Make your own potpourri and box

Potpourri is a blend of aromatic dried flowers gathered in season to fill the house with pleasant summer fragrances year-round. Recipes for these natural home perfumes abound, ranging from simple to sophisticated. Powdered orris root or drops of essential oil can be added to the flowers to reinforce the fragrance.

 

HERE'S HOW:

Gather the following flowers as they bloom: lilac, scented roses, geraniums, peonies, clover, common selfheal, pot marigolds, lavender and thyme. Rose buds can be left whole. Let the flowers dry in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place. Petals are sufficiently dry when they are brittle. A typical blend includes a few scented roses, white or purple clover, pink grapefruit zest and mint leaves. You can add decorative touches such as small pine cones, pieces of moss and bark or fragrant sprigs of pine or spruce.

 

 

Decorative cardboard potpourri box

1. Print out the box template below and enlarge on a photocopier.

2. Trace the two octagons onto thin cardboard, the side pieces onto thicker cardboard.

3. Cut out the shapes using scissors or a craft knife. Score the sections to be folded, then fold into shape using a ruler.

4. Assemble the box using masking tape or sellotape. Decorate the box with paint, tissue paper decoupage, etc. The decorative button was made out of a piece of driftwood sewed on crosswise like a button, using natural string and a tapestry needle.

To 'reactivate' the fragrance, stir the potpourri occasionally. Add new dried flowers or a few drops of essential oil such as lavender, sweet orange or tea tree.

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