Unique Gifts Blog - Ooonique!

Debbie J.'s, with candle holder on top

Inexpensive and Eco-Friendly Giving

There's nothing like walking into a home with the beautiful and inviting smell of potpourri. If you like to make things yourself, you will love making it. A personalized gift is always something to cherish (and the time and thought behind it too).

You basically need four main ingredients.

* Flowers & leaves
* Essential oils
* Spices and Herbs
* Fixative

To get the flowers and leaves ingredients, you can go to your florist shop and ask for any discarded flowers. You can also dry out your own flowers.

You should collect 4 times the amount you need for the final potpourri mix, as flowers and leaves shrink when dried.

After the petals are thoroughly dry, pack them in screw-top jars, in alternating layers of petals with sprinklings of orris root. Orris root helps to preserve the fragrance of the herbs and flowers, and has little scent of its own, so it is a good base to use in a potpourri mix. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the dried orris root per cup of dried mix.

Store the jars in a dark place to preserve the color.

Your mixture can be just rose petals with an assortment of other flowers available, along with two or three spices and herbs, and one or two oils. Use the strong scented ingredients in small amounts.

Lastly, put in two tablespoons of fixative.

The mixtures can be used in sachets, in padding on hangers, and in closed or open porcelain jars. In a closed jar, it will keep for years. The jar stands open when the fragrance is wanted.

For ideas, you can view a collection of potpourri recipes at The Homemaking Cottage and Pioneer Thinking.