Cabin-Woods Lane

Serenity on Cabin-Woods Lane. I love this winding two-tire road with grasses and flowers growing in the center. It meanders through the woods from gate to cabin. Mid-summer, Brent will mow this half-mile stretch, but until then I'll enjoy it's wildness and fragrant greenness. Coco went walking with us today and enjoyed the lane as much or more than we did! She explored every nook and cranny along the way. Tonight she's exhausted! She did very little napping while at the cabin, as she was too busy waiting patiently at the base of evergreen trees for chipmunks to chase. Fortunately the chipmunks on the mountain are VERY wise! As a result, she slept all the way home, missing the bull elk with his harem of 15 and a young one or two. They leisurely checked us out, so we stopped the truck and turned off the motor, simply enjoying watching them as they fed and climbed to a higher hillside ridge. Farther down the mountain, a pair of young, two-point bucks in full velvet were as curious about us as we were of them. They gazed at us from roadside before they romped away into the trees along the berm. It was a lovely day --- the kind that you don't want to end quite yet.

Hospitality House for Mr. and Mrs. Bird

Last week-end when we were wandering on the mountain, we found the side latch open on this birdhouse we had fastened to a tree several years before. Brent peered inside and it was empty, so he closed the door and latched it securely. Today, as we wandered again, he happened to open the latch to look inside. There was a perfect nest, ready for a new bird family. How exciting it will be to watch little ones grow, right at eye-height as we take gentle peeks in through the latched side door! It's always amazing what can happen in the span of one short week!

Lavender Bottles

Lavender bottles are a beautiful and fragrant way to embellish your lingerie drawers or armour shelf. They are quite simple and quick to create. Whereas the lavender bud cannot be seen when stems and flower stalks are woven into lavender wands, the lavender bottle allows for the bud to be seen and enjoyed. Pink, white, lavender, and purple lavenders can all be crafted into bottles for variety in color and even in fragrance. Once made, a lavender bottle is hidden among lingerie to add fragrance --- and as the stem and bud dries, little bits of bud fall into the garments, adding a Victorian effect and allowing the fragrance to meld with fine and delicate fabrics. Pure delight! After a time, the lavender fragrance may seem minimal. When this happens, just squeeze the bottle gently in your hands, crushing the dried bud and activating the sweet fragrance.

To make a lavender bottle:

Gather about 20 long lavender spikes with bud. It's best if the bud is just ready to bloom. Generally, once lavender has bloomed it's "too late". If that's all you have, don't worry --- just use it. I love to see the lavender on the plant and frequently harvest too late, simply because I enjoy the lavender in my garden so much!

The technique for a lavender bottle starts out much like the lavender basket. It's best to harvest lavender and then allow it to rest for a day or two before crafting. Just set the lavender spikes on a sheet or towel in a protected place without direct sunlight. Once the spikes wilt a day or two, they are more flexible and easier to use.

Bunch all the bud on spike together so that they are all together in a floral bouquet. Leave the stems as long as possible, but snip them with scissors at the bottom so they are all the same length.

Tie a piece of ribbon around stems at the very base of floral bouquet (for the basket this knot is lower on the spike). Secure tightly and snip off ends of ribbon. The knot should be small so it's easy to hide

Fold the stems backwards, up towards the lavender bouquet. Arrange each stem around the flowers in a pretty manner. Try to keep them from stacking on top of one another.

Once this is done, tie the end that's now at what was the top of the lavender bouquet with ribbon and secure tightly. Trim off ends of ribbon.

Wrap a long piece of ribbon around base of bulb several times and then wind it up and down the long stems, creating a criss-cross effect. At the base of the stems, wrap in a circle once or twice and then wind ribbon back up towards the base of the bulb. Tie off by looping through itself and then cut ribbon (attaching end with craft glue).

Add a bow with streamers at the base of the bulb. Add a ribbon loop through the other end of the bulb and tie into a pretty bow with streamers.

Allow to dry --- and enjoy! You may add another bow to the base of the stems also if you desire.

The lavender in the photo is "Melissa", a pink lavender.

More Lavender Baskets

Here are several more lavender baskets, these without handles. A small magnet glued to the back of each will make these lovely refrigerator magnets. They differ slightly from one another. The pink one is woven through each stem while the purple is woven around sets of two stems and the lavender through sets of three.

Lavender Baskets

Lavender baskets are fragrant, pretty, and easy to make. This one took me about an hour to create. After it dries, the flowers will retain their lavender appearance and will make a pretty addition to home decor throughout the winter months.