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Tips on Blending Your Own Potpourri
There are many ways of creating personalized
potpourri blends. Potpourri is essentially a combination of dry botanical
materials, fixative to hold the scent and scented oils. While fixatives are
less than inspiring, adding your own botanical materials and/or scented oil
creates a distinctively personal touch.
Potpourri Fundamentals
This is the major component of all potpourri blends. Botanicals include any
plant material or natural material you can think of. Some examples would
be; flower petals, flower heads, pods, cones, seeds, moss, bark, berries,
leaves or even shells. Choosing and mixing botanicals is probably the best
part of making potpourri. With these materials you invent the color scheme,
texture and feel of the blend. Mixes can be brightly colored and bold to
soft, muted blends of monochromatic colors. Textures play a big role in
developing the feel of the blend. Large, chunky botanicals with lots of texture
look wonderful together for a dramatic and modern presentation. Lots of tiny
botanicals give a delicate, more Victorian flavor to the blend. Generally,
a potpourri blend has at least three different types of botanicals, if not
more. However, it makes a dramatic and stunning display to put out a container
full of one type of botanical. For example, at Christmas you could fill your
favorite holiday bowl with mini pinecones and add a light touch of Christmas
Pine oil for a festive touch. A silver or crystal bowl filled with red rose
petals and a light touch of rose oil creates a romantic touch for Valentine's
Day. Your only limitation is your imagination and the ingredients you have
on hand when making potpourri.
Build on pre-mixed blends to create your own, unique blends. A quick and
easy way to create a "signature blend" for your business is to begin with
a pre-mixed one, then add in a few new botanicals or change the scent slightly.
Mixing in your own dried materials gives you a chance to create unique blends.
For some, collecting their own materials is the best part. Gathering leaves,
flowers, pods, mosses, cones and berries can be fun and easy depending on
your location. Look around as you go for a walk and see what you notice while
thinking about potpourri potentials. If you have a flower shop, you may think
about drying your leftovers and recycling them into potpourri. All you need
to dry is the flower head, petals or leaves. You may wind up with more botanical
materials than you can use! If you are going to add some of your own dried
botanicals into potpourri, there are a few precautions you need to follow.
-- Make sure the botanicals are completely dry. The best drying methods are
using a food dehydrator or an oven. The principle here is that the faster
something dries the more of its original color and shape it will retain.
If drying in an oven, keep the temperature at 100° Fahrenheit and the
oven door cracked open. Keep a very close eye while the oven is on. If the
botanicals get too hot, they may ignite. While a microwave will work, it
is very easy to scorch the botanicals or even blow them up.
-- Another factor you need to consider with your own dried material is bug
infestation. Drying in an oven or dehydrator will usually take care of most
bugs, but if you are selling lots of potpourri, you may want to add this
precautionary step. Find a household "bug bomb" or fogging bug spray. Place
all the dry botanicals on window screens (or something similar) and prop
the screens up on legs so there is air circulation all around them. Stack
the screens in a closet or room that can be closed off. Read the directions
on the bug spray carefully then place it in with the dried botanicals and
set it off. This should free your botanicals of any bug infestation.
Fixative
Fixative is a generic term to describe the material that absorbs and holds
the scent of fragrance oil, adding a stronger or new scent to your potpourri.
The fixative is also what allows the fragrance of your potpourri to last
and last. There are many types of fixatives available. Some traditional ones
are orrisroot, wood shavings, bark, vermiculite and Fiberfix. Anything porous
enough to absorb the oil and hold it will work. The Floral Home Company carries
only Fiberfix as a fixative because it seems to work best. It is inexpensive,
compared to the others, 100% natural and non-toxic. Since it is not water
soluble, the oils penetrate and stay. Moisture from the air will not dissipate
the scent. Using Fiberfix is easy. Place a 1/2-cup of Fiberfix in an air
tight container, preferably glass or metal. Drizzle the desired amount of
oil over the fixative and stir it well. Usually less than 1/4 teaspoon of
oil is more than enough to scent even 5 pounds of dry botanicals. Cover the
container and allow 2 to 4 hours for the oil to absorb into the fixative.
Once the oil has soaked in, the fixative is ready to blend into the potpourri.
Scented Oils
Even if you have a multitude of wonderfully scented botanicals, a touch of
oil can tie your potpourri blend all together. It can enhance scents already
naturally occurring and make them stronger or it can blend with the natural
fragrances to create a perfume unique to the blend.
There are two types of scented oils, Essential Oils are natural oils extracted
from the plant or Fragrance Oils which are synthetic versions of natural
oils. Generally, essential oils are more expensive because it takes more
time and requires more raw materials to create the pure oil. Many people
will only use pure, essential oils for aromatherapy purposes or skin care.
Others are not bothered by the synthetic versions for the same purposes.
For potpourri, either type of oil will work equally well. You need only choose
one according to your preference of "flavor".
Blending It All Together
You may be amazed how easy it is to make your own potpourri. To blend all
your ingredients together and make up a batch of potpourri, just follow these
three easy steps.
-- Choose all your botanicals first and mix them together until you create
the perfect color and texture combination. If you choose some heavily scented
botanicals, that will steer the direction of your blend and could influence
the scent of the oil you choose.
-- Place some Fiberfix in a glass, ceramic or metal bowl and add the desired
amount of scented oil. Stir the oil in well, cover the bowl (with a plate)
and allow the oil to soak into the fixative for 2 to 4 hours.
-- Once the scented fixative is ready, stir it into the botanical blend.
Mix everything well. Pour the entire batch of potpourri into a paper bag
for "curing". This curing process allows all the smells to blend into each
other. Seal the paper bag with tape, staples or paper clips and set it in
a cool, dry location out of the direct sun. Shake the bag once daily to keep
everything blending evenly. After 5 to 7 days, the botanicals and scented
fixative will have blended and mellowed into the final scent of the potpourri
and it is ready to put out or bag and sell.
You may also decide to start with a pre-mixed potpourri blend instead of
just dry botanicals. Starting with a pre-mixed blend gives you a huge time
advantage for blending and you will not have to cure it quite as long. Just
a few days of curing will do. To create your own unique blend from a pre-mixed
base, simply follow the same steps listed above. How many extra botanicals
or how much extra scent you use is completely up to you.
Storage
If you plan to store your potpourri for a long period of time you will
need to put it in an airtight container. Make sure there is not moisture
in the container. Place a packet of silica gel in every pound of potpourri
you are storing. Silica packets absorb the moisture, preventing mold and
mildew during storage should there be any moisture still in the container
or in the potpourri. You can make a pack by sealing about a tablespoon of
silica gel (powder) in a small envelope. Silica Gel is available at most
craft stores.
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About the Author
This article is reprinted with permission from our friends at
Floral Home.com
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