Make Your Own Potpourri

Think ahead for wonderful Holiday gifts.

Each spring and summer, I used to go around to my friends' gardens and pick the flower petals up from the ground (do this at mid day when dew isn't on them.) Take the flowers or petals home and lay them out on newspaper on the floor and leave to dry (about 2 weeks.) Next, get as many glass gallon jugs as you can from restaurants and place a mix of different colored flowers in each. Then place different fragrance oils (essential oils) in each jar.

Ideas And Recipes

• Put in 1 jar, small pine cones, twigs, red geraniums, and cedar, etc., then add spruce oil (not pine oil or it will smell like Pine-Sol!) This is a colorful red and green "Christmas" potpourri.

  Hint: For flowers that dry bright red, and don't turn brown, use red geraniums.

• Save and dry citrus rinds like orange and lemon, then add crushed cinnamon sticks, cloves and mixed flowers and leaves. Then add orange oil for another wonderful Christmas potpourri.

• Mix together 2 or 3 other different types of flower blends and put each of these into a "glass" gallon jar, then stir in essential oils, in each a different oil. TeaRose was very popular!

  Keep these jars in a place with no sun and leave them sit until right before Christmas (stirring monthly.) I then put each floral blend into a different fancy clear glass jar with a matching ribbon. I sold them at my mom's work right before Christmas and at Christmas Craft Fairs.

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  Everyone loved them and they paid for my kids' Christmas that year!

By Cyinda