Last December our mother passed away and we received many beautiful fresh flower bouquets. After the service, my sister and I took all the flowers home, remarking how beautiful they were and what a shame they would die. I came up with the idea of drying the flowers and making potpourri out of them!
We did just that by letting the flowers air dry naturally. After a few weeks, we started collecting only the completely dry petals and leaves, leaving the others that were not quite dry yet alone to be checked on later.
We placed the dried petals in a big bowl that was uncovered and turned them weekly.
Finally when all the flowers had dried sufficiently, we sprinkled drops of refresher oil over all, stirred up good, and packed into decorative glass jars tied with a ribbon.
We then gave these jars out to family members this past Mother's Day in memory of our dear Mom. We chose a refresher oil of lilac as it was our mother's favorite but you could pick one that has special meaning to you and your family.
By Gina from Oklahoma City, OK
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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. Take the flowers or petals home and lay them out on newspaper on the floor and leave to dry.
My daughters always give me odd flavored tea for gifts - hot cinnamon spice, gingerbread, and many other great smelling but not so good tasting teas. I tried putting some in a jar in my bathroom, and it worked perfect for a potpourri.
Near the the holidays, I find myself buying more apples and oranges than usual. I love the aroma of baked apple pie or the smell of oranges.
When I deadhead my herbs, I put the clippings in a nice bowl on a table, the bathroom counter, or anywhere. Then every time I walk past, I just toss them a few times with my fingertips. This releases the fragrance into the room even more and helps it to dry evenly.
During the summer months we get a lot of flowers at our work. I wait until they are dying and then I strip away the petals and spread them in a box lid and allow them to dry.
An easy and inexpensive craft to make for mom for Mother's Day. Cover your work area with newspaper. Fill a clean baby food jar with potpourri. Use the dip container lid as a stencil. With a Sharpie marker, trace a circle around the dip container lid on the tulle.
Wonderful seasonal fragrance can fill your home with a simmering potpourri. You can make a special blend for an inexpensive holiday gift.
This is a page about making grapefruit potpourri. Release a luscious citrus aroma into your home by making your own dried grapefruit potpourri.
This is a page about making a cinnamon and orange potpourri bag. The spicy scent of cinnamon and the sweet citrusy aroma of orange combine very well to make an amazing potpourri bag.
