~Holiday Crafts~

Christmas Essence

This is a great smelling "room scenter."

You will need the peels from half of a large orange and half of a large lemon. 6 whole cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick.

Cut the orange and lemon peels into small pieces and break the cinnamon stick into small pieces. Mix all ingredients together and place in a tin or piece of fabric for storage. When ready to use, simmer on the stovetop in 2 cups of water. This will provide a spicy scent all through your home.

Spicy Pinecones

You will need a collection of pinecones, Whole Star Anise, whole Nutmeg, whole Cloves, whole Allspice Berries, and Cinnamon Sticks. You will need to cut the nutmeg in half and cut the the cinnamon sticks into pieces. Mix all ingredients together and toss. These put off a nice spicy scent and go great in bathrooms or kitchens.They also look nice displayed in a yellowware bowl, if you have one.

Orange Clove Pomanders

Orange clove pomanders are very easy to make and they add a great scent to any room in your home, especially if you hang them by the fire; the heat intensifies the scent even more.You will need an orange or two or three and some cloves. Not the crushed kind, you want whole cloves. Begin at the top of the orange and insert cloves down one side and up the other. You want to insert the straight stick part into the orange, so that the spur portion is sticking out of the orange. Continue with this method until you have covered the entire orange. It is a time consuming task but well worth it. Or, you may choose to randomly place cloves all over the oranges surface.You may sit them in a bowl or fasten a hanger to the top of the orange and suspend.

Glass Ball Ornaments

Prior to and during the holiday season you can purchase plain glass ornaments at craft stores. Purchase some Acrylic Ceramcoat paints also. Wash the ornaments inside and out with a solution of 1 part water to 3 parts vinegar and allow to dry thoroughly (preferably overnight). Once dry squeeze a quarter size amount of paint into the ornament and slowly rotate until paint has covered inside of ornament. Turn upside down, over Styrofoam cup and allow to dry for up to 5 days. The paint will continue to marbelize as it dries. You may also choose to design and paint your ornaments free hand if you wish. I painted cats on one of mine and gingerbread men and holly on another. If a friend or family member has a favourite thing such as these, design and paint an ornament for them. You can even date it, so they will always know when you gave it to them.

Cinnamon Applesauce Dough