Creative Ways To Make Potpourri At Home

November 20, 2008

Enhance your creative skills by making designer potpourri at home. Potpourris are not just for creating a refreshing ambience for your home but it also a way to protect the environment. The use of aerosol cans filled with fragrant solutions will be cut down. You will breathe easy without the added chemicals in your surrounding and also help the ozone layer.

A potpourri is a combination of various dried herbs, leaves, flowers, seeds and cones that are mixed together to smell exotic. They add uniqueness to the room and ideal for places where the weather is humid.

How To Make A Potpourri:

1) Take a clear glass or ceramic bowl and add to it dried leaves (e.g. basil, mint, citrus etc) and flower petals.

2) Add spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves etc. It depends on what fragrance you prefer.

3) Add a fixative such as orrisroot, tonka or gum benzoin. The basic measurement for using a fixative is two to three teaspoon per 4 c. of petals.

4) If you are using a clear glass bowl then ground fixative will be more suitable.

5) Gently toss the mixture and cover the bowl tightly.

6) Keep this mixture at room temperature for five to six weeks.

7) Stir the mixture gently periodically.

8) Don’t be alarmed when you get a slightly off smell from the rotting leaves and petals. It will smell better as the week progresses.

9) To spice up this mixture, add few drops of essential oil (lavender, citrus). But don’t go overboard with it.

10) The mixture can be wrapped in netted pouches with attracted cords and shiny ribbons. With this you can add few loving words on a card and present it to your loved ones.

Potpourris make ideal gifts and are most appreciated as you have made them with love and care.