Thursday, October 11, 2012

Autumn Scents and Mug Swap


While in Colorado, my friend, Jill, and I made up these sweet little bags of Autumn Scents to give to her friends at a Fall Festival she helped to organize. They were easy to do, look beautiful and smell so delicious! 

Autumn Scents 

Ingredients:
Dehydrated lemon and oranges slices
Cinnamon sticks
Star of Anise
Cloves

How to:
We started by slicing lemon and oranges thinly and placing on a cookie sheet. We didn't have a dehydrator instead we preheated the oven to 175 degrees and baked the fruit for 7 hours. We put them in overnight and they turned out perfectly. We awoke to the house smelling very citrusy. Once the fruit was cooled, we placed several slices of each in to the bag. 

We broke the cinnamon sticks in half and added 3-4 sticks, 2 Star of Anise and then a small handful, probably around 20, of cloves. We gathered the bag and tied it with ribbon.

We purchased the clear bags at Hobby Lobby but you could use small jars or even snack size zip lock bags. The orange ribbon tied off with a simple knot turned out to be a festive touch. 


How to use:
Pour entire bag of ingredients in to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer to fill your home with the wonderful scents of Autumn. You may keep the pot on the back of your stove refilling the water as needed. We boiled our trial pot all week and each day it still smelled wonderful. 


See the steam rising from the pot. It is the wonderful scent of Autumn!




MUG SWAP
I participated in a mug swap and had to hurriedly get mine in the mail before leaving on our trip. In fact, I took it to the post office and then we promptly headed to the airport. In my hurry, I forgot to take a picture of the mug I sent. :(  It was a bright lime green SC state mug. I included some hot chocolate packets and a SC postcard. I received my mug while I was gone. It was so fun to have a package waiting on me! I received this wonderful owl mug and goodies. I am sooo looking forward to filling this mug with my soups and stews this winter. Isn't it the cutest? The little owl faces are so adorable. Thank you, Kayla from Kayla's Creations! I love it. :) And I love Kayla's blog. Go check it out. 




sharing:
http://www.thecraftyblogstalker.com/2012/10/blog-stalking-thursday-62.html
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http://www.firefliesandjellybeans.com/2012/10/show-off-your-stuff-party-148.html
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http://www.the36thavenue.com/2012/10/craft-room-makeover.html
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/10/homemade-soft-scrub-and-wednesdays.html
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http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2012/10/linky_party_111/
http://www.herecomesthesunblog.net/2012/10/fabulous-friday-49.html
http://www.happygoluckyblog.com/2012/10/shine-on-friday-with-giveaway-hosted-by.html
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/10/strut-your-stuff-saturday-link-party_26.html
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http://www.thegingerbreadblog.com/2012/10/sweet-saturday-link-party-v62.html

14 comments:

  1. Mm I bet that smells divine! I love stove top recipes that smell wonderful :). I Love my mug, post card and hot chocolate! Thank you so much Pam you are so sweet & I am so glad to have met you through this swap! Have a wonderful weekend!!,

    Kayla :)

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    1. I am thankful to have "met" you too, Kayla! This does smell amazing. In fact, every time I have used it this week, my husband immediately comments on how good it smells. I have asthma so I can only use all natural items for scent. This recipe works great!

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  2. Love your Autumn scents idea, as natural scents don't usually bother a person with allergies to chemical sprays and such. Sounds so nicely scented. Love the owl mug too. very cute. :)

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    1. Thanks so much, Anne. I have asthma and can't tolerate a perfume or chemical smell but this doesn't bother me at all. And it smells divine. :)

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  3. Fabulous idea to make up those scent bags - I just love that! Pinned!

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  4. Thank you, Pam!! I'm hosting a little crafty party with some of my girlfriends and I've been stuck trying to think of projects we could make together. The Autumn scents idea is perfect. They will love it! I'll let you know how it turns out :).

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    1. Thanks, Mareth. :) I just saw on a different blog, something similar and they used bay leaves in place of the Stars of Anise. The stars are so pretty but also rather pricey unless you aren't doing many. I think the bay leaves would add a pretty color. Just an idea. Let me know how you like it. I have pretty severe asthma and this doesn't irritate it at all and just smells so wonderful!

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  5. Great ideas! Love the way you dehydrated citrus on your oven-I'm definitely going to have to try that!

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    1. Thanks, Leslie! The citrus smells so good baking so slowly in the oven. Let me know how you like it. :)

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  6. Mmmm I'm just in the mood for those Autumn scents - they look lovely!

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    1. Thank you, Suki! This scent just goes so well with the leaves changing colors and the crisp cool nights. :) Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. What a lovely gift! I'm sure it does smell great. I love simmering potpourri and the idea of drying the citrus sounds so elegant and lovely.

    Thanks so much for joining Grace at Home!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for dropping by, Richella. It is such a pretty and wonderful smelling project.

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