieces to long.
The easiest way to make a mini bunch is to cut two pieces of twine, each about 12-14" long. Make one into a loop and lay the loose ends on top of/parallel to the lavender stalks. Use a second piece to wrap the stalks and first piece of twine tightly, then tie with a square knot to secure.
For a more polished appearance, wrap the lavender stems in burlap, lace, or ribbon. Secure in place with a dab of hot glue or another piece of twine.
These mini lavender bunches are perfect for hanging in your kitchen or in a windowsill. To freshen up your house, trying hanging a couple on your air intake vent!
Lavender pomander tutorial
Another fun way to bring lavender into your life is with a lavender pomander. You can make a small one and hang it in your car or you can make large lavender pomanders to use as a kissing ball at a DIY wedding!
To make a lavender pomander, you'll need
- A styrofoam ball - I recommend looking for a denser "smooth foam" ball
- A hook eye - I used a 3/16" brass hook eye. These can be found at most hardware stores
- PVA ("white") glue - I recommend Original Tacky Glue
- Purple craft paint
- A paintbrush - I used a ½" flat brush
- Lavender buds
- Twine or ribbon
How to make a lavender pomander
Screw your hook eye into your foam ball. If it has a hole from the manufacturing process, place the hook eye opposite the hole so hole faces the ground when the ball is hanging. If your foam isn't dense or the hook eye feels wobbly, secure it in place with a dab of glue.
Give the ball a light coat of purple paint. Purple showing through is much more attractive than seeing white foam on the finished pomander! Use the hook eye as a handle to hold the ball so you can paint it in one go.
After the paint has dried, use a clean brush or your finger to coat the ball with glue. Pat lavender buds in place to coat the ball, adding extra glue as needed. Once the glue has dried, feel free to add a second coat of glue and lavender buds, if you'd like. When you're happy with how your pomander looks, thread ribbon or twine through the hook eye and tie it off in a loop to create a hanger. Use and enjoy!
Now let's look at the roundup of lavender crafts! There are lots of fun and unique options to choose from:
Lavender crafts to make
Simple Summer Lavender Wreath from Centsational Girl
Lavender Sage Rose Smudge Stick from The Chalkboard
How to Make a Lavender Wand from A Sonoma Garden
DIY Mini Bouquets from Wallflower Kitchen
Lavender Bubbles from A Little Tipsy
No Cook Lavender Play Dough from the Imagination Tree
Lavender Rosemary Wax Melts from Clean and Scentsible
Lavender Sachets with Vintage Fabric from Intimate Weddings
How to Sew a Rice and Lavender Heating Pad from Amy's Sandblog
DIY Lavender Smudge Bundles from Jenni Kayne
Lavender Doll Tutorial from One Inch World
Fresh Lavender Centerpiece from Everyday Dishes
Culinary Lavender Recipes
Have you put lavender to culinary uses? It can taste delightful in a variety of drinks and dishes, but it's particularly well-suited to delicious desserts!
Lavender Shortbread Cookies from Kevin Lee Jacobs
Lavender White Chocolate Macarons from Fresh New England
Airy Lavender Meringues from The Artisan Life
Lavender Cake with Lavender Cream Cheese Icing from Savor the Best
Iced Lavender Green Tea from My Recipes
Lavender and Lemon Cookies from Batter & Beat
Pink Lemonade Lavender Thyme Sorbet from Boulder Locavore
Lavender Scones from The Artisan Life
Lavender Vanilla Buttercream Frosting from Recipes with Essential Oils
Handmade Lavender Crafts to Buy
Is DIY not always your thing? Or maybe you have your heart set on a lavender craft that's a little above your current skill level? These lovely handmade lavender crafts could be just the thing for you!
These cute felted hearts aren't actually made from lavender, but the color is perfect!
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This sage and lavender smudge stick comes with a lovely piece of rose quartz!
I have a neck warmer with flaxseed and lavender. It's so relaxing and enjoyable to use! This lavender microwave heat pad looks even bette because it has a washable cover.
If you want a lavender bath bomb but don't feel like rounding up all the ingredients, this handmade lavender chamomile bath bomb is for you!
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All images are the property of their respective original posters/owners.
Judy Nolan
This certainly is the ultimate post about lavender! I love lavender for its aromatic qualities and its decorating potential. As I "toured" through your photos, I imagined the scent and thoroughly enjoyed the photos. Thank you!
Natashalh
So glad you enjoyed it! Lavender is such a delight. =)