Orange and clove pomanders are so very simple to make, oh so very beautiful, and exactly the festive touch every home needs too. The colour instantly brightens a room, but the very very best feature is their delightful scent! The smell is incredible! Fresh, yet warm, these oranges studded with cloves are the essence of Christmas and add to the festive atmosphere! We love making them as ornaments and hanging from our tree.
Pomanders at Christmas are popular in Germanic and Scandanavian countries, but we recommend you adopt the tradition! I have been making them since I was about nine years old but this year I realised a few tips so my little children (2 and 5 years old) could make them easily too. Actually I was surprised at how focussed and excited they were to make them!
We had the very best time introducing the idea at a little crafting workshop at our recent ShopUp. So enjoy these photos as a tutorial, and do try them at your home too!
My children love making these! So learn how to!
Materials :
Here are the easy steps :
I don’t do this, but supposedly you can make the orange last longer if you “cure” it, or dry it out. To do this, you can place it in the oven on a rack at a low temperature (around 150 degrees Celsius) for an hour or two — the bonus to this is that it makes your house smell spectacular.
I love them on decorative ribbon hanging up! But you can keep them in little bowls around the house too. Turn them in the bowls so they dry evenly, but I highly recommend hanging them when possible.
They have a great history throughout the ages, not only as a lovely gift, Christmas decoration, but also as a closet freshener. They also serve as a chemical free way to repel pests, such as moths.
The warm scent of clove and orange welcoming you each time you enter the room. However you make them, we hope you enjoy them!
And thank you to Nadine Brandt for the lovely photos from the ShopUp of my pomander making. Such a great memory to have!
Lara x
ps We also love this very simple pinecone craft in the Winter months. And the birds love it as well.
Comments (1)
Dear Lara, your posts make me always happy. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us. Greetings from Prague – and merry Christmas to you and to your beautiful family! Mira