Festive potpourri in a few easy steps

With the holidays right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start preparing your home. It’s not just about making visitors feel welcome, but also about making the most of this time of year. Festive potpourri is great for making your home smell like the holidays and here are some great recipes everyone should try.

Mulberries

• In a bowl, mix three cups of rose petals and leaves with 1 cup juniper berries, 1 cup hibiscus flowers, ½ cup crushed bay leaves, ¼ cup ground star anise, and 2 tablespoons of orris root.
• Add mulberry fragrance oil (about 15 drops) to this mixture and combine so that the oil coats the entire batch of festive potpourri.
• Place in a clay or ceramic bowl and store any extra in airtight glass containers.

Apple and Spices

• Slice a couple of apples and make sure that the slices are as thin as possible. This helps them dry faster.
• Place the slices on a baking tray and bake in your oven at 150 degrees for about 30 minutes.
• Once dried and cooled, combine the apple slices with half a cup pink and red carnation flower petals.
• Add a quarter cup dried sweet woodruff leaves to this mixture.
• Next, add 2 tablespoons of crumbled cinnamon sticks, 1 ½ tablespoons of grated nutmeg, 1 tablespoon of whole cloves, and a tablespoon of orange peels which have been thinly sliced.
• Complete by adding three drops of vanilla or cinnamon-scented oil, tossing the mixture around, and store in a glass jar until you are ready to enjoy this fine festive potpourri.

Rose potpourri

• Combine pink, red, and white rose petals for a colourful variety. You will need four cups of petals in total
• Dry your petals out before making this festive potpourri.
• Once the texture of the resembles that of soft leather, layer your rose petals with half a teaspoon of non-iodized coarse sea salt.
• Put a plate on top to push the petals down and then cover everything with some tin foil.
• Allow to dry more and stir once a day for the next two weeks.
• When you notice the petals start to change colour, toss them together with 1 tablespoon of crushed cloves, 1 tablespoon cedar shavings, 1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh shaved), 3 crushed bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick (crushed), 1 teaspoon of lemon zest or extract and 10 drops of rose oil.
• Place this mixture in a ceramic pot and cover with tin foil for four weeks. The wait is worth it!
• Once ready, you can display as much as you like and store the rest in airtight glass jars.
• If your mixture is very dry at this stage, you can add a few more drops of rose oil to spruce it up a bit and add some fresh aroma.

These are just three really easy recipes for festive potpourri that will have your house smelling absolutely amazing over the holidays. They will only require some basic ingredients and you can always freshen them up by adding a few more drops of essential oil from time to time.