Add Photo to Journal

Photo Credit: Judith K. Mehl

You don’t need many supplies to make these lovely ornaments – just plants, glue and foam balls. The rest is up to you.

Looking for a creative way to bring the beauty of your herbal harvest inside for the holidays? All you need is some lavender and lamb’s ear from your garden, a few crafting supplies and a little bit of time, and you can create some lovely ornaments for the holidays – or whenever you want to enjoy nature indoors.

Supplies:
Lamb’s ear leaves
Dried lavender flower stalks
All-purpose or tacky glue
Ribbons
Several foam balls (2-4 inches in diameter)
Something to attach to the top of the ornament for hanging (like an eye hook, a screw eye, an unbent paper clip or florist wire)
Other natural or store-bought adornments

Gathering your supplies is definitely part of the fun of this project. Scour the back yard or nearby parks to find tiny pinecones, seeds and stalks of interesting grasses (with their seeds still attached) or petite rosebuds. Dry the bounty that needs it, like the lavender, rosebuds and some of the other flower heads. Then lay out all your supplies when you’re ready to create.

Add Photo to Journal

Your lamb’s ear ornaments should remain soft and touchable for years to come.

Judith K. Mehl

To make the lamb’s ear ball, be sure to pick leaves that are about 5 inches long for a 3-inch-diameter foam ball. (Pick longer leaves for larger balls and shorter ones for smaller ornaments.) Start by sorting through the leaves and figuring out which ones work best with each ball – hold them up and see if any need a bit of trimming if they’re too long or too thick at the base.

Next, create a way to hang the ball. Secure an eye hook or hanging wire in the top of smaller balls. Larger balls (4 inches in diameter or bigger) will probably require florist or garden wire to support the weight. Simply bend a 12-inch-long piece of wire in half, leaving a loop at the top. Insert both wire ends through the center of the ball, then string a ribbon or other decorative hanger through the wire loop at the top. Push the two ends of the wire through to the other side of the ball, and bend up the wire ends. Tie your ribbon, and the ball is ready to be hung when the ornament is finished.