Herbal Crafts

RELAXING DREAM PILLOW
1. Gather the following herbs from the garden and dry thoroughly.
    1/2 cup mugwort
    1/2 cup lavender
    1/2 cup hops
    1/2 cup rosemary
    1 cup roses petals
2. Mix dried herbs in a airtight container for 7 days.
3. Next, fold a 5x12" strip of fabric cloth in half, and sew, turn inside out and place a small handful of Fiberfil on bottom, then use 1/4 cup of the mix of your choice on top, and then add another handful of fiber fill on herbs. Padding makes it more comfortable to sleep on. Place inside pillow case to use to sleep on at night.

ANOTHER WAY How to make a Dream Pillow
Dream pillows are used to promote restful sleep and pleasant dreams. They are small and flat, placed in a standard pillow, and stuffed with a sachet of calming and sleep-inducing dried herbs. As the sleeper sleeps, movements of the head will gently crush the herbs to release delightful scents and please the senses throughout the night.
Two 6 x 6 pieces of natural, breathable fabric Fiberfill or batting
Herbs such as lavender, rose petals, mint, feverfew, chamomile, mugwort.
Mix the herbs in a bowl, then fill sachet, cinch tightly or sew closed. Sew three sides of the fabric together, outside-in. Turn inside-out, stuff the fabric 1/3 full with fiberfill, center the sachet, then fill the side gaps and top of pillow. Do not overstuff, the pillow should be flat enough to be comfortably tucked in a standard pillow. Fold open sides in to create a clean seam, then stitch closed.
Write the herbal ingredients you used on a little card to thread through the ribbon.

Lavender Laundry Softener
32 oz. white vinegar 32 oz. baking soda
64 oz. distilled or purified water
(optional)
½ oz. lavender essential oil.
Mix the baking soda into the vinegar over a sink
or other contained area, in a large plastic jar. The two materials, when mixed together, will cause a "fizzing" reaction. Add water and essential oil and stir again. *As gifts, dispense into plastic bottles and label with the following directions: Use 1/4 cup per load. Add in rinse cycle.

GEL AIR FRESHENERS
1 packet of unflavored Knox Gelatin
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup vodka of grain alcohol
1-2 TBSP. fragrance oil
Food coloring as desired Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water. Allow to cool to room temperature then add the vodka, coloring and scent. Pour into decorative jar and refrigerate till set.

Romantic Incense (A Dough Incense)
1/4 cup ground lavender flowers
1/4 cup ground rosemary leaves
1/8 cup ground rose petals
1 cup + 1 Tablespoon red sandalwood powder
1 cup + 1 Tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon plus pinch potassium nitrate Tragacanth powder, as needed
From Sandy Maine's "Herbal Incense" article in "The Herb Companion".
Dec.1992/Jan.1993, Vol.5 No.2. Pg.38. Yield: 1 Batch

Lavender and Rose (a Loose Incense):
1/4 oz benzoin
1 oz lavender
1/2 oz cinnamon
1 oz rose petals
1/4 oz patchouli
1/4 oz sandalwood
Use with charcoal briquettes.

Frankincense and Lavender (a Loose Incense):
1/4 oz frankincense
1/4 oz ground cinnamon
1 oz lavender
1 oz rosemary
1/2 oz sandalwood

Use with charcoal briquettes.

Incense paper.
Blotting paper cut to 6" x 1" 1 1/2 t. of salt peter dissolved in 1/2 c. warm water.
Soak the paper strips and allow to dry. After drying coat paper with a gum or *resin tincture. Dry.
To use: Light the paper, blow out the flame. Keep paper upright to allow air to circulate around it and keep it burning.
*Tinctures. The best tinctures for this are made from gums and resins such as Frankincense, Myrrh, Copal etc .
Tinctures are easy to make. Just pound up the gum and pour alcohol on top. Vodka or Ever clear. Dark glass bottle is best. Put away for a week or two and shake every day.

SPICE NECKLACE
This is a simple necklace and fun to make for kids. You would want to have older children since you will be using a sharp needle. I introduce this last year at a youth group with mixed ages and caused some bloodshed.
This calls for soaking your spices in very warm water (it is ok for it to cool) for at least 12 hours.
The wholes spices recommended are the following:
Allspice
Cinnamon sticks (after soaking cut with pruning shear)
Cardamom pods
Tonka beans
Star Anise
Clove buds
I used dental floss and sharp needles to push through the softened spices.
You can buy nice necklace closures at a local craft store.
This smell wonderful.

HALF CENTURY POTPOURRI (Moist)
3/4 cup salt (non-iodized)
Crush the following 3 items, 3 bay leaves, 1/4 cup allspice, 1/4 cup cloves,
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TSP. orrisroot powder
1 quart partially dried rose petals
2 cups mixed, partially dried, fragrant (jasmine, lavender, orange blossoms, violet, etc.),
1 cup dried fragrant leaves (rose geranium, bee balm, lemon verbena, etc),
2 TSP. brandy.
Mix together the salt, bay, allspice, cloves and sugar.
Blend flower petals and leaves with Orris root. Place some of the petal mixture in a large crock and sprinkle with the salt mixture. Continue alternating layers of petals and salt, ending with salt. Add the brandy, weight down with a plate. After thoroughly mixing every day for month, pour into small containers. It is said that this old recipe will keep its fragrance for 50 years, with the addition of a bit of brandy every couple of years or whenever the mixture dries out. This is not a pretty mixture, but the AROMA!

Victorian Language of Herbs
basil ~ best wishes
dill ~ irresistible
lemon verbena ~ responsibility
rosemary ~ remembrance
scented geraniums ~ comfort
mint ~ warmth
sweet marjoram ~ joy & happiness
garden sage ~ domestic virtue
St. John’s wort ~ protection
lavender ~ devotion
purple sage ~ gratitude
parsley ~ festivity
thyme ~ courage

Lavender Wands
To make these you will need at least 13 (use an odd number) long stems of lavender, freshly picked from your garden on a dry day, and about 3 feet of pastel colored 1/4-inch ribbon. Make a bunch, lining up the base of the flower heads. Leave an 8 inch length of ribbon free at one end, then tie the stems together just below the heads. Gently bend back each stem until the flower heads are enclosed by the stems. Take the length of ribbon you saved and weave it under and over each stem, traveling around the bundle several times until the flower heads are covered with ribbon. Tuck in the short end of the ribbon and tie a bow with the other end. Trim the stalks and the ribbon.