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Hey Refactual,

Bees aren't the only ones who love flowers! In almost all of my products, I try to add a little bit of colour and even scent with plants from my garden. Decorating projects with flowers adds that extra little bit of WOW, a touch of garden beauty. 

Adding plants to your homemade recipes means you can say goodbye to dyes and artificial colours. Everyone is buzzing for clean beauty and adding flowers to your projects, you don't have to skimp on the pretty factor to be an all-natural beauty.

To see how a variety of flowers and herbs look in soap, see this Botanical Soap Recipe. I also used this gorgeous image for the cover of my melt and pour soap making book, Good Clean Fun. 

As you work with plants and projects you'll quickly see that not all herbs and dried flowers are equal. Some will hold their colour well in projects while others just turn into brown blobs. 

Luckily for you, I’ve given plenty of flowers a try in my recipes. My go-to favourite dried herbs and flowers for decorating projects are:

• Calendula - the petals make feathery soft threads of yellow or orange in soaps, lotions bars, and bath salts. Go to recipe: Calendula Lotion Bars
• Rose - rose petals are lovely floating in a bath and add fragrance. Go to recipe: Rose Petal Bath Bombs
• Centurea - blue petals that hold colour well in many projects. Go to: Common Garden Herbs for a Skin Care Apothecary
• Sunflower - deep, rich yellow petals that have a nutty sunflower fragrance. Go to: Grow a DIY Plant-Based Skincare Garden
• Peony - fragrant petals that hold colour well. Go to recipe: Peony Bath Salts Recipe
• Lavender - by choosing the right lavender variety and harvesting at the right time, you will get buds that hold the most colour. Otherwise, buds turn brown in projects and look less appealing. Go to: How Harvest English Lavender Plants
• Herbs - Some herb leaves look lovely in projects but they seem to hold up best in bath salts or suspended in oil. Go to recipe: all-natural perfume recipes.

More Recipes!

Have you seen my books yet? They are filled with great recipes to try and plenty more details on using plants as natural scent, colour, and decoration. 

Take a wander through your garden and just imagine how each petal and leaf will look in your projects. Don't forget to get creative and make something truly unique and you!

Enjoy your decorating, 

xoxo

Stephanie