A nice little handmade Christmas gift that is simple to make is potpourri – once you make it you can place it in sachets or a decorative glass jar. Here’s an easy way to make it from scratch!

• First, you need some flowers – collect the petals from the flower stems as the flower reaches maturity, before they begin to fade or go brown. It’s best to collect about four times what you need as the dried flowers will shrink in size – so if you need one cup of potpourri, collect four cups of flowers. The best flowers to use are the most fragrant and colourful ones like roses, lavender, carnations, tulips, sweet pea, peonies and even some Aussie natives like bottle brush or grevillea. It’s fun to get the kids out in the garden to pick these, but if you haven’t a huge array of flowers in your garden either raid the neighbour’s gardens (make sure you ask first!), a local park or as a last resort purchase some (florists might be pricey so try your local Coles or Woolies). Wherever possible, choose flowers that are pest free and newly opened. If you are picking your flowers yourself, the best time is early in the morning. Always handle your flowers carefully – if you bruise them, they will lose some of their scent.
• To dry them place them on a screen, baking paper or any clean, dry, flat surface until “crispy” (for about a week). You can also leave flowers in bunches and hang them upside down in a dry area – if you do this the drying process may take about a week longer.
• For every 4 cups of petals you collect, add 1 tablespoon of fixative such as orrisroot or sandalwood (which are available in chopped form at many herb and spice shops, craft shops or online).
• Once dried, place your flowers into a clean bowl.
• Next, add your favourite dried spice (this is optional), such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, dried citrus peel or vanilla beans for a bit of zing. You can also add some textured elements such as crushed up pine cones, seeds or bark.
• Then add 5 or 6 drops of essential oil such as pine, lavender or any other floral scented essential oil.
• Mix everything together gently.
• Lastly, place your potpourri mixture into a clean jar or airtight container, and allow it to sit for a minimum of 2 weeks. To properly blend the ingredients, shake the jar/container lightly every couple of days.
• You can then make some little sachets from tulle or muslin (this material can be bought from a craft store), or you can purchase little tulle/muslin bags ready-made. You can also place them in a decorative jar or bowl.

These are so easy to make you can even get the kids involved! If you are looking for any more great Christmas gift ideas, click here!