Friday, April 15, 2011

potpourri

Before I was even 20 years old, I wanted to convert a little run-down church into a shop and name it potpourri -- at the time potpourri was a new word to me (I loved it so much, I used it in sentences whenever I could). My sister was in on it, too, and we thought we'd sell exactly what the word meant -- a mixture of things. It was a little vague. The plan never got past the yearning stage -- I put more energy into dreaming about potpourri, the name, than ever really owning a shop.

                                                                                  lavender, larkspur, rose, lemon verbena, rose geranium

This memory came up because I've been gathering together bags and jars of last year's herbal harvest. The dried flower petals and fragrant leaves could easily be mixed together with fixative and essential oil to make a nice herbal potpourri. I'm thinking of what fragrance it could be and what else to add, should it go in a big wooden bowl or should I sew up some of those tea bags and make sachets for the car. Or forgo the essential oils and make an edible potpourri -- that leaves out the larkspur because it's poisonous.

                                                                          rose & lemon verbena tea

Think I'll hold off. I mean once an essential oil is added, the party's over. It can't be made into tea then. It can't be used in any recipes. The fragrance can't be switched out if I change my mind. It maybe won't look as pretty as it does right now, soft piles of color.

Guess I need to dream on this potpourri a little bit longer.

8 comments:

  1. They are so pretty. I hate to dilute the color by mixing it all up!

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  2. You could make 1/2 tea and 1/2 potpourri?
    I can remember I saved a gift card for the longest, that had a picture of a woman painted by some artist and she was wearing an apron. Typed out on the front of the card was how to make potpourri. I, like you, was fascinated by the idea of making my own potpourri and having a little shop that sold goodies like that...dreams :)
    <3

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  3. I dreamed of a shop too, but the closest I got was selling at Farmer's markets and craft Shows.I tell ya my house always smelled nice, (Ha!) a mixture of many herbs/flowers drying, and essentials oils being blended. I agree with Marie, do partial for tea and partial for potpourri.

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  4. Marie & Helen, fellow shop dreamers! so interesting (and fun) that we all wanted a shop -- you got very close, Helen! Maybe we still will, who knows? Only its name will be etsy! Ha.

    -- and that's exactly what I'll do, half & half. Thanks, you two!

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  5. I just had to pipe in to say that I also wanted to have a little shop to sell special things. I have been part of co-op shops so I guess I sort of did it...but now I have 1/2 of my studio as a showroom. Not very quaint like in my original vision!

    mmmmm, that tea looks good. After Open Studio's today I might have to go brew myself a cup. I'm exhausted.
    Shishi

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  6. Shishi, if I could visit your studio I'd bring you some of this soothing tea -- you've been busy. Hope Open Studio was fabulous!

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  7. Ohmygosh....I'm thinking I'm almost ready to take the plunge and DO this!

    Your sis

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