Festive Pomanders

Fill your home with a tropical scent this holiday season (or any time of the year) with these multipurpose orange pomanders.

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They can decorate your mantel, hang from a tree, refresh a drawer, or add oomph to a decorative bowl filled with ornaments. They also make a pretty aromatic gift.

Materials

Navel or thin-skinned oranges
Narrow ribbon, in yard strips
Straight pins
Scissors
Leather punch or jumbo paper clips
Cloves

Optional

Metal or wood gift box filled with excelsior or tissue

Instructions

step 1Set an orange on the middle of a strip of ribbon one yard long.

step 2Pull up the ends, vertically crossing them at the top, and then back down so as to make quadrants. You can help secure the ribbon with straight pins as needed, but don't push them completely in.

step 3Tie a knot and then tie a bow with loops to desired size.

step 4Trim excess ribbon with a diagonal cut.

step 5With leather punch (or paper clip—better for children), poke holes about 1/8 inch apart at the ribbon's sides. (This is to help avoid breaking the clove flower when pushing the clove into the orange.)

step 6Insert the cloves into one line of freshly poked holes immediately because the holes will quickly start to close up.

step 7Carefully holding the orange (so as not to break off the clove flowers), repeat steps 5 and 6 along the subsequent remaining ribbon edges.

step 8Now remove the ribbon support pins.

Variation

If you want to hang this festive pomander from a tree or mantel, take a large paper clip and open the smaller loop from the larger loop and flatten. Then hook the smaller hoop under and around the bow knot and hang with the large loop as desired.

Alternative:

If you wish to design your pomander without ribbon, first think out your design (draw it on a piece of paper) and then follow the principal steps 5, 6, and 7.

Optional
To give as a gift, set the pomander in a decorated wooden or metal box with colored tissue or excelsior (wooden hairlike shavings sold at garden or art supplies stores).

Note:

Do not worry about the respective sizes of your dried cloves. They will all start to absorb juice from the orange and not only grow at least twice their size, but will begin to emit the most wonderful aroma.

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recent comments

11/1/2011 ,

Pattie H.

I remember my mom making these when I was young. The house smelled wonderful for a long time as the oranges dried. Thanks for bringing back a great memory! I think we will be starting new memories, for our granddaughter, with this project.

11/18/2010 ,

Debbie H.

I have always loved this idea...the first time I made this was back in the 1965 in my fifth grade class...timeless idea - and still wonderful!

11/15/2010 ,

Patty Ann C.

Thank you for giving me all kinds of ideas. I am going to dinner at a special friends house for thanksgiving. I can't think of a better gift than a festive pomander.

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