*This post is the first of a 3-part series of making your own home made gift set using essential oils! Check out my DIY Soap with Essential Oils and my DIY Candle with Essential Oils – all with downloadable labels to make a matching set!*
You know already that I love using essential oils to create my own lovely scented things – from beauty productsΒ to candles, soap and fragranceΒ diffusers, I always find a use for my little growing stash of various scents. I’m not huge fan of breathing in a lot of chemicals and additives in commercial fragrances (although I do admit to succumbing from time to time, I’m only human) but I do prefer to use natural fragrances whenever I can.
My latest essential oil venture was off the back of a Facebook conversation with a fellow blogger, Molly (from Molly and the Princess – go have a visit!), where she was talking about making her own pine-scented Christmas room spray which she sprays right on the tree to enhance the scent! Sparked by the idea, I decided to create my own and it’s probably the one of easiest ones I’ve made yet.
The smells of Christmas have the ability to evoke all the spirits of Christmas past – those nostalgic scents are always a welcome fragrance and so for this, I combined three of my favourites – cinnamon, orange and clove. Lightly spray in the air, on fabrics or curtains* for a lovely instant winter scent. This is also a great alternative if you don’t want to leave burning candles in the house or leave a stove-top potpourriΒ on all day.
* Before usingΒ on fabrics, test it first in a discrete area. Because alcohol can irritate the lungs, avoid spraying immediately near children, pets or people with breathing difficulties. Stay safe, peeps.
Now as I was making this, I realised how lovely these would be as home made gifts. A bottle of essential oil is not terribly expensive (around a fiver) and as you don’t need loads, you can easily make quite a few room sprays (as well as other things) with a few bottles. I decided to get a bit fancy and also created my own labels which I’m making available for you to download (see below) and create your own too. See how easy Christmas is going to be??
I decided to use a glass bottle for mine to give it a bit of a luxury feel and so that I could leave it out on display. If you are really looking to make this a budget option, you can easily use a plastic bottle instead. The only recommendation is an amber colour, simply because light can destroy the oils and amber bottles will mean it lasts much longer.
Cinnamon, Orange and Clove Essential Oil Natural Room Spray
Here’s what you’ll need…
I linked to the ones I used but obviously, you can choose from any brand you wish.
1 100ml (3.5 fl oz) amber glass spray bottleΒ *
10 drops Cinnamon Leaf Essential OilΒ *
60Β drops Orange Essential OilΒ *
20 drops Clove Bud Essential OilΒ *
~30 ml (~1 oz) clear vodkaΒ *
(or substitute isopropyl/rubbing alcohol)
waterΒ (distilled or filtered works best but you can use tap as well)
Label (download hereΒ and print – opens in new window)
1 sheet of sticker paper ~or~ normal paper and double sided tape
*denotes afilliliate link β you donβt pay any more but youβll be contributing a few pennies to Swoon Worthy! Win-win!
The reason you want to includeΒ the alcohol is because oil and water don’t mix very well as we all learned when we were 8 years old. However, the alcohol acts as an emulsifier and allows them to stay together more easily.
Here’s how it’s done…
PourΒ your vodka into the bottle first, then add the essential oils.
Screw the cap on and shake well and leave for 1 – 2 hours (this is important to ensure the oils will bind with the alcohol).
Once it’s blended, then add the water to fill up the bottle. Shake again to fully mix.
For the labels, I created three different ones – the one you see on my own bottle for this recipe, one for gift giving if you intend to mix a different fragrance at Christmas (consider pine, nutmeg, ginger or vanilla as other Christmassy scents) and a third that’s just generic that you can use any time!
You can download the labels here! (opens in new window)
Simply print on sticker paper and cut around whichever label you want to use. You can also print them on normal or heavier stock paper and affix with double sided tape as I’ve done here.
And that’s it! The smell of Christmas in a bottle, perfect for gift giving or a hostess gift!
I admit, I’ve already been spraying this with reckless abandon this week and it’s really got me feeling Christmassy!
I’m planning on making a few of these to give out together withΒ some handmade candles to friends and family. I was considering doing another post with the candles that have a similar style of label that you can download to make a little set to give away – would you like to see that? If so, let me know in the comments! If not, that’s fine, just checking – ha!
Do you make any homemade gifts at Christmas? Do you reckon you might try a Christmas room spray out?
Hi Kimberly, I am going to have a go at making this spray, we really need smell a screen or a screen you can may be scratch and snife lol i also like the idea of the candles, maybe if you’ve got time it could be another video (i know you are really busy ) it was just a thought, have a good weekend xxx
I was thinking the same thing – I really wish you could smell it because it’s fab! Ha! ;) I’m doing rubbish with videos, aren’t I? Maybe I’ll see if I can squeeze one in before Christmas ;) xx
This sounds divine and love the stickers you’ve made. What a nice idea for homemade gifts. Would love to see the candles too. As always your photos are great!
Thanks Stacey! I might do soap as well – I get on these essential oil crafty kicks and then nothing can stop me lol xx
OOh I’m loving this! I always have the best intentions but I always seem to run out of time for homemade gifts. Although I am attempting to make a teepee for Elizabeth for xmas- if I get in finished!
Oh a teepee sounds so cool! Good luck!! xx
Oh wow Kimberly I so love this idea and it sounds and looks divine! Never thought of making these as a Christmas gift – love it! As always photos and styling are beautiful! A xxx
Thanks so much darling! It smells amazing as well! xx
What a great idea, I bet it smells delicious! I let my home out on airbnb and always worry about candles burning the house down, so this would be great for guests,a and christmas stocking fillers too! xxx
Oh this would work perfectly for an Airbnb! It really smells fab, wish there was a way to transfer that through the internet ;) xx
This is such a great idea, I love the smell of cinnamon and cloves at Christmas time. A perfect DIY!
Aw thanks Hannah! It’s so easy too – my favourite kind of DIY ;) xx
i’ve never seen anything like this but it sounds lovely, thanks for sharing!
http://www.avecdanielle.com
Thank you Danielle! It really smells fantastic too :) xx
Such a lovely Christmas gift idea Kimberly! :)
Thanks Kate! Hope you’re having a lovely weekend! xx
Love this idea, especially to give as a Christmas gift. Thanks for sharing your labels…anything that makes Christmas easier gets a massive thumbs up from me!
Ha! I feel the same way and I do love a super simple DIY ;) Thank you! xx
I could never have photos of my hands in a post. Always a mess with paint on them. Love this idea though. I should definitely get started on christmassy stuff. So behind… Eeek!
I admit, I only had just had a manicure when I photographed this so they don’t always look that nice! Haha! xx
Your posts always looks so beautiful. You take out so much time to do them. Love the printed label too! I love a scented candle or a linen spray. I’m going all out this Christmas so I will be making a stash of these ;-)
Aww thank you so much Maxine, that’s a lovely compliment! I reckon I might end up doing the candles AND the soap as well, once I get into an essential oil kick, I can’t be stopped!! Ha! Love to hear if you do make them and what you think ;) xx
Oooh, Christmas in a bottle! I love a festive scent, and this looks so pretty too with that lovely label. What a nice gift idea xx
Thanks so much Antonia! It really smells fab too, wish there was some way to convey it through a screen ;) xxx
This makes me sick to my stomach. Does your talent know no end?! THIS IS SO PRETTEH and you’re such a fabulous hand model! I have to take hand shots soon so I better think of a shnazzy way to decorate my nails :P
I too am not a fan of really fake smelling stuff. I used to love fake stuff – the more awful, the better! But now that I have a bit of sense, I’m not keen on inhaling as many chemicals as I did in my youth (wow – that makes me sound like a junkie). I would love, love, love to see a tutorial on a candle version!!! I made my own candles a couple of years ago but it was with a kit from my childhood so I don’t know how chemical-free it was. Just DOOOOO IIIIIIT! :P
Hahaha! I just got my nails done when I shot this so they don’t always look this good!! :D Candle version coming up – and possibly soap too, I’m a force to be reckoned with once the essential oils are busted out! xxx
Love this, what a great gift to make! Definitely one I’ll try, thanks so much for sharing this! :)
Thanks so much Jeska! Let me know if you try it, I’d love to hear what you thought :) xx
Oh wow, what a lovely post and the labels are fab – I shall definitely be printing off and making some sprays for gifts. I’m delighted our facebook conversation led to this, really wonderful (and thanks for linking to me). Yes please to candles – that will be my Christmas sorted :)
Aww thanks so much for the idea Molly! Candles and soap coming soon ;) Christmas sorted indeed :D xx
Oh wow Kimberly that looks incredible, what a great, simple but very stylish idea! x
Thanks so much Jen! xx
Love this idea-pondering all the different combinations now (runs off to spice cupboard) xx
Thanks darling! I admit, I adore combining fragrances, the options are just limitless ;) xx
A home made room spray is a unique idea. I will try it for my gift exchanges. Thanks Kimberly