Craft a Pretty Lavender Rectangle Wreath
Is your lavender looking a little spent? You can give it new life by turning the dry stalks into a pretty rectangular leaf base that can be updated season by season. Wreaths are quite a seasonal thing, but holiday-specific wreaths can only get a little bit of use before the next holiday is upon us. I prefer to have wreaths, particularly in the fall and winter, that can change WITH the seasons and holidays. Enter the rectangular twig wreath! This is a sweet and simple base wreath that can be easily updated with more holiday-specific accents. The star above works well for fall and into Christmas, but hanging a cluster of red berries or jingle bells for Christmas, wrapping orange and yellow bittersweet around the edges for fall or even pretty baby's breath for spring would be pretty!
Supplies:
- Twigs (I am using lavender for the smell and straight stems)
- Jute or other natural string
- Various (inexpensive!) Grapevine "Add-ons"
Instructions:
The first task is to heads outdoors to collect some dry branches, twigs or stems from the garland. For this rectangular wreath, your priority is a STRAIGHT growth habit. If you are making a round wreath, you can use more "twisty" branches. I choose lavender because the stems are very consistent in length and straightness. I also chose lavender because working among that smell is DIVINE. Also, honey + butter + lavender + homemade scones. Yes.
Start by removing the dry lavender flowers from each stem by pinching them
and dragging them off the end of the stem. Save the flowers for another use!!
I like to strip them off directly into a plastic bag. Less mess!
As you strip the flowers, line up the branches in a square or rectangle, overlapping the corners.
This is like a game of pick-up sticks almost. You WANT the sticks to cross
several times for greater strength instead of laying one whole side clump on top of another.
Once you have all the sides with a similar amount of twigs,
start wrapping your string or jute around the corners and knot.
Loop the jute around the clusters of sticks to secure them and offer textural interest.
Happy Crafting!
If you liked this tutorial, then you might enjoy the BOOK!
Make your own coconut oil.
Gather your own sea salt.
Grow your own grapevines for wreaths.
Give gifts naturally grown and crafted from your backyard garden.
Each chapter focuses on a plant or groups of plants and how to grow them in your home garden. Then, gather up those natural ingredients and get crafting! From lavender wreaths and hypertufa planters to lambsear angels and pickled tomatoes, there are projects for beginners on up!
Crafting with Nature is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, POWELL's! (!!!!) Booktopia (Australia!), IndieBound, Alibris, Glose.com, The Book Depository and Walmart.com. Books are also rolling out to retailers and libraries, so check for them there.
If your library does NOT have it yet, this is why you should talk to your librarian!
