Saturday, December 11, 2010

Making Pomander Balls

Making pomander balls using fruit is a fun craft to do over the holidays. Plus they smell so good!


All you need is citrus fruit; oranges, apples, pears, limes, etc. and whole cloves. I was at the grocery store the other day and picked up some oranges and apples. Since I was buying them for decoration I found some that were wrapped with a shorter shelf life. I got 2 bags of 4 fruits for $0.89 a piece.


I didn't used to be such a sales deals freak but my eyes have recently been opened to coupons and how to use them to their fullest to get the best deal and it has been mind blowing to me. I must give credit to my mother-in-law for teaching me how to shop better! This chick is completely addicted to coupons now! Hey the cloves were on sale too. Threw a coupon on top of that and SUPER CHEAP! Okay I'll get off my high horse of using coupons now.

Wrong bottle pictured above. Oops! Keep in mind that you need WHOLE cloves! I already tossed the container out but it's WHOLE cloves you need! Sooooo clean the fruit making sure there is no grime. You'll want to do this  project on a surface that is okay to get a little dirty. So clear off the table or place the fruit on a counter.
You could do this sitting on the couch but use a plate or bowl so you don't get the fruit juices or the clove pieces anywhere. 

Take a clove and pierce the skin of the fruit and push all the way in. You can use a tiny screwdriver or a sharp nail or any type of prodding tool to start your holes if you want to. The cloves might make your fingers hurt so for children you probably want to start the holes to make it easier for them. Just continue adding cloves until you have the design you want.


You can use masking tape to cover parts of the fruit to make an outline of your design or you can first tape down ribbon and put cloves in the fruit through the ribbon to add some color. My son and I simply did ours freehand and we enjoyed it.
These Pomander Balls Give A Lasting Fragrant Scent Of Woodsy/Fruit Reminiscent Of Christmas! To preserve the fruit, place them in ziplock bags and shake them in a spice. You can use nutmeg or cloves or various fragrant spices depending on what scent
you want.