Have you ever heard of a pomander?
No, not a pompador, a pomander.
It comes from the french word pomme d’ambre, apple of amber.
Pomanders were used to mask odors (as you can imagine!) and ward off diseases in the Middle Ages and were made form gold, silver or even wood and filled with a spice mixture.
They evolved into the clove studded orange pomander that are common today.
These are anything but common.
Here’s a fun take on the classic – a monogrammed pomander.
How to Make a Monogrammed Pomander
* Draw a letter on your orange (I started with pencil, but moved to pen to better see the outline)
* Push each clove into the orange along your drawn line – keep cloves as close together as possible
* Keep in a cool, dark place for a few weeks, turning them every day until they dry
Notes:
– If your pomander starts to mold, throw it out
– Once dry, pomanders will sound hollow when tapped, shrink to about half of their original size and be very lightweight.
These will last for years – enjoy!
I’ll be setting our Christmas table with these this year.
Speaking of Christmas, visit my Christmas Open House Tour?
My mother used to pay me to make these when I was about 11. A quarter apiece. She was in love with all things Early American, including the pay scale, apparently.
Kelly…love the monogrammed oranges!!….What a great idea…I just used to randomly stick those cloves in!…Off to see your Folk feature!!
Oh, these are a DELIGHT!! Super idea, Kelly.
xo Heidi
So beautiful and I’m sure the fragrance is just delightful! Might have to copy that for Christmas!
i love this idea! my mom has decorated oranges similarly before, but not monogrammed…. fab!
well aren’t these interesting and pretty. I liked your centerpiece post over at Folk mag.
What an easy and cozy idea for the holidays. I remember my grandmother having these around when I was a little girl. I hope I can find the time to make a few as a reminder of her this season. Thanks for sharing!
Duuuude… awesome.
That is really cool! I have never heard of these but imagine they smell wonderful. I love the smell of cloves… it always makes me think of the Holidays.
Love pomanders….and monogrammed? I’m there! And….you just gave me the perfect solution for my stinky sock challenge!
🙂 me
Such a cute idea! I really like that!
What kind of oranges did you use. I have 12 drying right now but every time they mold. I tried drying them in the oven but that didn’t work either. Just wondered if there was a particular orange. I used naval oranges. Tx for your help.
I love Pomanders. We make them every year, in fact we just made a whole bunch yesterday! Love the monogram idea!
How cute is that!?!?! You’re going to need another K. 🙂
you know – in Little house on the Prairie – they put cloves in APPLES! one of my kids took my container of whole cloves and used it to make a potion (not the cloves just the container) – I have to go get some more!
breida
This looks great. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones! I would love for you to visit me and see the centerpiece at my Thanksgiving table 🙂 I am visiting you from Savvy Southern Style!
These are so pretty. What a cute idea. I have a link party called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party and would love to have you share this with everyone. Here is the link to the party.
http://www.adornedfromabove.com/2012/11/mason-jar-center-piece-and-wednesdays.html
Debi @ Adorned From Above
What a terrific project. I bet it smells really great too!
love it!
I remember making these as a child! I should do them again. Yours are so pretty!
You know I love these! I’m so glad you linked up. Thanks buddy!