Here are some suggested ingredients for the project. If some are unavailable in your area, just choose what smells good to you. Feel free to experiment.

Screen or large serving platter for drying

1/4 teaspoon Potpourri essence (available in most craft stores)

1/2 teaspoon Orrisroot powder

1/4 cup dried lemon peel

1/2 cup Rose petals

1/2 cup Larkspur (Delphinum consolida)

1/2 cup Sea holly (Eryngium maritimum)

1/2 cup Juniper berries

1/2 cup Lavender (Lavandula sp.)

1/2 cup Lemon-scented geranium leaves (Pelargonium crispum)

1/2 cup Bay leaves (Laurus nobilis)

1/2 cup Hop-clover (Trifolium agrarium)

1/2 cup Balsam needles

Any other flower (flowerus randomus) you desire for scent or color

A medium-sized serving bowl (1 1/2 quart or 5 to 6 cups), as decorative as possible

10 days to dry, 5 minutes to combine, 10 minutes to arrange

Screens work best for maximum air circulation. Rinse off a window screen and use that. Or visit your local hardware store.

 For ideas on arranging, see your local florist.

For an especially beautiful scent, seal the potpourri in a container and let sit for four to six weeks. This allows the petals to ferment according to the original method-- "potpourri" means "rancid bowl" in French! Then set it out.

2torial #0559: Learn2 Make Potpourri Did something die in here? Nothing personal, but your house might be a little stinky. A little bowl of potpourri (pronounced "po-pur-REE") is a perfect way to give sweet breath to a stale place. Wait a moment, what is potpourri? It's a mixture of dried flowers, spices and aromatic essence that is arranged in a decorative bowl. For centuries it's been used as a natural, biodegradable air-freshener that delights the eye as well. Collect all the ingredients from your local flower shop, consulting an expert while you're there. Keep an eye out for color and texture, possibly mixing some rose heads or other flower heads into the batch. Choose your color component If you're particularly sensitive to interior decorating or color-coordination, you'll want to look around the prospective room and take its dominant color scheme into account. Otherwise pick out colors that suit you. Try sticking to one general set of colors-red, yellow and orange, or blue, green, and brown (or purple). If you're feeling wacky, mix together whatever colors you like. Stick it in your closet if it smells good but looks a little "noisy." Choose your scent component As with the color scheme, most potpourri has a dominant scent with suggestions of other, less prominent scents. Examples of dominant scents are lavender, cinnamon, and citrus. Some of these are appropriate to the season of the year: e.g., cinnamon for winter, lavender or citrus for summer. Perhaps you want to coordinate with the room's decor as you did in Step 1. Dry the mixture Place the petals, leaves and lemon peel on your screen, which will allow air to circulate around. Spread the mixture out as thinly as possible for maximum circulation. Let them sit for ten days in a light airy room. Combine in bowl Once dry, place the petals, leaves and lemon peel in your bowl. Save some flower heads or other particularly attractive ingredients for Step 3. Add a bit of the essence and the Orrisroot, and toss like a salad. Arrange to your taste Focus on the top layer, once your potpourri salad is thoroughly mixed. Choose your crowning ornaments and place them symmetrically. A bunch of smaller ingredients could be placed on the inner circumference, or in a design around the flower heads. Here's a chance to exercise your creativity! Experiment with several different designs, but handle the flower heads gently--they're delicate. If you get stuck for design ideas, ask your local florist. Place in stale space Good places for potpourri are bathrooms, hallways, foyers or entranceways, living rooms, or other rooms where family members or guests congregate. If you work out of your home, you'll improve your mood and effectiveness with some aromatic therapy for your nose and nerves. If you don't work at home, consider bringing it your workplace. Maintenance: Every few weeks or so, remove the design on the top layer and toss again like a salad. Add two drops essence to replenish the scent. And if you're inclined, change the top-layer design. Small details like this really can enhance your quality of life. Making sachets Sachets are basically small sacks of potpourri that you can carry around with you. Dried flowers and leaves are placed in a soft cotton pouch tied of with string or ribbon, depending on how fancy you like it. Fabric from a hopelessly tattered pair of jeans or khakis makes a good sachet pouch. As for the stuffing, use one dominant scent if you like--lavender, roses, or even cedar or pine needles. Keep one in your bag or purse. Or near the phone at work--you'll enjoy aromatic delights while listening to the other party! -end- Learn More!