I'm always burning some kind of candle or trying a new scent of Wallflower from Bath and Body. With two toddlers (one still in diapers) I need all the help I can get.
I've ordered some yummy smelling holiday candles from a friend's catalog party she had recently. But I'm sort of impatient (sort of) and I wanted my house to smell yummy NOW. I remember seeing this idea linked up to somebody somewhere's link party and decided to give it a shot. (If you have seen this idea posted somewhere in blogland recently, let me know and I'll give credit!)
All you do is fill a saucepan with water (maybe 2 cups?) - I added a little apple cider to mine. Then just add dashes of your favorite yummy spices from your spice cabinet. Here's what I added:
I added vanilla extract, a cinnamon stick, some pumpkin pie spice, some orange peel and almond extract which is quite possibly my most favorite smell ever. Then just let it simmer on LOW. The water will eventually evaporate, so just keep an eye on the water level and add more when necessary.
This is my water level getting a little low - you can see the bits of spice on the side of the pan where the water once was.
I love this idea so much and can now wait patiently for my fall/winter candles to arrive in the mail.
Have you done this before? What spice combinations do you love?
P.S. Is anybody else's kids getting up with the sun now with the time change? YIKES! I saw this post on making your own black-out curtains a while back and may be tackling it in the near future....
8 friends say:
Great idea! And yes, my 7 month old has decided that 4:45 is a great time to get up these days. The time change does not agree with babies, that's for sure!
I've done this before and added orange or lemon slices to the pot with cinnamon sticks. Now I need to go buy some fruit!
Ya, after peeling an orange I will sometimes stick the peels on the stove and toss in some cinnamon. Mmmmm
We do it all the time but sometimes I just use water with cinnamon or add in some vanilla. If the little ones want an apple pealed I will throw those in
Cheri
Love the smell of potpourri...i am definitely gonna try this.
Natalie, I've done this for years. In fact, it makes a great little gift to take to a friend, teacher, lady you visit teach, etc.. Here's what I do. Wrap these ingredients in pretty cellophane wrap and tie with a pretty ribbon. Then I set it in a cute little clay pot like 3 inches at most in diameter.You can get these at Michael's for like a dollar at the most. Sometimes I dab a little gold paint on it with a sponge to make it a little more festive. Then I attach a tag that reads:
Made of Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
1/2 orange (sliced but not peeled)
1/2 lemon (sliced but not peeled)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. Whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
Cover with water and simmer on stove.
Renew by adding water
It's a nice thing to bring someone around the holidays instead of another plate of cookies.
Hi Natalie - I just saw your blog and I, too, have been doing the boiling pot of water trick for many years. I use basically the same sents -we live in Florida and this time of year my orange and grapefruit trees are loaded so I will cut slices and put them in with Cloves and Cinnamon. I have also used some flavored loose tea before but it has to be a pretty strong one! I also do the ole' "cloves stuck in the orange" pomanders too! Thanks for sharing - I'm loving your blog:)
Melissa
Another idea if you don't want to take up a burner and dirty a pot is to put it in a mug on an electric mug warmer. It works great, too. I just found an old mug that I really didn't care what happenend to it and I just keep refilling it with water.
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