[Nfb-krafters-korner] Spice bags and gardening

[Liz Daniels]

Thank you very much for sharing your instructions on drying...I can hardly 
wait to try it out!

Liz


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Valerie" <rosetta at adam.com.au>
To: "'List for blind crafters and artists'" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 6:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Spice bags and gardening


> 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
>
>
>
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