Making Homemade Potpourri

There are many uses for flowers, looking at them, drying them, and some varieties can even be eaten. We all love flowers and receiving them but when they die many of us just toss them away in wait for the next bouquet. Well, not me, I love making homemade potpourri.

I also love to go out in the woods and collect seed pods, nuts and berries to add to the mixture of colorful goodness I am about to create. The more colorful the mixture the more the eye gravitates to it.

Then there is the smell of potpourri, how do you get that? Essential oils is your best bet, although some people use fruit to boil down and add as the scent. I myself buy the oils and it makes it much easier to complete.

After all your collecting comes the fun part. It's time to put all the ingredients together and create your potpourri. If you don't mind waiting 20 or so days you can put your flowers or pedals on racks and let them air dry, Just be sure they don't touch each other. If your in more of a hurry you can oven dry them, which I prefer because I don't have the patience to wait almost a month for my harvest, or sometimes I need a gift quickly.

• Cut the stems off your flowers and add them to a drying rack. Making sure there is room between your blossoms and they are not touching one another.
• If you are adding seed pods do the same for them as you do the flowers.
• Find the essential oil you plan on using and add 10 to 15 drops to one tablespoon of water in a spray bottle.
• Spray your potpourri ingredients with your essential oil.
• Put the potpourri mixture into your oven at 150 degrees for a couple of hours. Making sure to check them so they don't burn. You want them dry but not burnt.

Now it's time to use your newly made potpourri. You can add it to a bowl on the table, make small netted bags to add to your bureau drawers or closets, or you can bag them as gifts for your friends and family.

You can make many batches with different scents added and different colored flowers or seed pods to each persons liking or you can make a mix of the same.

So the next time you receive a beautiful bouquet and you hate the idea of having to throw them away, now you have a reason not too.

Potpourri is not only beautiful but is also nose candy with the scents you choose. It revitalizes our senses in a wonderful way!