I LOVE giving gifts… but especially gifts that are useful to the recipient. What better thing to give a friend that bath salts or good smelling potpourri!
Directions:
Take a mason jar or recycle a nice sized spaghetti sauce jar. Wash it out in hot soapy water, let dry.
Apply with a sponge roller water based Kilz or white flat water based latex paint. Either of which you can purchase at your local hardware, home improvement or Walmart store.
Let dry overnight.
Apply 2 coats of any acrylic paint of your choice.
For details, you can freehand a design or stencil…let your imagination run wild.
Let dry.
Apply 2-3 coats of any water based varnish.
Now your jar is ready to be filled with either your choice of bath salts or potpourri!
Take a piece of muslin and cover the jar opening, secure with colored raffia or twine…and you have an inexpensive gift ready for giving!
For potpourri, paint the jar top to match your jar, following the same directions as you would for painting jars. When dry, put your ingredients in, close lid tightly and your potpourri is ready to be enjoyed.
Bath salts and Potpourri recipes are below.
Enjoy!!
Kenyatta Thomas
Homemade Bath Salts
Materials
One box of Epsom salt
Food coloring
Potpourri or fragrance oil, perfume or other fragrance, most of which you can purchase at your local craft stores or supermarkets.
Instructions
Pour salts into large bowl, use food coloring to reach desired color.
Add fragrance, if desired.
Mix well.
Presentation
You can decorate inexpensive bottles and/or pretty containers to put salts in.
Sweet Smelling Potpourri
This is one of my all time favorites that everyone usually loves . . . and it makes the house smell good too!
Ingredients
2 oranges cut into quarters
2 lemons cut into quarters
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
4 cloves
Instructions
Combine ingredients in pot on stove along with 3-4 cups of water. Turn on low heat. Simmer. This can also be put into a potpourri pot.
Fragrance will fill your home with a wonderful smell.
Presentation
Put ingredients in glass jar or other decorative container, labeled with the above instructions. Ingredients should be refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.
