With the fragrances of cinnamon, cloves, oranges, and pine to sweeten the air, the holidays are always a bit brighter and anticipated.One of the easiest ways to bring this wonderful scent into your home is to make your own spice ball pomanders. You can use oranges or apples as the base, or you can opt to use a Styrofoam ball instead.
One of the advantages of using fruit, of course is that you don’t need to cover it entirely. Instead you can create lovely patterns, even monograms with the whole cloves. The disadvantage is that the fruit will dry out over time and the cloves will start to fall out. With a Styrofoam ball, your pomander will stay fresh looking for years as long as you pack it away properly.
When you've made your pomanders, you can dust both with cinnamon and allspice for a really wonderful scent.
Traditional Orange or Apple Pomander
What You Will Need
- 1 orange or apple
- 1-3 large packages of fresh whole cloves
- 1 pointed wooden skewer (to punch holes in oranges)
- Medium-gauge wire
- Length of thin ribbon
How to Make It
- To begin, gently but firmly push the end of a whole clove into the orange or apple as far as it will go. (NOTE: If using an orange, it may be easier if you use the skewer to punch a hole into the orange rind first.)
- Repeat, forming a vertical loop around the fruit, making sure that the cloves are very close together. Keep repeating this pattern until the fruit is covered or you can dot the fruit with the cloves close together, in a geometric pattern, or in any design you like.
- When you have completed your design, set aside in a cool, dry place for three to four days to dry before using.
- To hang, make a U shape with the wire, and place the two ends firmly and deeply into the top of the fruit base, leaving a small loop.
- Thread a piece of ribbon through this loop and hang.
- To store after the holidays, wrap the pomander in tissue paper and store it in a cardboard box until next Christmas.
When you unwrap your scented orange or apple, you will have a great smelling ornament that will bring the smells of the season into your home. Guests will love it and it can be refreshed with cinnamon spice oil and, and once the holidays are over, stored again for the next year.
Styrofoam-based Pomanders
These Styrofoam-based pomanders are actually faster and easier to make than the traditional orange or apple pomanders and don’t require any drying time.
What You Will Need
- 1 Styrofoam ball (purchased or recycled from packaging)
- 1-3 large packages of fresh whole cloves
- Medium-gauge wire
- Length of thin ribbon
How to Make It
- Push the end of a whole clove into the Styrofoam ball as far as it will go.
- As with the fruit pomander, repeat, forming a vertical loop around the ball, making sure that the cloves are very close together. Keep repeating this pattern until the entire ball is covered.
- Repeat above steps 4 to 5.
- When you’re done, you can use it to decorate your home. When the holidays are over, wrap in tissue paper and store the pomander in a small box until next Christmas.
