How to Make Potpourri for Fall

Today I thought I’d continue my obsession with DIY Fall scents by sharing a way to capture those Fall feels in your home without breaking the bank or putting in a lot of effort. All of our favorite DIY project attributes! One of the easiest decor DIYs I think I’ve ever done, I’m showing you how to make potpourri for Fall with supplies you might already have hangin’ around the house! No I mean literally hanging around the house… like in your yard. And of course it will be pretty! And fun! It’s almost too easy, and that’s just the way I like my DIY projects, ya know?

The thing I love most about this DIY project is that I “foraged” for some of my supplies, meaning I hopped out to our backyard to clean up after our messy pine trees and got to put some of those pretty pinecones and pine twigs to good use! I also had an apple and orange hanging around in the refrigerator that I may have forgotten about had I not used it for this, and all of the essentials oils I used already in my arsenal. The cinnamon sticks were just waiting to be used in a Ziplock bag from last winter in my baking cupboard, alongside a package of star anise, whole cloves and some dried bay leaves. All great things to have around if you like to make your house smell great throughout the Fall and Winter months, but don’t want to spend a lot of cashola to do it.

I should say that one fun (or slightly unnecessary depending on who you ask) thing I did before I got started on the process of assembling my potpourri, was to add some gold leaf to some of my pinecones and pine twigs for a little extra somethin’ somethin’. I’ve been known to add gold leaf to pretty much anything, and I have to say, putting it on pinecones is a new level of gold leaf weirdness for me and I’m definitely into it. Not required for this project, but fun nevertheless!

How to Make Potpourri for Fall

SUPPLIES:

Pinecones
Dried Bay Leaves
While Walnuts in Shells
Branches/Sticks
Cinnamon Sticks
Dried Orange Slices
Dried Apple Slices
Whole Cloves
Star Anise
Fall Essential Oils of your choosing (for a balanced and slightly sweet fall scent I used Cinnamon, Vanilla, Sweet Orange and Clove)
Bowl or Basket (if using a basket be sure to line it with something so that the debris doesn’t fall through the cracks and make a mess wherever you display your potpourri)

STEPS:

1. Thinly slice one orange and one apple and place the slices on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. To dehydrate your fruit slices, place the baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for two hours, until they’re fully dried. Check every 30 minutes to make sure the dehydration process is progressing as it should.

3. After the dried fruit is completely cool, place it in a large, sealable plastic bag. Add dried bay leaves, pinecones, walnuts, branches, Star Anise, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and your essential oils to the bag.

4. Close the bag and carefully/gently massage/shake it back and forth to coat your ingredients with your essential oils. Take care not to break the items in the bag or you’ll have a mess of debris on your hands when you’re done.

5. Add mixture to your vessel for display.