Have any ideas on how to make homemade potpourri I can simmer on the stove in a pot?? Other then oils..?

We like christmas smells, flower smells, clean smells, just not stuff over powering since I get headaches easy..Thanks..It can be food stuff or not

Have any ideas on how to make homemade potpourri I can simmer on the stove in a pot?? Other then oils..?
I use cloves. cinnamon ,orange peels.lemon peels. Vanilla.....pine needles are good for x mas smells...I have an old pot that I use just for that...set my stove top on low....and add water though out the day...
Reply:I like to boil whole cloves, cinnamon stickes, and a couple medium thick sliced lemon slices. I just toss everything in that I want, no exact measures. Every so often I forget to add more water and it almost burns in the pan, but even burnt (just slightly) it still smells good.





Poke an orange with whole cloves and find a way to hang it or just keep it on the counter or table for a nice visual. (A couple with the cloves in a pattern in a clear shallow bowl or vase would look really nice) You could also try it with lemons.
Reply:I save all of my citrus peelings and apple cores etc. and I freeze them. Every once in a while I pull them all out and add cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg etc. and simmer them on the stove. I add vanilla too. www.creativedesignunlimited.com
Reply:Making Potpourri


You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment to make potpourri. Most of items you will need can be found in your kitchen.





For blending potpourri you will need stainless steel or glass: bowls, measuring cups, and spoons. It is important that you do not use plastic. Plastics will retain the smell of the products you mix, and the oils you will be using sometimes melt plastic.





You will also need glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Dark colored glass works best. Jars will be used to store and protect potpourri during the aging process. Get some eyedroppers or plastic pipettes. You will need one for every scent you have. You will also need a high quality grain alcohol for cleaning the eyedroppers and jars from excess oil.


A mortar and pestle will be helpful too. If you do not have one a small hammer, blender, or grinder may be used instead and will be used for making powders.


To reproduce your work you want a notebook to keep track of recipes and formulas you construct. You should also get a small scale to measure ingredients.





Blending Potpourri





A potpourri can have as many as 10 scents or more to construct as quality fragrance. Your skill in blending will be developed by your impressions of fragrant combinations of materials.





When blending fragrances, always measure and blend heavier materials first. Heavier materials are roots, barks, and spices. The lighter, more delicate flowers and leaves are then added. For better aromatics, use whole forms of flowers, leaves and spices. Barks and roots can be cut and sifted from. Powders have a tendency to sift to the bottom of your potpourri and are best suited for sachets. Next, add you fixatives. Approximately 20% fixative. Lastly, add essential oils. Using eyedropper, add a little fragrance at a time. Examine the scent, adding more if needed. Take notes. To make this potpourri again, take careful notes on the weight, amount of scent, etc. that you added to this potpourri. Remember with natural products you will have some variations and an exact duplicate is next to impossible.


Once you have the fragrance you like, stir ingredients. Smell the mixture again, checking to see if the fragrance is complete.





If this is the fragrance you want, then place mixture in glass jars. Close tightly, and place in dark area for 4 to 6 weeks. Shake contents periodically to keep potpourri well mixed.


Potpourri Containers





Half the fun of potpourri is in finding the right container. While you could display it in any non-metal container that can be covered -- even an old mayonnaise jar -- that defeats the elegant Victorian spirit of a perfect potpourri. The container should match the scent.





For Victorian floral blends, choose cut or pressed glass, such as candy dishes or compotes, or a simple round rose bowl set on a saucer. At night reverse the order, setting the saucer on top as a lid. Chinese ginger jars are also good containers for rose-based blends, although they don't show off the colors as a glass or open container would.





Spicy or woodsy blends look at home in sturdy pottery bowls or pots, or in a glass bowl or wide jar set inside a rustic vine basket. Wooden boxes make good containers, too, but they will absorb the fragrance from the oils, and smell like potpourri long after they've been put to some other use.





Look for containers in flea markets, garage sales, church bazaars, and second-hand shops, and be alert for attractive jars such as those used for premium brands of jams and preserves. A metal lid is not a problem, as long as the potpourri does not stand in metal.


Potpourri Ingredients





Flowers:


Roses - Old fashioned varieties for fragrance, hybrids for color; use buds or petals


Lavender - A rich long-lasting clean fragrance


Chamomile - Pungent, heady and flowery


Orange blossoms - Very heady and sweet


Calendula - Bright orange and yellow colors, no scent


Heather - Tiny pink blossoms with delicate scent


Statice - Firm bright colored flowers, no scent





Herbs:


Rosemary - Fragrant needle-like leaves that blend well with roses


Thyme - Rich and herby


Bay leaves - Delicate, long lasting scent, whole or broken


Lemon verbena - A true lemon scent that lasts for years


Spearmint - Fresh, strong scent


Orange mint - A cologne-like fragrance


Spearmint - Fresh, cool fragrance


Marjoram leaves - A delicate herb scent


Marjoram flowers - Pale pink tufts with mild fragrance





Spices and fruit:


Cinnamon - Crisp and long-lasting, use freshly broken sticks


Cloves - Long-lasting and strong scent; use whole


Allspice - Mild spicy fragrance, use whole


Orange and lemon peels - Dried and broken for a sweet, rich scent





Others:


Cedar - Shavings or dried leaf tips; rich and woodsy


Balsam - Rich and very long lasting, use needles or tips


Hemlock cones - For bulk and appearance


Oak moss - Soft gray color, earthy aroma


Eucalyptus - The scent of a florist shop; use long leaves of mature tree


Orris root - A fixative with very little scent of its own; use chipped, not powdered





Essential oils: Choose to match the flowers and herbs; avoid spice oils, which tend to overwhelm a blend, and artificial "fruit" oils which lend a sickly-sweet, un-natural smell.




















Your Own Blends


To create original blends, use this basic formula:


1 cup fragrant flowers


1/2 cup herbs


1/4 cup whole or broken spices or citrus peel


2 tablespoons chipped orris root


5-10 drops essential oil


You can vary this as you gain confidence, experimenting with new combinations by crushing a few petals or leaves together in your fingers - at the very least, your hands will smell good!

















HOLIDAY SPICE SIMMERING or JAR POTPOURRI








2 cups Rose Hips - Whole................... 8 oz


1 cup Anise (Star) - Standard.............. 2 oz


1 cup Cinnamon Sticks (1-inch)......... 2-3/4 oz


1 cup Curly Pods (Natural)................. 1 oz


1 cup Ginger Root Slices................... 2 oz


1 cup Juniper Berries (Red) - Whole.... 3-1/4 oz


1 cup Noble Fir Cone Scales.............. 3/4 oz


1 cup Pine Cones - Birch................... 1 oz


1 cup Spina Cristi..................... 1-1/2 oz


1/2 cup Allspice (Jamaican) Whole...... 1-3/4 oz


1/2 cup Cloves - Whole................. 1-3/4 oz


1/2 cup Tilia Flowers.................... 3/4 oz


OIL: Bayberry or Winterberry




















MERRY BERRY SIMMERING or JAR POTPOURRI








3 cups Cockscomb flowers (Dyed Red).... 1-3/4 oz


2 cups Rosebuds %26amp; Petals (Red)......... 1-1/2 oz


2 cups Rose Hips - Whole................... 8 oz


1-1/2 cups Milo Berries (Cranberry)........ 3 oz


1-1/2 cups Pine Cones - Birch.......... 1-1/2 oz


1 cup Anise (Star) - Standard.............. 2 oz


1 cup Hibiscus Flowers - Whole......... 1-1/2 oz


1 cup Juniper Berries (Red) - Whole.... 3-1/4 oz


1 cup Statice Flowers (White)............ 3/4 oz


1 cup Tilia Flowers.................... 1-1/2 oz


1/2 cup Allspice (Mexican) Whole....... 1-3/4 oz


1/2 cup Cloves - Whole................. 1-3/4 oz


1/2 cup Rosemary - Whole (Spices).......... 1 oz


OIL: Holiday Cranberry or Bayberry




















Lady Victorian





lavender buds


rosebuds and petals


colored babu


angel wings colored


straw flowers colored


scent with lavender or rose or musk

riding boots