[Nfb-krafters-korner] Spice bags and gardening

[Valerie]

Hello Liz and Joyce, having done these for a while now, I'm happy to pass on
what I do to make the bags and fillings, others might have their own way
too, so it is nice to share all we know.   I find summer is the best time
for drying herbs, rose petals and such as the drying time is quicker, I
usually dry on racks, old screen doors or even on newspaper, place the paper
under a bed  if you have space.  

Once the petals and leaves  are dry, they can be stored, but make sure they
are properly dried out as otherwise they can go moldy.  

You will need a fixative to hold all the blends together you dust it through
the petals, leaves and bark and mix well.  I use orris root, a ground powder
and add oils of choice to this. Rose oil and lavender are popular or you
might like a more sweeter fragrance like jasmine or even citrus oils go well
in other mixes. 

An example, if making a lemon scented bag, I would use lemon geranium
leaves, rose petals, lemon verbena, dried citrus peel, mint leaves etc.  To
this I might add cinnamon spice or cardamom with the orris root, lemon oil
etc.  . If you use good quality oils the mixtures will stay fragrant for
quite some time. I like to use sheer material bags or even place the mixture
in wooden bowls or china dishes that are especially made for floral mixes. 

Rose and lavender is another nice mix, I'd use rose petals, lavender
flowers, marigold petals, rose geranium leaves, along with rose and lavender
oil and orris root. I like to add a little clove spice to this one too.
There other fragrant bags I like t  to make too, bay leaves and rosemary and
dried citrus peel goes well for  making a pantry spice and herb bag. 

The secret is to buy the best oils possible  though, some are not true oils
on the market and so the fragrance fades quickly,  though true oils do cost
more to buy, 
Kind Regards. Valerie