A production line has been in operation in the kitchen this week putting together some gifts of Christmas potpourri. It was quite relaxing sitting there making this concoction - all that was missing was some suitable music and a glass of sherry.
My potpourri mix started with the pine cones, which were picked from the campsite in Normandy where we stayed this summer. To them I've added dried orange slices, some star anise, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon rough sticks and nutmeg. The resulting scent is most subtle and soothing. Other ingredients can be added as you go along e.g. dried cranberries or rose hips for a dash of red, bay leaves for a hint of green, dried flowers etc.
It's possible to dry the oranges yourself which is what I originally intended to do, but I conveniently came across a boxed set of them in a well known German supermarket, along with boxed sets of the cinnamon products. If this stroke of serendipity had not transpired, I would have purchased most of the ingredients online from a company specialising in florist supplies. This is much cheaper than buying the small jars of spices that you come across in supermarkets. The star anise however was purchased as a small jar, simply because I wanted to see that it had not been broken in transit which is what sometimes happens.
The next step will be to bag the ingredients in some snowflake adorned cellophane bags and tie them up with some pretty string or ribbon. I will also be dotting one or two bowls of this mix about the house. As I suffer from asthma I have to be careful when it comes to introducing any scented product in the house. I'm sure that there is nothing in this concoction that will bring about the dreaded wheezing.
Should the potpourri become jaded as we all do at some point over the festive season it can be revived with a drop or two of essential oil e.g. orange, cinnamon etc.
Are you still busy making any festive gifts or is all the present preparation already done and dusted?
What a lovely idea. I found a blog post recently showing how to make your own orange slices. It fills the house with a wonderful scent.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment VP. Oranges certainly have a most refreshing and pleasant scent.
DeleteWhat a lovely gift. There's nothing nicer than filling a room with natural scents such as these, so much better than those nasty aerosols.
ReplyDeleteCould not agree with you more Jo!
DeleteWhat a wonderful gift! I will have to bookmark this post to remember it for next year. I love the smell of all these spices, and as Jo said, the natural scents are so much better than the artificial products on the shelves. I've cut back on Christmas preps this year, but do hope to do a little baking to share before Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Rose. Nature wins hands down doesn't it? I hope that the baking plans work out.
DeleteThese are the lovely seasonal scents of Christmas Anna. Like you I have to be careful which scents are brought into the house, some flowers are just too powerful.
ReplyDeleteLilies and Paperwhite narcissus Brian here - if they enter the house I can't stay in the same room :)
Deleteit does look very pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and for your comment Diana. The final version does look pretty but smells even better :)
DeleteThat sounds like a lovely idea and a lovely activity to do while sitting down and contemplating other Christmas preparations. I have done most of my prep - maybe some more cookie baking this week as the tins are slowly emptying already and Advent is the time when neighbours pop in for coffee and a cookie or two. I llke the sound of being revived with a drop of cinnamon or orange oil.... I wonder if it works for people too! Might try that on Boxing Day! LOL!
ReplyDeleteYes it was quite a relaxing task Cathy. Have you eaten all those biscuits yet? I'm sure that a scented bath using essential oils would do the trick on Boxing Day :)
DeleteWhat a 'delicious' idea, Anna! Haven't made potpourri so far but I love sticking cloves into oranges. Mind you, a friend brought me horse apples (Maclura pomifera) this autumn and they fill the room with a citrus sent I love. Not much in xmas mode or mood yet - may be the spring-like weather- but I guess it'll come eventually. I made some wreaths which is always fun. All gifts have been taken to the post as parcels have to travel quite far.
ReplyDeleteThese are indeed the scent of Christmas, how lovely for your friends to receive your gift. could you post the addresses where you purchase these things on line please.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea Anna. I have asthma too, but it is usually aggravated by horrible synthetic scents rather than lovely, natural ingredients like these. In fact I have dried oranges, clove balls and bundles of cinnamon sticks hanging on my Xmas tree.
ReplyDeleteA lovely gift idea, I love making my cinnamon, spice and citrus deorations, its so relaxing :)
ReplyDeleteOh Anna I love this idea just for me. I will bookmark this post so I can create my own!
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