Years ago, my oldest sister told me about the calming powers of lavender. I was very stressed at the time, you see, and also fighting off a bit of a cold. She gave me a little bottle of lavender oil and told me to rub it behind my ears. "It will help, " she said.

And it did.

I took that little bottle with me everywhere. I traveled with it. Brought it with me to events. I used it at the office. I had it in the car. I grew to love the smell of lavender. I don't know if it's because there really are calming effects, or if it's just a wife's (or sister's) tale, but for some reason, it always worked. Lavender centered me.

Fast forward to my life in San Francisco. I no longer have that bottle of lavender, but on my first week in the city I happened upon the Farmer's Market. I came right as the market was closing, & found the booth just in time. There. I knew I could smell it.

Long story short: today I wanted to teach you how to dry lavender. It's really simple.

You will need:

A hanger
Two Rubberbands
Dark, cool, dry space

Use one rubberband to bunch your lavender together, near the bottom of the stalks. Loop the other rubberband around the hanger. Then, loop the loose end of your hanger-rubberband into the lavender-rubberband and tie it in a knot.

Essentially, you're hanging your lavender upside down. That's all you have to do. I think a paperclip would accomplish this nicely, but I didn't have one of those.

Hang your lavender in a dry, dark place for several weeks. It smells glorious, and, over time, your lavender will begin to dry. When the lavender buds feel dry, and fall easily from the stalks, you can collect the buds and store them in an air tight container (mason jar?).

And then come join me next time, after I figure out what to do with dried lavender ;D

Photos: NikonD3200 / Edits: VSCO Filters for Lightroom