Herbal Crafts, overview.

I'm starting with Lavender, to talk about herbal crafts. It's an all-round favorite, and so lovely in the garden... this picture shows two very different varieties:
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Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote Blue' (on the left), one of the first plants I put into the yard when we bought our house in 1992. This particular plant is still going as of summer 2010, which is a REALLY long life for a Lavender in this area. It was waning bigtime in summer 2009, so I broke the rules and cut it back severely. Lavender can't read the rules, evidently, because in 2010 it's lush and gorgeous and blooming like crazy! I cut the stems when in bud, dry them, and sell them at craft shows - this plant has paid for itself many, many times over.
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Lavandula 'Grosso' is on the right - what a behemoth! This plant is no longer with me, but measured 4 feet by 4 feet at its peak. I used the buds, removed from the stems, in bath herb blends and other potpourri.
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This is an OLD picture of products I've made and
sold in the past. Clockwise from the "Finch House Herbals" sign:
* Weary Muscles Bath Salts (turqoise jar)
* Relaxation Bath Herbs - loose (standing up) and in sachets (lying on the table)
* Lavender Bath Salts (purple jar)
* Flaxseed Eye Pillows ( blue/green/pink)
* Bags of organic Catnip and Lavender
* Velvet Lavender Bunnies (stuffed with lavender buds)
I've discontinued the bunnies and the eye pillows, but may pick them back up at some point. The velvet for the bunnies is hand-embossed with different designs. I've also added Catnip Pillows, which are made from kitty-print fabric with a layer of denim underneath, and filled with organic, people-grade catnip.
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Spicy stuff... another older photo.
Clockwise from the sign:
* Cinnamon Spice Simmering Potpourri
* Cinnamon pin and Christmas ornaments
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* Spice mug mats, with a cinnamon/allspice/cloves/orange potpourri
* Spice trivets, ditto the potpourri filling!
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Since these photos were taken, I've added several different potpourri types, including a Scented Pine Cone mix with a spicy essential oil blend for scent, and Little Balsam Bags, which are stamped muslin bags full of balsam needles and evergreen scented oil - to hang from an artificial Christmas tree for a "real" tree scent.

For most craft shows, I usually bring a selection of live herb plants from Thieneman's. I'm not sure I can get away with that any more for some of my "handmade only" shows, since I no longer have a hand in raising the plants - we'll see!

At the time of writing, craft show applications for fall are starting to roll in - I'll be posting a list to Facebook at some point for my local "peeps"!

*grins*