Holiday Spice Pomander Tutorial

This is my first Tutorial, so here we go.....if you look closely at the picture below, you will see a glass tier decoration of orange pomanders. We are going to be making orange spice Pomanders. I so enjoy these because they last such a long time and fill the air with a lovely fragrance.To start with you will need one perfect orange, one ounce whole cloves, one tablespoon cinnamon, one teaspoon nutmeg, one teaspoon allspice, one star of anise, a skewer and an 18 inch length of ribbon.

Push the stem ends of the cloves into the orange-just close enough to touch.You can make a decoration with the cloves or cover the orange completely with the cloves which is what I like to do.....
When you are done decorating your orange with the cloves you will put the orange in a bowl with the mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Roll the orange pomander in the spice mixture. Leave the pomander in the bowl in a warm spot for two weeks are longer if you prefer. Roll it in the spices occasionally to help the orange dry, harden, and shrink. " If you do not have a warm sunny window" you can use a heat lamp making sure that you do not leave the heat lamp on, unless you are home and can watch over it.
When this has been done, you then take the ribbon and with a skewer pierce the pomander orange lengthwise threw the middle and thread a double length of ribbon through the top of the pomander. Tie a knot and a bow at the bottom and leave a loop for hanging at the top. I then glue the star of anise on top of the bow. If you do not want to hang it you can just let it sit in a pretty dish.
I like to give these as a Holiday Hostess gift. I put them in a pretty clear bag, then add some of the extra star of anise then the orange pomander, wrap it up with a cute tag and bow.

I also like to take the Hostess our favorite cider and spice drink from R.W. Knudsen. It is simply the best.....

Well, I hope this was easy to understand. If you have any questions please e-mail me, I will answer them as best as I can. Hope you have fun making Pomanders.......Hugs :) Lisa