I have always enjoyed receiving handmade gifts. As a crafter myself I fully see the value of these items. The time, blood, sweat and literal tears that are involved in crafting prove that a handmade item is worth much more. From experience I can also tell you have 9 out of 10 times it costs more as well! This is because of how many times we mess up and have to start over. Materials are not cheap, haha!

Because of this, I really enjoy giving a handmade gift to others. I try to think of creative things and find gifts that will actually be used. Naturally I enjoy gifts that are functional, not wasteful. So when I came across the idea of making PotPourri – I was immediately in love. I made these for many of my friends and family in 2022, and am already looking for different variations to make for future years. Another sweet addition that I didn’t really tell anyone was that the tree clippings that I included in my batch were actual clippings from the real Christmas Tree we used that year. For some reason that just made it feel much more special to me. 

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— side thought –> We own a parrot, which if you didn’t know, parrots respiratory systems are extremely sensitive. This means you shouldn’t use fragrance cleaners, air fresheners, and CANDLES. Yes that is right.. I cannot use candles in my house. As much as I love Smokie and would still rescue her in a heartbeat if I could do it over again… I really love candles.  One of my favorite candle scents is the chocolate scent from Yankee Candle. I can almost smell it right now. But for the next 60 years I won’t be burning one. So if I can’t burn candles, how can I enjoy a beautiful seasonal scent in my house? Well, that is where the PotPourri comes in! All natural ingredients mean it is not harmful to your bird. So this was another win. Picture of smokie for the cuteness factor.

Ok back on track. In its most simple form, you are gathering ingredients that make up some of your possibility already favorite scents, and simmering them on the stove in some water to release the amazing scent.

Now before you go on and on about how you are wasting electricity by keeping the stove on for a long period of time, you are right. The stove is on, you need to be home to monitor it. Another option to save your stove from being on would be to boil your mixture on the stove to get it hot, then pour it into your small crock pot leaving the lid off while it remains hot.

THE CHRISTMAS RECIPE I FOLLOWED:

Here is what I used in my mixture

  1. Cinnamon Sticks – I found them in bulk at Sam’s Club
  2. Whole cloves – I bought mine from the local grocery store in the spices isle
  3. Orange Slices – Make sure you get yourself a nice big orange if you want bigger slices when they are dehydrated.
  4. Christmas Tree clippings – I almost got clippings from Home Depot’s tree tent, they seem to always have extra Christmas tree pieces, but our tree needed a lot of trimming so I was able to just use my own
  5. Cranberries – Because I needed mine to be able to ship, I bought the Ocean’s Spray dried cranberries and had to hide them from my kids

POTPOURRI – HOW TO MAKE IT:

  1. Gather your ingredients in bulk if possible, let your club store help you out in this area. Each recipe has different items included, feel free to mix it up as well!
  2. Dehydrate any citrus slices in the oven or dehydrator, there are many ways you can accomplish this! Personally I did mine in the oven because I was doing a large amount and it seemed like the most efficient way for me to make it happen. Personally I followed the directions of 250 degrees in the oven for 3-4 hours checking it hourly. The detailed directions are from this site: My Heavenly Recipes 
  3. Fill bags or jars with your contents. No need to always be fancy, you can easily fold cardboard over a Ziplock bag and write the directions on it, remember the beauty is in your efforts! I ended up using these Cellophane treat bags
  4. Include a label with directions. Do not assume the recipients know what it is or how to use it. Next thing you know, your Aunt Thelma is eating it because she thought it was one of your healthy snack mixes. I didn’t feel like making my own labels so I downloaded the templates from TidBits

HOW TO USE IT / HOW LONG DOES IT LAST:

Pour your ingredients into your simmer pot, and cover the ingredients with water. Start off by bringing the water temp up to a quick boil and then immediately dropping it to a simmer. The beautiful scent will continue to fill your home for many hours. Many times I put the pot in the fridge overnight and heat it back up the next day for double the days! Typically your PotPourri lasts for 72 hours after you first heat it. Keep an eye on your pot, if you see your water level getting low, just add some new water (typically every 2  hours) and keep simmering or else you could end up burning your ingredients and causing a fire hazard. 

ADDITIONAL POTPOURRI RECIEPES:

PotPourri isn’t just for the holidays! There are soooo many recipes out there for PotPourri mixtures, I have featured some of my favorite that I will be trying this year, below.

Spring & Summer Scents

  1. Lemon Lime by Cultivating Nurse
    • Lemon
    • Lime
    • Sprigs of Mint
    • Sprigs of Thyme
  2. Lemon Stovetop Potpourri Recipe from The Frugal Girls
    • Lemons
    • Rosemary
    • Vanilla Extract
  3. Tropical Summer by  Winstead Wandering
    • Lemons
    • Coconut Extract
    • Strawberries
  4. Lavender Vanilla by Cultivating Nurse
    • Lavender Flowers
    • Vanilla Extract

Fall Seasonal Scents

  1. Fall Stovetop Potpourri by Make Life Lovely
    • Apple
    • Orange
    • Cinnamon
    • Cloves
    • Nutmegs
    • Vanilla
  2. Apple Pie by Classy Clutter
    • Apple
    • Nutmeg
    • Cloves
    • Cinnamon
    • Orange or Lemon
  3. Fall Scent by InstruPix
    • Cinnamon
    • Vanilla
    • Orange
    • Cloves
    • Bay Leaves
  4. Coffee Cake by InstruPix
    • Cinnamon Sticks
    • Leftover coffee grounds
    • Vanilla Extract

Christmas Seasonal Scents

  1. Christmas Scent by InstruPix
    • Cinnamon
    • Orange
    • Rosemary
    • Cloves
    • Cranberries
    • Nutmeg
  2. Candy Cane & Vanilla by Country Hill Cottage
    • Candy Cane
    • Vanilla Bean
    • Coconut Flakes
    • Cinnamon Sticks
    • Star Anise
  3. Pine Scent by One Hundred Dollars and Month
    • Pinecones
    • Small branches from a pine tree
    • Pine essential oil
    • Cedar essential oil

I hope you enjoy making these as much as I do! If you have a different recipe to share, feel free to leave it in the comments below for other readers.