I’m back and wanted to share with you a quick project I did over the holidays. It is so simple and easy and the big bonus is that it’s chemical-free. So, I decided that I wanted to have some pretty seasonal potpourri out in the house in a couple of places but because of the synthetic fragrances and chemicals in most store-bought potpourri I decided I would just make my own.
I used cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, and dried orange slices.
Since I wanted to include dried orange slices, I did a little searching online to find instructions for doing that.
To dry the orange slices:
- Cut orange slices about 1/8″ thick
- Place slices directly on a wire rack in a 200 degree oven
- Leave in oven for about 2 hours, flipping every 30 minutes. Make sure slices are completely dry before removing. I ended up leaving mine in about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
A lot of store-bought potpourri also has dyed wood shavings, but I wanted something that was fragrant and pretty and interesting to look at. We have an Indian store just down the street from us that we love shopping at, so I had Eric go there and see what he could find. He came back with whole cloves, which along with smelling good are really good for your mouth. When I was little my mom would give us whole cloves to chew on because it gets rid of all the junk in your mouth and well, kids. But that brought back some memories when I opened the bag and smelled the cloves.
He also was able to get cinnamon sticks in bulk and some star anise. I thought the shape of the star anise was so pretty as well as smelling good.
I mixed everything up and put it in a crystal bowl and it has its own natural fragrance without having to add anything at all to it. But, if you’re getting to the end of the season and want to refresh your smell, you can add some essential oils. Just a drop or two is plenty. I have Nutmeg, which I always associate with the season because I love to put ground nutmeg on my eggnog. I also have Cinnamon Bark and Orange that would also be perfect with this mixture.
Easy, beautiful, and smells amazing with zero synthetic fragrance or chemicals.
