How to Make an Autumn Potpourri Mix

Potpourri is a great hostess gift and a delightful addition to your own home decor. Not only is it classically elegant, but it provides a pleasant aroma throughout your entire house. You can purchase potpourri almost everywhere, but making your own is not only more fun, it is far more practical as it enables you to determine exactly what type of scents, colors and themes you will include in the mix. As the seasons change and summer moves into fall, you can use this aromatic mix to get yourself in the mood for crisp air, cool evenings and the beautiful sights and smells of autumn.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 5 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole nutmegs
• 3 whole vanilla beans
• ½ cup of cloves
• 1 tablespoon of ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon of crushed anise seed
• Paper bag
• Hammer
• Sharp scissors
• Brightly colored dried flowers (optional)
• Large glass jar with a lid

1. Break the cinnamon sticks and nutmeg into pieces. You can do this using your hands or a hammer.

2. Place the cinnamon and nutmeg in the paper bag. This will help you keep all the small pieces together.

3. Pound the cinnamon and nutmeg with the hammer. You should be careful not to break the bag open or all the tiny spice pieces will come flying out. Keep the bag as flat as possible and do not allow any more air than necessary to be trapped inside. Pound until the cinnamon and nutmeg are in very small pieces, but do not pound them into powder.

4. Pour the rest of the spices into the bag.

5. Pound the spices until they are all in small pieces. You should now have a strong, aromatic mixture in your paper bag.

6. 
   Vanilla beans are long, thin, brown beans that have a stong, sweet smell.

   Cut the vanilla beans into small pieces. You can use a pair of sharp scissors. The smaller the pieces, the more aromatic your potpourri will be. However, many people like the way that pieces of vanilla bean that are an inch or more long add texture to the appearance of their potpourri.

7. 
   Dried mums do not smell very strongly and come in a variety of beautiful fall colors. You will need to break them apart before you add them to your potpourri.

   Place the brightly colored dried flowers or leaves in the glass jar. Remember, if you choose aromatic plants then this will affect your potpourri. However, bright fall colors can make your potpourri more visually appealing and most types of dried plants will simply absorb the smell of the spices.

8. Combine the vanilla beans and the spice mixture in the glass jar with the flowers and leaves. You should seal the entire thing tightly.

9. Let your potpourri age for at least two weeks and as long as six. Then, you will be ready to open the jar and place your own homemade fall potpourri around the house to bring the wonderful scents of fall inside.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wish, you can just tie a pretty ribbon around the top of the jar and leave the potpourri inside if you are giving it as a gift.
• Some plants and spices can be dangerous for your pets to eat. if you have a pet, make sure that you keep potpourri out of reach and you may wish to factor in your animal's personal dietary dangers when you are making potpourri.