DIY French Country Inspired Lavender Wreath

“If rosemary is for the spirit, then lavender is for the soul.” -Anonymous

It’s that time of year, y’all. I’ll be the first to admit I’m beginning to feel the initial signs of Spring Fever. We are in the thick of winter. The sun has been absent for too long, the trees are bare, the grass is brown, and don’t even get me started on how pale I am! Every year, about this time, I start daydreaming of days filled with sunshine, chirping birds, daffodils, tulips, green grass, and tree blossoms.

Even though each passing day brings us closer to spring, I don’t like to rush the seasons. Staying present in each moment on the farm is very important to me. After all, one of the many reasons we moved from California to coastal North Carolina was to experience seasonal changes. I do however, try to find ways to bring some simple spring-like touches into the farmhouse to help me slowly transition from one season to the next.It’s this time of the year that I start crushing on lavender. Lavender is one of my favorite transitional florals between winter and spring. Whether it’s real, dried, or faux, lavender is such a soft, beautiful, and whimsical floral to use in the home.

One rainy day last week, I headed up to the attic in search of my lavender storage bin. It was time to freshen and cheer up the farmhouse! As I was looking around the attic, my eye caught an old grape vine wreath that I had used for another project years ago. I grabbed my hot glue gun and some extra greens I had in my floral bins. (Yes, I said, “bins.” I have way too many! I’m pretty sure at this point I can compete with Hobby Lobby’s floral department.) I was feeling crafty!

Although this wreath cost me nothing, (I already had the supplies in my arsenal) after putting it together, I priced the items I used from Hobby Lobby for you. When you can catch their florals at 50% off (happening now), this wreath costs $15. I could not find a lavender wreath for sale online for less than $20. Cha-Ching!

Like most of my DIYs, this project came to life on it’s own. This is by no means the only way to put a lavender wreath together. Get creative, have fun, and make it your own.  I started by cutting all my stems to size. Once I had all my stems ready, I started gluing my greens, because they are the largest and the longest pieces. I glued them onto the grapevine wreath. With the base of my wreath set, I began to layer the lavender stems and more greens, gluing as I went. Once I felt like the wreath was balanced, I tied it together, trimmed, and glued on my centerpiece.

If you don’t want to use the centerpiece I used, you can add a bell, a flower, or ribbon in the center. (Sadly, I have no idea what the stems are called that I used. I had them left over from a Christmas garland I made for our mantel and I have no idea what they are… I’m sorry!) 

Some of my floral project tips:

• Invest in a floral wire cutter that you only use for faux stems. It’s so worth it. It makes cutting the wires in stems much easier than scissors. Not to mention that you’ll ruin your scissors after your first project.
• When I buy stems for a project, especially when I’m altering them (cutting and/or gluing), I buy them in bunches or bushes. Typically, bunches/bushes are slightly more expensive than individual stems. However, if you are using them for a project where you will be altering them, they’re more economical because you can get more stems out of them. 
• Always keep the florals you think you may never use again. You may not like them for arranging in a vase, but you’d be surprised how often you will use them as “filler” in a floral project. I actually have a “Floral Filler Bin” now!I hope you enjoy this easy and fun DIY wreath idea. Hopefully this post gave you some inspiration and got your creative juices flowing. If nothing else, it will help you kill time until spring arrives!