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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sweet Lavender

Hi! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! It is cloudy here with overcast skies and constant drizzling for the last few days, but you won't hear any complaints from me as my yard badly needed some rain this summer. I wanted to share with you some of the lavender crafts I had fun playing with a couple weeks back:

Sweet smelling lavender! I love its heavenly fragrance and the many ways to enjoy its lingering perfume:
"Ladies fair, I bring to you
Lavender with spikes of blue;
Sweeter plant was never found........"
~Carly Battersby
A pocket full of lavender posies from my garden:
I made the tussie mussie cone with an 8 inch paper doily:
I wrapped it with twine and added a button as accent:
Popular during the Victorian era, tussie mussies add wonderful elegance to tabletops and vignettes:
To make the chalkboard garden tags, I simply glued a  craft stick to the back of a mini chalkboard frame from Jo Ann craft store:

I dry brushed a coat of gesso on it for some added texture:
Nothing says summer better than a pitcher of cold lavender iced tea: 
Served in chilled mason jars: 

Jars tied with raffia and sprigs of sweet lavender:

And garnished with fresh garden mint and a slice of lime:

So refreshing on a hot summer day:
Heat 1 quart of water in a saucepan until it begins to simmer:

 Remove from heat and add 4 tea bags, 
Add one teaspoon of coarsely ground fresh lavender blossoms, cover and steep for five minutes:


Strain into a heat-proof pitcher and let it cool:
I added lemon slices, fresh garden mint, and lavender ice-cubes as garnish for a cool and refreshing drink:
I used an old exterior shutter as a tray to serve the drinks:
For the lavender votives, first I tied the raffia around a clear glass votive:

Then I inserted previously-cut lavender stems through the raffia all around the candle holder:
Top-view:

Click HERE to view the tutorial for these decoupaged French pots:
I love the magical ambiance created by this lavender votives. They look so beautiful at dusk:

They are pretty in the afternoon:

But they look amazing at night:


I hope you enjoyed my lavender crafts. Thanks for your visit and all your encouraging comments. I love reading your sweet notes. 
 And my thanks to beautiful Yvonne @ Stone Gable for featuring my Map Box Project at her weekly linky party. And to sweet Cynthia @ Cloches and Lavender for nominating me for One Lovely Blog Award. I appreciate it ladies, and I'm so honored. Stop by and say hello to these amazingly creative ladies for a host of wonderful ideas:)
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, everyone!


Hugs,Poppy
Linking to:


50 comments:

  1. Just gorgeous. I want to lean in and smell that beautiful lavender. Love it around the votive glass candle holder and in the ice tea...beautiful and clever!!

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  2. Summer rain? I am so jealous. You have so many nice varieties of lavender. It is my favorite herb and I even throw it in the chicken coop. Love all the ways you have decorated it. So lovely. Would love it if you would share this at Sunny Simple Sundays. http://sunnysimplelife.blogspot.com/2012/07/sunny-simple-sunday-8.html

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  3. Je découvre un blog rempli de charme et d'authenticité... Merci de votre passage sur le mien.

    J'aime beaucoup la lavande... j'ai beaucoup de chance d'en avoir dans mon jardin. J'aime me rendre en Provence pour admirer les champs de lavande à perte de vue et qui ondulent sous le vent. Quel merveilleux spectacle...

    Une boisson très rafraîchissante que celle que vous nous proposez, j'arrive!...

    Je dois m'absenter jusqu'à la mi-septembre, mais dès mon retour je vous visiterai régulièrement.
    Gros bisous

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  4. Love these pictures and the lavender. Just beautiful setting.

    Cynthia

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  5. So enchanting! Thank you for sharing this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Hope to see your prettiness again on Monday. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  6. Your lavender is gorgeous! I grew lavender at my last home in SoCal. Couldn't wait for it to be ready to pick. I've tried a couple of times to grow it here in the south, but I think it's too hot :( stopping by from the Dedicated House.

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  7. I love your lavender crafts! I'm definitely going to make some of the tussie mussie cones. Pinning!

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  8. Came over from Make it Pretty. Thank you for the lavender tea recipe, but one question. I grow three different types of lavender, can they all be used in food and drinks? I don't know what they are - they were orphan plants from the back of Lowe's.

    Distressed Donna Down Home

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  9. I adore Lavender and the smell is divine! You have so many cool ways to display it here! :)

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  10. I love lavender. Wish we could grow it here in the deep south. It has so many healing properties. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful post.

    Jocelyn @
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

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  11. Beautiful! Great to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  12. Your post has so many beautiful things, love the lavender in mint tea. Best of all...love the mini cuts of lavender around the candles. So pretty.

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  13. Oh your lavender is just beautiful!! Your pictures turned out amazing. I have grown lavender for years but have never made lavender tea. This looks o delicious and refreshing. I will have to try this soon.

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  14. The lavender tea sound fabulous. I love your vignette, so pretty and all of your crafts are wonderful. I need to give a couple a try. Thanks tons for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

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  15. Lavender is one of my favourite flowers. I grow it also but my stems aren't as full as yours. What's your secret. Thanks for the tea recipe.
    I'll give it a try.

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  16. Oh....What a charming post! I love lavender...it's sweet smell, it's soft taste in pastries and sweet tea...and, it's healthful benefits! It's such an amazing and beautiful plant!
    Thank you for sharing this amazing post, my friend!
    Blessings and warm thanks for your kind comments on my blog!
    Have a wonderful rest of the week,
    Carolynn xo

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  17. I'm having a lavender day after reading your post and everything! So very pretty, would love to have some of that ice tea right now. Love lavender and really like it on the candle, great idea! So glad you shared your creative inspiration with Sunday’s Best – your creativity helped make the party a success!

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  18. I love anything lavender and you have created some real beauties! The tea sounds looks delicious too! Thanks for sharing your talent!

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  19. Thank you so much for sharing this loveliness!
    So glad I found you through Ivy and Elephants :)

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  20. Hi Poppy,
    What a gorgeous post! I love lavender and you have shared some lovely ideas. Thank you and have a delightful day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  21. How pretty! I love lavender, and can almost smell it from here:) Love the chalkboards!

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  22. There's nothing like fresh lavender. Love all your ideas.
    Your candles are so pretty and the tea looks delicious!

    Jody

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  23. Lovely post, Poppy. Great ideas for using lavender, and they're so pretty too.
    Mary Alice

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  24. Hi Poppy, I love lavender and so wish I could grow it in Virginia. I have tried several times with no luck. The tea looks wonderful and I love how you displayed the lavender in the cute cones. Thanks for sharing this at the Open House party.

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  25. I'm stunned! I never knew you could do so much with lavender! Your projects are gorgeous!

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  26. Hi Poppy, I can smell the sweet scent of your lavender. And how refreshing would that tea be? My lavender was buried under other plants this year and did not do so well. I need to be sure and pull out the Feverfew that seeds by them next year. Loved the votive and I have not made a mussie tussie (or is it tussie mussie?, I forget) in years. I have a bundle of lavender tied witha bit of burlap on a table in my family room. I just love lavender! Thanks for sharing with Share Your Cup.
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  27. So fun! Your projects and pictures are lovely! Found you from No Minimalist here and I'm a new follower!

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  28. Thanks for coming to NTT with this beautiful post. Come by this week and grab my starfish featured button for your blog...yes...you will be featured at the party this week.

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  29. Wow this is so beautiful! I love lavender and you have given some real inspiration here. I would love it if you would share it at Share It One More Time...http://www.onemoretimeevents.com/2012/08/features-and-share-it-one-more-time.html
    Tammy

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  30. Oh Poppy!This is such a beautiful and informative post! I love all your pretty lavender projects! Thanks for joining TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS! Such a delightful post!

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  31. I can practically smell all this lavender, my most favorite smell in the whole world! I am checking out and pinning your tutorial on the pots too!

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  32. I grow this lavender and you have inspired me to do more with mine than just drying it.

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  33. Hello Poppy! This is wonderful - I love Lavender - as apparently do so many others! I particularly love the candle! all are wonderful. I appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  34. Hi Poppy! I adore anything lavender related and this was a beautiful post! Your creations are lovely and I'm going to try the tussie mussie idea with the lace doily for sure along with the herb markers. Too cool!
    The most recent unusual thing I've tried that was lavender flavored was lavender mustard... fabulous!

    Hugs, Edie & Marie

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  35. Simply GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!! WoW!!!! the pictures are magnificent! Thanks so much for sharing this beauty with us all! I am king of glad that they are pictures since I am allergic to lavender -- but i sure think it is FABULOUS to look at! hugs...

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  36. Your lavender crafts are beautiful. It is one of my favorite smells. I am going to have to try making the tea and the lovely lavender votive.

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  37. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time! I love everything about this and the your post is GREAT!
    Tammy

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  38. Everything is so beautiful, made even more so with the addition of the lavender. I could sit & relax there all day!
    Saw you at One More Time
    Debbie :)

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  39. I love lavender! I really like those french pots with the lavender. Your pics are wonderful! I am your newest follower. I hope you can visit me sometime, and I would love for you to link this up to my linky party going on now called Rustic Restorations Weekend. :) http://homespunhappenings-tammy.blogspot.com/2012/08/rustic-restorations-weekend-15.html

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  40. Your lavender crafts are wonderful. The votives would add such simple elegance to an outdoor table. Thanks for sharing your great ideas. I'm now following.

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  41. thanks for linking up to Fishtail Cottage's garden party! your lavendar photo is beautiful! You are so creative and i certainly enjoyed reading how you created it all! pretty pretty!
    xoxo, tracie

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  42. Your lavender crafts are beautiful. It is one of my favorite smells. I am going to have to try making the tea and the lovely lavender votive.
    nice I like your post.
    Web design india

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  43. beautiful photos. Love that candle holder. so creative!

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  44. Adoro la lavanda !!Todos tus detalles han quedado maravillosos!especialmente me gusta la vela.Besos

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  45. I love lavender and it is one of the rare things that can grow in Phoenix. Thanks for the great tips!

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  46. Just found your blog and I'm definitely going to try to make these pots - beautiful! Thank you for posting the tutorial.
    Regards,
    Lynn
    www.designingacres.com

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  47. My goodness, Poppy, you have really done Lavender good! I adore lavender and was thrilled to look at all these beautiful pictures, and all your wonderful uses for lavender! I have to try a few of these ideas if I can?
    Blessings,
    Susie

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  48. Hi lovely lady.
    I love lavender. Wish we could grow it here in Texas. It has so many healing properties. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful post. Also thanks so much for your sweet comments on my " Dinner La Chef..' I hope you have a wonderful week with your family.
    XXOO Diane

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  49. Poppy, this is such a beautiful post. I love lavender and how you have incorporated it into all these pretties. Love the decoupaged pots. Have a beautiful day.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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Thanks for stopping by and for your loving thoughts. They make me smile!Hugs~Poppy