Expert Advice: Orange Clove Pomanders

Orange Clove Pomanders are an old-fashioned holiday tradition that are cute as can be and fill the whole room with a citrusy-spicy-cozy scent. Read on to learn we made them!

We picked up a bag of medium-sized navel oranges and this small jar of cloves from the local grocery store. You can find whole cloves in the spice aisle for a few dollars  - one jar or bag will get you through 2-4 pomanders, depending on how many you apply to each orange.

You can freehand a design or ...

Use a stencil! We just resized this simple fleur de lis outline so that it was orange-sized, cut it out and punched holes around the shape for reference. Punching or marking holes in advance makes applying pretty designs a snap.

Whether you decide to wing it or use a specific pattern, use the end of a pen or a similarly pointy object to press a small hole into the orange's skin before inserting the clove. Whole cloves are both delicate and sharp, and pre-poking holes in the orange will make your life easier and save your fingers a little bit of pain.

Then, gently press the end of the clove into the orange, being careful not to damage the center, which is where the wonderful scent comes from as the spice mingles with the citrus oils. Repeat until your pomander is covered. These will dry out and keep for several weeks, leaving your home smelling seriously fantastic.

Fleur de Lis, dots and bows, a welcoming pineapple, a Christmas octupus.

Shine, Give, Share

We look forward to seeing what the White House and the First Lady will unveil for Christmas decoarions every year, and Mrs. Obama did not disappoint this year. The White House Christmas decorations have been up for a few days now, and they are absolutely wonderful. Our new favorite florist, Brooklyn's Emily Thompson, was responsible for the arrangements, and we are totally inspired by her lovely and creative works of art! The many trees, wreaths and arrangements are beautiful but not opulent or over the top, and feature lots of creative, crafty details that you can incorporate into your own holiday decor.

The Library Christmas tree proudly proclaims this year's theme.

A simple wreath made of greenery is decorated with cut-out paper flowers - proof DIY details can be beautiful and elegeant.  



These ornaments and garlands are made of simple felt - a snap to make and string on your own tree

In every room you'll find a model of the First Family's furry friend Bo - here he sits alongside trees crafted from construction paper, instructions for which are included in the official guide to this year's White House Christmas.

We took a stab at making some of these little trees here in the shop, using the template in the White House Holiday Book. 

Leaves and treetops, cut from a book of Christmas-patterned scrapbook paper.

These trees are a little more precious than the White House trees, but don't they look cute on display with these bright vintage boxes?




Expert Advice from Elizabeth: Hanging Cranberry Decorations

Today's Expert Advice is a tutorial on how to make these cranberry decorations, inspired by an image found on Pinterest:

Start with fresh cranberries - this 12 oz. bag covered one 4 inch foam sphere.

If you don't want the white foam to show through, you may want to paint the sphere before you begin. With any hanging ornament made with one of these spheres, add the ribbon before the berries - just hot glue it and make sure the lengths are even at both ends. Start hot gluing the fresh cranberries directly on the ribbon and work your way down.

Work in progress! Tie the ribbon in a knot once you get about halfway through covering the sphere, then continue gluing the berries all the way up to the knot until the entire ball is covered.

Finished! You can also combine cranberries with popcorn, mistletoe or flowers for a slightly different spin on this kind of ornament. Try patterned ribbon, glitter spray, making different patterns with the berries - the creative possibilities are endless!