We started this project when we read about Paul Revere and colonial times. We learned how to make pot-pourri the colonial way! 
But I thought I would make a separate post, because I think this makes a great gift idea!
Items needed
*flower petals (fragrant flowers)
*lemon or orange rind
*herb leaves – I used lavendar, you can also used mint, etc. for different scents
*spices – cinnamon, cloves (or you can use the actual cinnamon stick)
*orrisroot OR drops of oil – I used lavendar oil I had in the fridge.
*newspaper or paper towels to let the flower petals dry out on
*mixing spoon
*small jar containers with lids
Pot-Pourri Instructions
First, you purchase flowers – or pull them from your flower garden! I used one bouquet of roses from the clearance rack at walmart. I got them for $4 because they were about to die…but that is fine for this project! We also used some marigolds from our yard!
The next step is fun for the kids! They got to pull all the petals off of the flowers! This actually took awhile. We pulled off all the petals from the roses and marigolds and also the leaves off of the lavendar. Spread them out onto newspaper or paper towels to dry. You will need to put them in a spot where they can lay (out of direct sunlight) for several days. It may take up to a week for them to dry out, I believe ours took 3-4 days. You can hand toss and mix the flower petals up once each day as they are drying.
Use a vegetable peeler or knife to peel off some small pieces of lemon or orange rind. Add this to your flower petal mixture to dry out.
After the petals are crisp and completely dried out, you can add your spices and oils. I added cinnamon, cloves and lavendar oil to mine. Basically I just sprinkled the spices & oil all over the petals. Then use a mixing spoon to mix the petals, spices, rinds, oils and herbs. You now have your pot-pourri mixture! You can divide your mixture into piles and even add a different scent to different piles if you wish to try that out!
When you have the mixture fixed to your liking, put the mixture into your small jars. I used 4 of the really small Ball jars from walmart – they are about 1/4 of the size of a regular ball canning jar. For a pretty gift, you could tie some pretty ribbon around the far and voila – a pretty gift for someone special!
After your mixture is in the jars, put the lids on tightly and put the jars away for 2-3 weeks. This allows the spices, oils and flower mixture to settle and the scent to “stick.” Once you have allowed your mixtures to “set” in the jars, pull out a jar…take off the lid and put it in the bathroom or a bedroom. You now have a good smelling room by means of an old colonial method!
You could also put a little bit of your pot-pourri mixture into a teacup and set it on a table for a pretty (and good smelling!) decoration!
Happy pot-pourri making!
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