Give the Holiday Gift of Smell: Satchet Bags, Potpourri and Applesauce Pomander

I hope you made plenty of applesauce, because here's a really unique idea for it. Instead of sticking 300 cloves in an orange, you can make a pomander with the applesauce. The recipe below will yield 4 of them.

Mix 1/6 cup of cinnamon (2tbsp and 2tsp), 1 tbsp of each allspice and ground cloves, 2 tsp of each ground nutmeg and orris root granules thoroughly. Add 1/3 cup of applesauce. This will form dough. Make 4 walnut shell sized balls from the dough.

Use a crochet hook to push a ribbon through the center of each pomander ball. Loop a 12-inch piece of 1/8-inch ribbon flat over the hook and push the hook through the pomander. One end of the ball will have a loop and the other end will have both ends of the ribbon. Knot the ends once it is through, so it will stay. This forms a hanger. Set these on a cookie sheet in a warm dry area to dry. It takes about 10 days. Turn them daily.

Get your glue gun ready to decorate these bad boys. You can use pine, sweet gum, small pine cones (Putting white opalescent glitter on the pine cones resembles snow and is really pretty.), dried flowers, and even a few pearls.

Be careful whom you give this to. Some people have many allergies and the orrisroot in the pomander and decorations could set them off.

Sachet Bags for the Drawer or Display.

Sachet bags are so simple to make, if you have a sewing machine. The process won't take you more than 5 minutes.

Cut a piece of material 4 inches X 14 inches. Fold the material in half with the right sides facing each other and the 4-inch sides touching. Stitch the sides shut 1/2 inch from the edge and turn the bag right side out. Fold the top of the material toward the inside of the bag, creating a 2-inch hem. Press this with an iron. Fill the bag with potpourri and tie it closed with a decorative ribbon. You didn't have to stitch the hem at the top, because it's far enough inside that the tying hides it. Make a bow with the ribbon.

Decorate the front with silk flowers or dried flowers. Use a glue gun to attach the foliage, flowers, beads, and even a few fake berries to the front.

Make a Potpourri;

This wonderful floral potpourri takes a little longer to make than the sachet bags that hold it. You will need a fixative. Make it using 1/2 cup of the orrisroot granules and a little less than 1 tbsp of rose oil (I find it too hard to fill 2 tsp to the brim and transfer.). You can use other favorite essential oils if you like, instead of the rose oil.

Put the mixture in a quart mason jar and close the lid. Shake it daily for 5 days.

On day 5 you will need to get a large 6 quart plastic bowl with a lid. Layer three cups of dried roses first. Next add 3 cups of rosemary leaves that have been removed from the stems, put a layer of dried lavender flowers, and top it off with a single cup of dried hibiscus flowers. As you add each layer stir it well. When you are satisfied that it is well mixed add the fixative from the Mason jar. Add it a little at a time, stirring continuously. Cover it for a few days and shake it periodically. You are now ready to stuff the sachet bags.