To dry the lavender, cut some stems and make bunch. You can hold them together with a rubber band or a piece of string.

Hang the bundle upside-down in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight.

They should dry in a couple of weeks to a month. Make sure there is plenty of air around them; the garage/shed/car port might be a good place to hang the bundle.

When the lavender is dry, crumble the flowers into a bowl, and if you wish add a few drops of essential lavender oil for stronger fragrance, then store in an airtight container for a few weeks for it to cure.
Get a small fabric bag or make one yourself.

If you watch my video tutorial on how to make a bean bag you will see how you can easily make the it yourself. You may want to use quite light material and make it a little bit smaller than that demonstrated in the beanbag tutorial.

Fill it with your dried lavender and seal the top of the bag. Or you can of course go out and buy a nice small bag with a drawstring top. The fragrance should last for a long time and is lovely just to hold and smell, or place it in your clothes drawer or in the window as an air freshener.

I even heard of one lady who put it in the dryer with the clothes to make them smell nice. (you would need a very well sealed bag for this), I like to have a lavender bag under my pillow when I go to sleep.

Using lavender as an activity to stimulate the sense of smell is very good, this is particularly useful for triggering memories in those living with dementia. Fresh lavender is both tactile, aromatic and pretty to look at.

Maria