Oh, That Smells So Good!

I absolutely love walking into someone’s home that smells so good and screams IT’S THE HOLIDAY SEASON!!

Let’s face it, your sense of smell can so bring you back to happy, childhood memories. It does for me!

What do I think of when it comes to the holidays? A fresh Christmas tree, homemade pumpkin pie, and apple cider with cinnamon on a cold winters day.

New Series: DIY Homemade Simmering Stovetop Potpourri

I am so excited to share with you that we are starting a new series: DIY Homemade Simmering Stovetop Potpourri.

Each month I will post a new scent of the month and will tie it into any holiday that might be going on.

So for this month, I am giving you a Thanksgiving scent and also a Christmas scent so you have time to make a great holiday gift for someone special if you desire.

You can find this series at the top of this page under the tab “Articles” and then in the sub tab “DIY Projects.” Fun right?

Homemade Simmering Stovetop Potpourri

There are so many amazing scents that you can pull together to make your house smell A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

The best part… most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

AND you can use up scraps (like orange peels, lemon peels, and leftover herbs from your garden) to pull together easy and simple scents! Kind of cool, right?

So let’s dive into the first 2 homemade simmering stovetop potpourri recipes, shall we?

Thanksgiving Homemade Simmering Stovetop Potpourri

So with Thanksgiving around the corner, I wanted to share an amazing simmering potpourri recipe!

When your guests arrive at your home for your Thanksgiving feast, they will be welcomed with this wonderful holiday aroma!

Here is what you will need:

You can use any pot that you have but I like to use this one because it is a stainless steel pot and is inexpensive. It is only 2 cups and can be used on the stovetop and heats up fast and stores easily.

Thanksgiving Simmering Stovetop Potpourri

Author: Halle Cottis

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1½ cup apple cider
1 tbsp pumpkin spice
½ nutmeg grated
1 tsp cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broke in half

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to lowest simmer possible.
Keep an eye on the simmering potpourri and refill with more apple cider as needed.
Simmer for 2-4 hours or however long you desire.

Christmas Homemade Simmering Stovetop Potpourri

So here is one of my favorite Christmas potpourri scents. There is nothing better than combining orange and cranberry and the rosemary adds such a wonderful pine aroma!

Christmas Homemade Simmering Stovetop Potpourri

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup water
1–2 sprigs rosemary
1/4 cup fresh cranberries
the peel of 1 orange or clementine

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to lowest simmer possible.
Keep an eye on the simmering potpourri and refill with more water as needed.
Simmer for 2-4 hours or however long you desire.

One Final Note & A Free Book Offer…

These recipes are both included in the Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness book.

I wrote my book Natural Solutions for Cleaning & Wellness because I wanted to help others live a more natural lifestyle.

For a limited time, I’m offering this book to you FOR FREE (all I ask is that you help me out with the shipping)!

What’s the catch? There is none! This is my contribution — to help change the lives of as many people that I can.

As you can imagine, this offer won’t be around for long…so grab your free copy today!

A Great Holiday Gift Idea

On a final note, this makes a terrific holiday gift. I made this gift package for one of my girls’ school teachers. It is super quick to whip up and it is very reasonably priced.

To make, purchase a small simmering pot {like this one}. Keep it small, 2 cups is perfect!

Next, head to the dollar store and get some clear plastic bags and some nice holiday ribbon. Add your homemade potpourri to the bag minus the liquid and wrap it up with a nice bow. I actually added pine cones to this batch, feel free to improvise the recipe to your liking.

Add a recipe card {you can find free holiday printable recipe cards here} and tie it onto the handle as shown here.

It is cute to allow your child to add a little note to the teacher. It makes it more personalized and special!

That’s it! I think I made this gift for a little under $20! Now that is what I am talking about and it’s cute as can be, isn’t it! What are some of your favorite holiday scents?