Prim Fixins Tutorial

I don't think I've ever done a Primitive Tutorial on how to make Prim Fixins. I supposed that's because they are so easy to make that I just figured a tutorial wasn't really necessary. But then I started thinking about it today and I thought maybe I should do one. The holidays will soon be upon us, after all, and Prim Fixins make a perfect gift! So I hope this will help any of you who aren't really sure how to go about scenting your rosehips, cinnamon sticks and such. This will just be for a 2-cup amount of fixins, but once you read the instructions you'll see you can adjust it and use for any quantity you might be making. And please note: all of the supplies I use can be purchased from the suppliers listed on  my Primitive Crafting Supplies page.

Supplies Needed

• 2 Cups of Rosehips
• 1/2 Ounce--or less (give or take) of Fragrance Oil of your choice.
• A Glass Jar with lid
• A Spoon for stirring
• A cello bag or glass jar for your scented rosehips to go in when you're done

Instructions

1. Add your rosehips to your jar. I always use glass because the fragrance oil can ruin many types of plastic, and I use a big jar so they have room for shaking (in step 3).
2. Drizzle in your fragrance oil s-l-o-w-l-y, stirring as you do so. You only need just enough oil to *just* coat the rosehips. You have to know that rosehips are NOT really porous at all. They will not absorb the oil much at all during this stage. It takes time really, so if you add too much oil you're just going to have slimy, wet rosehips for a very long time, and that's not ideal. So just drizzle a little oil in and stir. If they look just barely wet that is *all* you need. Trust me.
3. Now I tend to let my rosehips "cure" for a week or two in the glass jar with a lid. I shake them once a day to make sure all the rosehips are taking the scent. The hips may dry quite a bit during that time, or maybe not so much (depends on lots of things, and that's another reason to go easy on the oil). If you don't want to "cure" your hips, you can "bake" them in the sun for a day or two. I've never put mine in the oven (fragrance oil is usually flammable, and I don't want the scent to sort of stick around in my oven), so I don't recommend that. But I know gals who sun-bake theirs on cookie sheets (cover them with foil first!).
4. Once your rosehips are done curing you can package them up. I add some cinnamon sticks to them and mix them up, then put them in a cello bag or glass jar.

That's pretty much it! I will add too that I have many times skipped the curing when I'm in a pinch for a quick gift to give. So I'll scent some hips and put them in a jar for gift-giving the same day. But no matter if they're cured or not, I always include a note with my fixins to let folks know that the fragrance oil is not intended for painted, plastic, or finished wood surfaces, as it can ruin the finish. Glass or glazed ceramic/stoneware is always best. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

And finally, in case you're wondering, if you want to scent Putka Pods (mini pumpkin-like pods), you can use this same process. The only differences really are that 1) Putkas are VERY porous and they absorb the fragrance oil quickly; and 2) Curing isn't really as necessary since putkas are so porous from the get-go. I just let mine sit for one day and then they're pretty well good to go. And of course putkas are perfect for the Fall. I've used a Pumpkin Cheesecake scent in the past that was just heavenly. :)