Blog Hop Holiday Favorites ~ Make Day

Hello regular reader friends and welcome if you are visiting via Lori's Holiday Blog Hop.

This weekend was what I secretly call Make Day---It once was  the day, or days, when I made Christmas cookies or a Gingerbread House with my kids.  The kids are too busy for gingerbread magic and cookies are deemed too unhealthy and full of bad things like white sugar and white flour. The banana vegan cookies a few years ago, the gluten-free snowflake disaster, these were the cooky day's final demise.

So this year, I'm home alone with Mo and we are going to make scented fruit garlands for my Scandinavian style Christmas theme of recent years.
Visitors looking for quilts will find them tucked here and there.

I love the smells of open windows, salt air, Mrs Meyer's lemon verbena or basil cleaners, my verbena beeswax I use on my primitive furniture,

but at Christmas I want more. I use a lot of candles, a favorite source is Bath and Body Works, good scents, sturdy safe jars.  Fireside and Old Pine,below.

Cinnamon apple cider, chosen mostly for the glowing red jar.

This past year I've begun using wax warmers too. I'm informed by the kids-police that they are not ultra-cool, but since I am in and out so much, especially with Mo the Pug/ aka Baby Mo, I prefer the safety that an open flame candles just do not provide. In the warmers are Leaves and Apple-Cinnamon. Mason jar wax warmer: Target.

Another favorite is dried scented botanicals. I make herbal sachets for my etsy shop and I like to fill bowls with dried lavender and rosemary in the summer, cinnamon  and star anise now.

Dried fruit pomanders are fun too and last forever.

Recently I saw this tutorial on FB Marie Claire Idees. Dried orange slices with cinnamon sticks, rosemary and/or pine.
Let's give it a try! instructions

Bought the fruits.

Rosemary and pine:

Gathered up the twine.

Bought optional long needles at Hobby Lobby.

Earlier in the week I dried orange slices. Cut 1/4", place  on parchment lined cooky sheets, at lowest oven temp [mine is 175*]  for about 8 hours. This also warms your winter house and smells delicious.

Let's try these mandarins too, aren't they adorable! About 1 1/2 - 2" little fruits. [very sour, though, too bad.]

Everything set out, ready to go.

Mo supervises closely.

Garland done, not difficult. I will brush the cinnamon sticks with some cinnamon scented essential oil, as the fragrance is not very strong. I used only rosemary, not the pine.

The mandarins were funny, and fun.

Drying and setting overnight.

Trying them out around the house the following day.

on the c. 1840 jelly cabinet, made by an ancestor of mine, an immigrant to Pennsylvania.

I love the look, very Scandi and, what's that new four, five years ago word, um, ...? Hygge? here

Clean up. Mo is miffed. No edible food was prepared or presented.

In the end I used my swags outside on my white windbreak fence. Tomorrow they will look so pretty as the snow falls at sunset.

Happy holidays, Merry Christmas!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

The Marie Claire Idees link HERE.

Two good sources for botanicals, oil, and beeswax are Bulk Apothecary and also Atlantic Spice Company.

And a little gift from me--not new, but I hope you'll enjoy it. The Last Tree Standing

my holiday favorite things: wreaths on Jeep fronts, Santa hat on Mo, cutout sugar cookies,  stockings filled with little somethings, remembering the good times, my kids and friends, the beach in winter, real Christmas trees, the tree stand at the Firehouse, Christmas Eve dinner, holly, old Shiny-Brite ornaments, presents wrapped in real paper tied with real ribbon bows, windows with flickering faux candles, Church fairs and outdoor markets, hot chocolate, Christmas books, finding or making that special gift for someone I love, my Noah's ark, vintage linens, red and white quilts, Christmas lights,white branches, our lighthouse tree topper, snow, holiday sweaters [not ugly], pink champagne, skating at Rockefeller Center under the Tree, Macy's Santa Land, marzipan fruit, parcel post boxes full of secrets from far away family, Christmas letter from my mom, Grand Marnier after dinner, new mittens, memories, love....

what would you add?