SEQUEL

Succulents & Pearl

My best friend Melanie is coming to visit for a few days so I've been trying to spruce up the house.  It's amazing how the anticipation of guests will motivate you to do things you've been postponing forever!  It also gets the creative juices going. 

Today, as I was cleaning, I came across some mother of pearl votive holders that had been stashed away and decided that they would make the perfect planters for a single succulent.  So, I went to my local Durham Home Depot, who happens to have an amazing selection of succulents right now, and picked up the kind that look like lotuses.  I also grabbed a bag of decorative sand to cover the topsoil.  I am quite happy with the way they turned out.   They look smashing in the guest bathroom if I do say so myself.  And, as a finishing touch, I added a few tiny seed pearls around the edge, which I did after taking this picture.  I hope Melanie loves them! 

Clove Studded Oranges

I remember making these clove studded orange pomanders with my sister when I was little. I loved them back then and I love them now. I think they evoke nostalgia for many people. They have a wonderfully sweet holiday smell. And, best of all, they're easy to make, which make them perfect for both kids and adults!

As I was doing research for this blog, I found there are many different recipes out there. Some recipes call for using sandalwood oil, orris root, and crushed spices, which the oranges are rolled in before or after being studded with cloves. I don't remember doing all this back in the day. Other recipes are really simple, and you just pierce the oranges with cloves, then tie a string around them to hang them. That's more like what we did as kids. It is best to use a toothpick, or something similar (knitting needle, skewer, fork), to poke holes in the oranges before putting the cloves in. Otherwise, you'll quickly find that it can be tough to get the clove in the orange, and those sharp little cloves can be painful! The simple kind last 1-2 weeks. The more complex recipes last longer because some of the ingredients are natural preservatives.

You can get creative and use different fruits like lemons, limes, and apples and try different designs with the cloves. Also have fun with your ribbon. Select one you love, crisscross it, or leave a strip of the orange clove-less that will have the ribbon over it.

These make great gifts and holiday decor. Let's keep this tradition alive!