Our summer list has plenty of crafting activities and outside fun items on it. As the summer holidays are drawing to an end (boo hoo!), I can’t help noticing that there are many ticks against the outings and other outdoor pursuits. Not so many against the crafting items. Hmm.
Today was one of those muggy and overcast days. We were dragging our feet and ready to take it slow. Understandable, seeing as we’ve ticked off a few days-out this week, including a maize maze and a country park. I, for one, was happy to be home. The garden was calling. Calm activities required.
One of the most popular gardening activities, each year, is harvesting the lavender. We’re a bit late and …… the bind weed has stolen a march on us. Ahem.
While the girls filled baskets with lavender, I weeded. I’m sure I should have taken the photos after the weeding, but hindsight, as they say, is a wonderful thing.
Now, one of our very favourite lavender activities, to do with fresh lavender, is to make lavender wands. The children love to put them in their drawers. Got to say, I love pulling out clean linen on a winter’s day from the airing cupboard and finding a lavender wand tucked away in its folds. Like a postcard straight from summer.
I love ribbon. Throughout the year, I put aside suitable ribbons just for this activity. Of course, I always forget where I have hidden the stash, but I was able to lay my hands on enough this year. We sat out in the garden. The fragrance was gorgeous. We weaved and twisted the lavender and ribbons, until….
….we had a clutch of wands. (How to here)
While we were out in the garden, we checked up on some of the inhabitants that have made their home there.
We’ve been watching the caterpillar gradually eat the groundsel. (If only I could train an army of cinnabar moth caterpillars to munch through all the groundsel in the garden)
We found a garden orb web spider on the window. We suspect it is starting to lay a collection of eggs. The children are planning to watch the progress (previous clutch)
This dragonfly, unfortunately was not in the garden, although we do get them visiting. The wing structure is amazing. I rescued this one from my parent’s kitchen, this week. Not before I took a photo of it!
There is still more lavender to harvest. It will all be used in crafting activities this winter.
(lavender shower scrubs, lavender and almond cake, bath bombs, lavender cushions, bath salts, gardener’s hand scrub and lavender wands)
Plenty of outside fun AND a crafting activity crossed off the summer list too. Yeh!
Linking up with all the #CountryKids….
oh I love the lavender wands they look gorgeous, I must try some. I love cutting my lavender and brining it into the house, it never fails to brings a smile, even when it is years old the scent stays. What a lovely activity x
It is the most gorgeous fragrance. I love working with it. 😀
I always love your posts and this is no exception. Those wands are gorgeous and the other lavender ideas look great too. I’d love to put some in our draws too. All the garden photos are so clear and close, you must have an amazing zoom on your camera? Thank you for sharing a great outdoor craft on Country Kids.
The wands are best made fresh, otherwise the stalks are too brittle to bend without breaking. They are lovely to find in drawers when summer is a distant memory. Brr!
Nothing clever with the camera. I use my standard lens, but I’m not afraid to flick to manual focusing. 🙂 I am fascinated by the detail of the mini beasts. All those tiny hairs. Love linking up with Country Kids and seeing what everyone else is up to!
Oh my goodness I’ve never seen a lavender wand before, they’re just brilliant. What a fabulous idea. I love your garden photos 🙂
It’s a traditional craft, so nothing new! Gives the children a different kind of weaving experience and they have something lovely and practical to keep. 🙂
Oh, those lavender wands look wonderful! We have some lavender we harvested from the local allotments and some in our garden so I will definitely be having a go at making some 🙂
The photographs of your garden inhabitants are stunning. And such beautiful creatures you found too. I love the moth caterpillar, and that dragonfly is beautiful 🙂
I could spend all day stalking mini beasts. They are fascinating. The detail on the dragonfly wings is amazing. I painted dragonflies on our house sign. Not a patch on the real wing patterns.
Great photos and I will have to try some of your lavender craft ideas 🙂
I hope you have fun with your lavender. 🙂
The lavender wands look great, we really struggle with our plants – they just don’t want to flower which is such a shame #countrykids
Sorry to hear you struggle with your lavender. I’m more successful with the english lavenders. The french ones need more TLC in the winter than I seem to manage. 😕
Such lovely ideas, I love the wands. We don’t have any lavender ourselves but I love the smell of it and if we ever get a house with a garden one day I would love to have some in the garden. #CountryKids
Lavender works well in containers too, if you have even a small outside area. The bees and hoverflies love it, too. And the fragrance…….
What a fab idea for lavender. I really must get some for our garden as my girls would love this! Your photos of the bugs are fantastic – such incredible detail when you get up close. Glad to have found you through #CountryKids!
I love lavender. Even when the flowers have gone, the foliage is still fragrant. Bees love it and it does lend to some lovely craft activities. Perfect for handmade gifts. Hope you enjoy your lavender too! 😀
I love the idea of lavender wands. Our plant is buried behind a raging rosemary bush. And also bindweed eek!
The bindweed! It seems to be growing very fast at the moment……or should I just spend more time weeding! Hope you find the lavender plant. 😀
The wands are lovely. There’s a lavender farm near me I keep meaning to visit with the children – I really must go before its too late!
Go soon. We love visiting our local lavender farm. 😀
im loving the lavender wands how cool are they!! xx
A lovely way to preserve a little bit of summer!
They look great and I bet they smell lovely. Not keen on the bug pictures at the end of the post though :p
I know bugs are not everyone’s cup of tea. We just find them fascinating. Hope the lavender photos are more calming! 🙂
Your lavender wands are so very pretty, why have we never tried them!!!
You really need to give them a go. Fun and fragrant… and pretty to boot!
Beautiful pictures! I am imagining the wonderful smell of lavender. The wands are so pretty.
The smell is gorgeous. I used several varieties and it’s amazing how different one lavender can smell from another.
Those wands look amazing, how clever
Thanks! We always love making them. You wouldn’t belive how quickly they disappear into the clothes drawers. 🙂
I love making lavender crafts.So relaxing and theraputic.I’ve popped over from Country Kids.
Lavender is wonderful to work with. 🙂