Aromatic Journeys: Herbal Garland

Hello dear Lillyella readers, I’m so happy to share another fun, simple and aromatic project with you all today. This one can be as simple as gathering a few wildflowers from a nearby field, your garden or the local farmers market. If complexity is what you seek than a trip to the flower mart will make this craft even more upscale. The end result will be an herbal garland or swag for a window, mantel or any other area you would like to infuse with the vitality and scent of nature.

For the raw materials in the little kitchen garland I made as an example I used a variety of materials from my garden and the farmers market. I wanted to have some authentic plants from my area so I included artemisia and sage in with thyme, rosemary, lavender and orange. A virtual Eau de Cologne garland!



Base materials
A variety of herbs, flowers & DRIED fruits (orange, starfruit & apple)
Twine
Two small nails

Directions
1. Begin by deciding where your garland will hang and how much
twine you will need. Keep the twine slack with a bit extra to account for wrapping your materials.
2. If there is nothing to attach the ends of the garland with add some tiny nails to each side of your space.
3. Decide on where each cluster of plant material will go on your garland, for example I did thyme, orange, sage, rosemary, orange, artemisia and lavender. Be aware where the fruit slices will be placed in your design since those will be simply strung through and not wrapped.
4. Firmly wrap the string around your first cluster of plant material and tie a small knot. Make sure to leave enough string on the edge so that you can secure it to the nail when finished adding all the plants.
5. If your next item is a piece of dried fruit, simply weave the string through and tie a knot to hold it in place.
6. Continue until you have added all your plant matter and hang.

I made this one for my kitchen window above the sink. The garland adds a nice warm charm to the kitchen and a lovely aroma. When my daughter came home from school and saw the garland she exclaimed, “Mom, can we make these for all the windows!?!”

Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again next month for another adventure into the realm of aromatics.

~Roxana of Illuminated Perfume