How to Make Festive Potpourri

Homemade and gifts made with love are my fave gifts to receive and you know that the giver has spent time making a gift to give and has put a lot of thought and effort into the process.

 

 

 

homemade-gifts-made-easy.com

 

 

Homemade and gifts made with love are my fave gifts to receive. You know that the giver has spent time making a gift to give and has put a lot of thought and effort into the process. With this in mind I thought it might be nice to show a selection of easy gifts to make and nice ones to receive...

 

 

YOU WILL NEED:

Dried orange slices (see below)
Small pine cones
Whole cinnamon sticks
Half-dozen star anise

Don't worry about quantities for the ingredients - I promise the potpourri will smell delicious regardless. You can either buy dried orange slices from a craft store, or make your own. I made may own, and it was quite straightforward. The nice thing about making them yourself is that your kitchen will smell amazing while the orange slices are drying.

 

 

 

CONTINUES BELOW

 

 

 

 

Drying orange slices:

  1. Slice orange(s) cross-wise into thin slices about 3mm to 4mm thick

  2. Press slices between paper towels or kitchen towels to blot away excess juice

  3. Place slices on racks in oven and dry for 3 hours at 140°C, or 120°C (250°F) if fan-forced. Check on them regularly to make sure they don't burn!

If you're making potpourri for yourself, just put all the ingredients in a bowl and let the warm spicy scent waft around the room. Don't be surprised if it makes you hungry... it smells a bit like Christmas pudding!

If you're giving the potpourri as a gift (e.g. as part of a gift basket or Christmas hamper), then it looks nice wrapped in a cellophane bag tied with some raffia or ribbon. On this one I also attached a little cinnamon dough star, which smells lovely itself too!