Holiday Potpourri

In a package from a "boutique" Christmas shop, for about $10 per bag. Or,

homemade, using whole cinnamon sticks (salvaged from jars of homemade watermelon pickles, then simmered in water for a bit, to remove syrupy film), whole cloves, 1 orange (sliced thin and dried in dehydrator then sprinkled with ground cinnamon), and cedar sprigs from our woodlot, also dehydrated to preserve the color. 

The key to aromatic potpourri is in the scented oil. You can use essential oil, or fragrance oil (from the candle and fragrance section of craft stores like Michael's). I've used a Woodland Pine-scented fragrance oil for this potpourri. I bought the tiny bottle several years ago and only use a few drops at a time -- a small bottle lasts a long time.

I sprinkle a couple of drops of fragrance oil on the potpourri every morning. I also add some ground cinnamon, right over the dish of potpourri, every few days. (Cinnamon oil would be even better, but this is a "what I have" project.)

Homemade potpourri is different from store-bought, in that the fragrance is not overwhelming from the beginning. But with daily additions, I can control the strength of aroma, to be just barely detectable to me -- a background scent, not a focal point in the room.

I love that it's decorative, too. The oranges don't add scent, but visual contrast. Packaged in cellophane bags, this would make a nice hostess gift during the holidays. I may have to make up another batch just to have at the ready for gifting! 

The materials for my batch of potpourri costs about 75 cents to $1 (the small orange, some whole cloves and some of the fragrance oil). Knowing how inexpensive and easy it is to make at home, it does make me cringe at the idea of buying a bag for $10 at the boutique Christmas shop.

The 5-minute "floral" arrangement

Needing that special something to accent your holiday decor? Here's my 5-minute "floral" arrangement.

I took a brief break from cooking on Wednesday. Just needing to do something else for a minute or two.

I used my silver champagne cooler that never gets used for champagne, but that I hang on to anyways, because it was a wedding gift in a previous century. And I didn't polish it for this use, as I like the look of a slightly tarnished silver container for florals.

I also used a 1-quart canning jar. The photo shows a wide-mouth jar. After taking the picture I switched it out for a narrow-mouth jar (a better fit for the branches of cedar).

I put the canning jar inside the champagne cooler. A 1-quart jar is just the right height for this kind of cooler.

I went outside with my clippers and gave one of the cedars a bit of a trim. In the warmth of my kitchen, (and on the kitchen floor before I planned on mopping for guests), I trimmed all of the branches to the same length. I added water to the jar, and plopped in the branches.

I have a holiday floral pick wanting a home, so I added that, and voila . . . a lovely holiday accent for my kitchen counter.

And you know what? Writing this out actually took me more time that creating this arrangement.

Now it's back to cooking. This is my Thanksgiving Day post. I will be a tad busy in the morning, so I am posting this now, instead. I've got my stretchy-waist pants all set out for tomorrow (don't you just love that they add Spandex to everything now?) Hope you have a wonderful day with your family. I'll be back sometime Friday.

I've been richly blessed in this life. Happy Thanksgiving!