Delighting in Fragrance
Delighting in Fragrance
We will be spending the next two weeks on discovering simple ways to delight your family and yourself with the beauties of the five senses. Today we will explore ten ways to please the nose, then, later on, the ears, the mouth, the sight, and the touch. Do comment with further suggestions!
1. Bring fresh flowers into the house. Fresh flowers not only bring a welcome burst of color to the table, but a naturally beautiful and fresh fragrance. Bury your nose in the soft petals and breathe deeply.
2. Open your windows wide whenever the weather allows. There is nothing like a good breeze to clear up the house air. Welcome in all the wonderful smells of the outdoors - grass, flowers, salt water, or a rain shower.
3. Use essential oils in the cleaning of home and self. Essential oils make cleaning a joy. Shake a few drops of lavender into your ironing water for a delightfully scented steam, clean your bathroom and kitchen with oil-infused castile soaps, and mix massaging oils for yourself.
4. Dry your bed linens in the wind and sun. It is wonderful to nestle in the smell of outdoors. Consider putting up a clothesline every summer, even if just for the bed sheets.
5. Store your linens with dried herbs. Cottagers of yesteryear combatted ravenous insects and unpleasant odors by storing their linens with dried herbs from their own gardens. Lavender, rosemary, and thyme are old-fashioned favorites.
6. Bake a fresh batch of bread or cookies. There is nothing like fresh baked goods to give the house a wonderful smell. If time is short, you can always stir up a quick batch of brownies or make a “stove potpourri.”
7. Infuse your bath with fragrant oils. Relax in the scent of lavender or another favorite fragrance. As you draw the bath, shake a few drops of an essential oil into the water. Be aware that not all essential oils are appropriate for use in a bath.
8. Choose a signature personal fragrance based on your personalty and complexion. Some even blend their own with essential oils! You can find several delightful recipes at Snowdrift Farm.
9. Make a pomander and hang it in your closet. A citrus and clove pomander is a delightfully nostalgic way to perfume a closet or old chest. Simply poke whole cloves into the peel of a whole orange until completely covered. Tie with a ribbon and hang on the clothes rod. Enjoy the spicy scent whenever you open the door!
10. Create scented paper for stationary and drawer liners. To scent paper, dab a bit of your favorite scent (a perfume or an essential oil) on a bit of cotton ball, and seal it along with the paper. Keep it this way for several days, or until ready to use.
Text: Delighting In Fragrance. © Handmaidens of the Shepherd, September 2007.
Photograph: Simple Pleasures. © Handmaidens of the Shepherd, August 2007.
Friday, September 21, 2007