Holiday Light Potpourri Bowl

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today I refreshed my holiday light potpourri bowl.  I've had this thing for years, it just needs to be taken apart every 2-3 years to replace the lights and potpourri.  While some people now make these with LED lights, I should point out it won't work nearly as well.  What is normally "waste heat" from incandescent lights is the engine of this project, warming the potpourri to release its scent.  Also, when putting the lights in, I find it impossible to point them toward the outer shell unless I put a toilet paper tube down the center to coil them around.  At the end, just drop some larger pieces of potpourri down the center and carefully wiggle out the tube.  Getting the lights positioned nicely is the biggest challenge of this craft, so test it before you put the cover on, as it's usually necessary to adjust some of the lights.

You can use commercial potpourri or make your own.  This year I couldn't find potpourri but I did find a miniature version of cinnamon-infused pinecones, which I mixed with some of the old potpourri. We'll see how that works.  Most people prefer a wintery scent for this project, such as cinnamon or pine.  I think I've always used something from the cinnamon family.  If you can find a good bag of cinnamon bark chips, you can just throw in some star anise, cardamom pods, and your favorite fixative to have a nice blend.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

If you use some 12volt G4 type LED bulbs in the 4watt range, those put out enough heat that although they're warm to the touch, they don't get hot enough to present a fire risk.

They also come in some funky colours as well as warm white.