Ahhhh…The fresh smell of hope.

February

Thoughts:

As I thought of hope and how we connect with the world around us in ways that inspire us to be hopeful, I thought of scents, aromas and fragrances.  I LOVE smells. I am inspired, comforted, and even annoyed by them.

It’s true that one of the main goals of this blog is to take the emotional, intellectual and spiritual concept of hope and find ways to grow, create, and craft it into our lives in small but tangible ways. One of my favorite ways is through aroma,  aka “smells”.  Before I go on I have to confess…I am a scent addict with a highly developed sense of smell. My family laughs at me but never doubts my accuracy.  I am the one you see in the scented wax cube/candle aisle quickly, expertly (in my opinion), and sometimes, loudly sorting through the amazing, delicious, divine and “ugh-what-were-they-thinking?”.  I have melting pots of various shapes and sizes throughout my house which are “on” most of the time.  And I have been known to burn incense and scented candles at the same time.

That being said, odors and aromas alike can arouse a gut response…try these:

• coffee
• clean laundry
• new books
• lemons
• hair salon
• spring rain
• the ocean

Anything? Let me give you my gut response to these smells:

• coffee: comfort, friendship, common ground (pun intended)
• clean laundry: caring, home, my Mom (she loved doing laundry)
• new book: joy, joy, joy and adventure
• lemon: fresh, sunshine, energetic
• hair salon: excitement, fear, esteem (self-care and value)
• spring rain: nature, earthy, hope
• the ocean: deepness, mystery, rest

Try it again…or come up with a few of your own. The point is that fragrances/smells can be tied to emotions or even deeper, transcendent concepts. I sometimes can’t explain why certain smells resonate or repulse me but they do. Some smells I don’t like…stewed tomatoes, chocolate (sorry– not a fan of the taste either), dogs (wet or dry), new sneakers, and hot brakes (tractor trailers).  I love the smell of roses, peppermint, lavender, the woods, babies, kittens (they smell cute), lilacs, onions, campfires, Sunday dinner, my grandson, pine needles, cinnamon and apples, my husband, dirt, leather and much more. Which leads us to this months’ focus: What does hope smell like to you?

Craft:

Fragrant Sachets:

“Hope is a sweet fragrance…not over-powering but gentle–like when a closet or drawer is opened and a hint of a scent rises and touches the heart”

“Hope carries with it a fragrance that draws the heart to a place of wide-open spaces”

 

As always I want to keep it simple and let it be a personal choice based on time, interests and craft-y-ness.

Here is lists of possible containers: envelopes with pricked holes, organza gift bags,  old dress socks or knee-hi’s, or and old shirt cut into a small squares to tie off with ribbon or string, used dryer sheets.

Some fragrance sources:  favorite flavored tea bag , rice and essential oil, potpourri (in bag from store), dried orange peels and cinnamon, an orange and some dried whole cloves, perfume, any other sweet-smelling herbs and spices, dryer scent-booster pearls.

A great idea to use old envelopes:

http://www.marthastewart.com/265707/envelope-sachets

A great source for different sachets ideas:

http://www.ehow.com/info_8214882_drawer-sachet-ideas.html?p=d

For an inexpensive recycling idea go here:

http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2012/08/sew-sew-saturdaydryer-sheet-sachet.html

For those who like to use a more natural approach:

http://entirelysmitten.typepad.com/entirelysmitten/2011/08/orange-and-clove-pomander-fall-craft.html

For the less crafty but no less resourceful:

Scent Booster Sachet Bags

For the essential oils gurus:

http://essentialhealth.com/2013/11/making-sachets-with-essential-oils/

I would love to hear from you. What are some of your favorite smells and scents? Are there any that evoke a sense of hope in you? If hope was a scent what would it be?

Talk with you soon.

Heidi Mull, Super-Sniffer Extraordinaire.