Scented Holiday Cards
As seen on the Sonoran Living program.

This is a nice touch to add another dimension to your holiday cards. You can actually be making potpourri AND scenting your cards together because you will end up with a nice potpourri that can be packaged up and given as a gift or keep for your own house to add that nice winter holiday aroma for your guests to enjoy. Another idea is to make little bags of potpourri and hang them on Christmas tree or other attractions in the house.

This takes a few weeks to let the fragrences fully absorb into the cards, so I am showing how to do this now in order to give everyone some time to gather together all the goodies you will need. Start by looking in your cupboards for old spices to use! Then buy new ones to fill in the potpourri and your pantry. Cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, bay leaves, cardamom, allspice berries, pepper corns.....

If you have an old potpourri hanging around the house, this is a good way to spruce it up and give it new life!

Go foraging in your yard, the desert or the neighbor’s yard for interesting dried pods. Lightly toast them in the oven to make sure there are no little bugs living inside (oven 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes). You can even find pine cones around the neighborhood.

Go to an herb store where you can buy bulk herbs. The Herb Stop in Town and Country Mall or Desert Sage Herbs in Chandler are excellent herb stores or look in your local phone book.

Desert Winter Potpourri and Aromatherapy Blend:
For Scenting Holiday Cards

Herbs and plants I have used in this potpourri include:

Mesquite Pods, Pine Cones, Bay Leaves, Assorted Ornamental Desert Bush Pods and Tree Pods, Olive Leaves, Eucalyptus Leaves, Cinnamon Sticks, Juniper Berries, Cloves, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Orange Peel, Sandalwood (good fixative to hold the scent) and Star Anise.

Essential Oils

Benzoin (good fixative), Bay, Cinnamon, Clove, Juniper Berries, and Cedarwood. (Pine, Cypress, Sweet Orange would also be good.)

To make the essential oil spray, use a small fine mist spray bottle and pour directly into it

1 Tbl alcohol
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 Tbl total of essential oil mixture (be sure to include Benzoin)
Shake well.

To Scent the Cards
What you need:
Large flat plastic storage bin (like the kind made to go under the bed)
Parchment Paper
Paper Towels
Potpourri (could be made without, but it is wonderful to have made potpourri, too)
Essential Oil Blend Spray
Holiday Cards

Method:

Cut parchment paper to fit bottom of bin and lay it to cover the inside bottom. Lay 2-4 paper towels on top of that. Spray the paper towels with 8 squirts of essential oil spray. Pour layer of potpourri in, adding any additional pods, herbs, leaves, berries, etc. Spray potpourri with 6-8 squirts of essential oil blend. Cover with paper towels completely, all the way to the edges. Spray these paper towels 4-5 squirts with essential oil blend. Let dry a couple of minutes, then lay out your holiday cards, overlapping a little, like a hand of playing cards. Cover the cards with more paper towels and spray the towels with 5-6 squirts of essential oil. Add another layer of cards.

Repeat this process until you have all your cards in the bin. Put a piece of parchment paper on top and then put the lid on the bin. Carefully move the box to a place where it can sit out of direct light (a closet is great) and where it will not get jostled around. The cards will be ready to send in a couple of weeks, though letting them sit for three to four weeks is better.

**This idea is also nice for any type of cards. Try other scents, like lavender, ylang ylang, rose, peppermint or a sweet citrus blend for the spring.