Scentamentals – Homemade Scented Holiday Decor

This is a fun activity to add a little of that holiday scent into the air at the same time. This keeps my kiddo busy for 30 minutes to way over an hour depending on how detailed they get.

What You Need:

• Cloves
• Apple or oranges
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Small cups
• Pins – at least 4 per fruit (toothpicks may work, too)

Directions:

Step 1: Choose which fruit you would like to use. I would have loved to use oranges, but it is hard to find good ones around here!

Step 2: Demonstrate how to poke the cloves into the fruit.  First poke it in slightly so it breaks the skin and then take the fat tip of your finger and push it in as far as you would like. Dried cloves can be pokey and when we did it this way there was less frustration from being poked. You can have the cloves in all the way or sticking out.

Step 3: Add as many cloves as wanted. My son ended up putting a ton in and pulling them all out a couple of times. I tried to encourage them to put as many as they could or liked to because it smelled so good!

Step 4: Place the fruit in a cup or dish that is just smaller than the fruit to dry. You want the fruit sitting on top of the cup. Let it dry as long as you would like. I do not think it really matters how long. Ours ended up sitting out for almost a week.

Step 5: When you have let it set out the desired time it is time to tie it up so you can hang it up somewhere in the house. Start with the top of the fruit and lay the ribbon across the top. Place two pins in near the top on each side to hold the ribbon in place. Wrap the ribbon down towards the bottom of the fruit and either tie it (over under) or twist it and then wrap it up the fruit again (aim for the ribbon on the way up to be in between the ribbon that went down so you are breaking the fruit up in fourths.) Make sure you add a pin on each side to hold the ribbon in place so you can tie it easily. Once near the top slide each loose end of the ribbon under your starting ribbon and then tie a knot (with your starting ribbon in the middle of the knot.) I hope the pictures help explain that better!

Step 6: Double knot the ribbon, create a loop so you can hang it somewhere and double knot again. Curl any leftover ribbon to make it a little fancier!

Step 7: Hang it up in a closet or somewhere else and enjoy the lovely smell! My two chose a more prominent display…the middle of the kitchen! They are awfully proud of it and I guess the warmth from the light will bring out the scent.

ENJOY!!!