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Pot pourri making 
Pot pourri components
To make pot pourri, you need 3 or 4 components:
Pot pourri base - petals, leaves, pods, dried fruit etc
Pot pourri fragrance - blended essential oils
Fixative - ground spice or orris root powder to make the fragrance last*
*If you use fragrance oils instead of essential oils, the fixative can be omitted.
Toppers - optional decorative pieces to place on top
Making traditional pot pourri
To make your pot pourri, mix your base ingredients together with a few drops of essential oil and a small amount of fixative (Orris root powder can be obtained from health food shops). Shake thoroughly to mix, and seal for about six weeks inside a tupperware box or plastic container. This allows the fragrance to develop. Store this in a warm dark place, shaking every couple of weeks.
A simple recipe would use about 25% dried lavender by weight mixed with rose buds and rose petals, an orris root powder fixative, and rose and lavender essential oils.
Combinations for different parts of the house
Nearly all traditional pot pourri recipes include dried lavender. This is fragrant, plentiful and has a scent associated with cleanliness (in fact the name is derived from the latin for "To wash").
For the kitchen: Try adding dried herbs to a base of dried lavender, with lavender and rosemary essential oils.
For the bedroom: The traditional lavender/rose mix is great for bedrooms, as the lavender aids sleep while the rose element is for romance.
For the bathroom: Clean smelling dried lavender with dried citrus and orange and/or lemon oil - this one will also help wake you up in the morning!
The quick way
A modern short cut to making pot pourri is to omit the fixative and associated fixing or "developing" time and use fragrance oils instead of essential oils. Fragrance oils do not require a fixative as they have been developed to provide a good fragrance over a long period of time. If you are using this method, then just shake all your dry ingredients in a plastic bag with a few drops of oil and leave to stand for a few hours to permeate.
Toppers
Large decorative pieces for the top of your pot pourri can be made by pressing flowers from your garden or weaving corn or wicker shapes.
Visit www.PotPourriShop.co.uk to buy anything you might need.
Lavender (and wheat) bag making
Making lavender bags is very simple. Coming from the lavender fields of Provence, the lavender we recommend is high in essential oils, and therefore highly fragrant. The bags can be used as an insect repellant in cupboards, to freshen drawers, or to aid sleep and relaxation. Lavender bags make very popular wedding favours.
A simple lavender bag can be sewn from offcuts of fabric, and either sewn shut after filling, or sealed with velcro or a drawstring ribbon.
Resealable bags can be re-filled or refreshed more easily.
To fill the bags you can choose pure dried lavender (this is what we use).
Or if you are on a budget, you can mix it with wheat or dry rice mixed with a few drops of lavender oil. These produce a more weighty bag.
Bags made with wheat can be warmed in the microwave to produce an alternative to the hot water bottle. Such bags should be made of sturdy cotton and carefully stitched to avoid leaking. Microwave with care, as if left too long, will overheat.
Large pillows and cushions can be made by inserting a lavender pouch between foam pads. Lavender pillows can aid sleep, whereas lavender cushions will keep your living space fresh!
To refresh lavender bags.
If you have had it less than 3 months, just squeeze to refresh.
If you have had it longer than this you can either replace the lavender, or remove the lavender and mix it with a couple of drops of lavender oil (cautiously to avoid staining).
Visit www.Dried-Lavender-Bag.co.uk to buy loose dried lavender and wheat.
Lavender and pot pourri making
Traditional lavender pot pourri will fill your house with the fresh, calming smell.
You only need one part lavender to about four parts other ingredients. Try rose buds & petals, cornflower petals, dried garden herbs, chamomile flowers.
Mix your selected ingredients with a few drops of essential oil (just lavender, or mixtures such as rose & lavender, or rose, geranium & lavender in varying ratios) and a sprinkling of orris root powder (available from health food shops) to fix the fragrance. Seal in a tupperware box and leave in the airing cupboard for a few weeks for the fragrance to develop. Then display in a pretty bowl.
Lavender is very popular in the home as it has a very clean smell.
Variations: blend some other essential oils depending on where your pot pourri will be placed: try just rose for a romantic bedroom pot pourri; rosemary & orange for the kitchen.
For an instant effect, substitute fragrance oil for essential oil, and skip the orris root powder and time to develop. However any aromatherapy benefits may be lost.
Be careful to protect surfaces and skin when using undiluted fragrance oils and essential oils.
Visit www.PotPourriShop.co.uk to buy anything you might need.
Lavender as a clothes moth repellant
Clothes moths are tiny moths that like to live indoors and tend to attack the contents of your wardrobe. They particularly like natural fibres such as wool and leave tiny holes.
Once you have an infestation, they are hard to irradicate. However lavender bags hung in you wardrobe should help to prevent them setting up home. The moths are simply deterred by the smell.
The bags are of most use in small, enclosed areas and should last for about 2-3 months if squeezed from time to time to refresh the fragrance. After this time, they can be opened and refilled with new dried lavender, or refreshed with lavender oil (essential oil not fragrance oil).
We have a wide range of lavender bags hand filled to order.
Visit www.Dried-Lavender-Bag.co.uk to buy loose dried lavender and lavender bags.
Relaxing lavender
Relax with Lavender.
Relaxing lavender can be used in many ways. From a lavender bag under your pillow to a relaxing massage. We have many lavender products available to buy on-line.
Ways to relax with lavender
Put a few drops of lavender oil in a bath for a soak before bedtime.
Make a lavender wheat bag that can be warmed in the microwave for a soothing alternative to a hot water bottle.
Put a lavender bag under your pillow.
Dilute a few drops of lavender oil in a massage oil for a relaxing massage.
Place a few drops of lavender oil on a hankie in your handbag and inhale when needed.
Place a few drops of lavender oil in water in an oil burner and let the relaxing aroma soothe you.
Make some pot pourri with dried lavender to fill your house with the fresh, calming smell.
Visit www.Dried-Lavender-Bag.co.uk to buy loose dried lavender and lavender oil.
Dried lavender and rose buds: Newsletter July 06
Welcome to the occasional newsletter for our on-line shops at www.DaisyGifts.co.uk and www.Dried-Lavender-Bag.co.uk. It has been a few months since the last newsletter and we have been busy (as ever) improving our range and prices.
NEW! Embroidered Range A lovely selection of embroidered bags and a lavender cushion. The cushion is about 10" and very pretty in cream with a removable cushion pad and lavender pouch, £12.99. There are also two white lavender bagsat £2.29 (small), and £3.99 (large), both filled with highly fragrant dried lavender. The cream rose bagis £3.29, filled with gently fragrant rose buds.
NEW! Burgundy rose buds These rose budsmake lovely pot pourri ingredients. Available in open or tightly closed varieties, they are extremely good value for money. The open buds are naturally sweetly fragranced.
{Burgundy rose buds £19.99 for 1Kg closed or £15.99 for 1Kg open: smaller and larger pack sizes available.}
Loose dried lavender - better quality, better prices, more choice
Quality - Our standard lavenderis now softer, light blue in colour with a great fragrance for making lavender bags and home crafts.
Better prices - We have knocked £5 off a 5Kg pack (was £62.99 now £57.99), and £10 off a 10Kg sack (was £109.99 now £99.99).
More choice - For customers who would like a darker colour coupled with a soft English Lavender fragrance, we have introduced Lavendula Angustifolia "Super Blue" which is a lovely dark indigo.
{Super Blue lavender, £19.99 for 1Kg, smaller & larger sizes available.}
NEW! Super Blue Bunches This is the same lavender described above, available in 25cm (left of photo) or 35cm bunches.
{Super blue bunches £2.49 and £4.99 each, plus heavily discounted wholesale packs available.}
Weddings For those of you involved in weddings, we have increased our selection of wedding favours to include candles, paper soap and other little gifts. There is also a wide range of petal mixes from 79p a pack for use as natural biodegradable confetti.
Everyday price reductions. We are continuing to lower prices throughout the shop. For example since the last newsletter:
All pink rose petal packs reduced - £10 off 1Kg (now only £19.99, was £29.99), other sizes available.
£1 off individual standard 45cm lavender bunches, now only £3.99 each.
I hope this has been of interest. If you have any comments, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Best wishes,
Ruth.
Mrs Ruth Ridley
Daisy Gifts Ltd,
1 Sutton Drove Cottages,
Seaford BN25 3NG.
Tel. 01323 896807.
E-mail ruth@daisygifts.co.uk.
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