Fall Stovetop Scent

I talked about Williams-Sonoma earlier this week and it really got me thinking about the store. I miss it so much! My mom and I always spend at least a few minutes in Williams-Sonoma when we are out shopping. I love gazing at the pretty gourmet packages, gadgets I didn't know I needed (I still want a 16-piece apple slicer!), the knives made for a samurai, and oh THAT amazing smell.

 

Source

Williams-Sonoma has such a distinctive smell. Sometimes, ok everytime, I walk past the store front, I stick out my neck giraffe-like and take in a big o' whiff.

Then I realized people have shared the secret to this glorious scent in an at-home version and I knew I had to give it a try! Only I didn't have fresh rosemary. Being November, I made a Fall stovetop scent inspired by the Great Williams-Sonoma.

Rummaging through my pantry, I found a few items that I thought might make a nice fall scent. I already had everything on hand! 

What I used:

 1/4 a cup of whole cloves

 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

 2 Clementines (just mini oranges right?!)

 1 Lemon about to go out of style

Then of course, I had to stop in the middle of the process to practice some photography skills. Has anyone ever really looked a clove this close up before? I can't wait to buy some of these and put them all around an orange.  

This lemon was sitting at the bottom of my fruit ball with the skin growing tough. It was hours from turning shades of colors not sunny yellow. I didn't have any oranges on hand, so I substituted with two clementines. Usually, a clementine is peeled but it cut into slices just fine!

I put everything into a pot with 3 cups of water. I brought it all to a boil then reduced the heat to low. It simmered all day long and kept a nice scent revolving around the house. I added water as the level lowered.

At the end of the night, I poured the contents of the pot into an airtight container and placed it in the refrigerator. I have used it two more days without any problem. Husband said "It seems AMAZING!" 

Some candles burn only for an hour and I end up blowing them out. They become too strong and my head starts to ache. This stovetop scent was just subtle enough to make this house smell like fall without becoming too overpowering. Soon I hope to pick up some fresh rosemary and try a different combination! I also think cranberries would be a nice touch in a stovetop scent!

I know this is an old concept from decades ago but it seems a bit forgotten! 

Has anyone tried a stovetop scent? 

What is your favorite scent this season?

Happy Middle of the Week Day,

On My Nightstand

A day late and a euro short, I'm linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals to show you what is on my nightstand.  I thought this would be a fun link up because it is so random! I have never thought about what other people's nightstands look like but now I am curious. 

Welcome to my side of the bed!

 Currently on my nightstand you will find:
-Ikea Lamp (and a hanging dog hair)

-Two bird journals (Husband says we live in an aviary)

-DIY Bedside Tray (You can read the directions here)

-Vintage candy dish

-Thermometer

-Lip Gloss

-And the ever evil, much dreaded, alarm clock

I bought the vintage glass candy dish at a flea market here in Munich for 1 Euro! It is the perfect size to collect at the end of the day earrings, forgotten bobby pins, and obviously my lip gloss. My lip gloss is cherry flavored Baby Lips by Maybelline. For the longest time I used just plain Vaseline at night but Husband hated the taste ;-) and requested I find something fruity. The thermometer has been on my nightstand since a few days before Easter when I came down with a 24 hour bug. Yuck.

When I originally bought the lamp from Ikea, I intended to spruce it up somehow to make it look less Ikeaish. It has been about a year now, and the lamp is still plain Jane. What do you think of the lamp? Do you have any ideas of how I can make it more exciting? 

My actual nightstand is the Rask dresser from Ikea. I bought it used for around 20 Euros when we first moved to Germany. Husband stained the outside and I refinished the drawers. Inside the drawers are painted green apple and the bottoms lined with bright coordinating scrapbook paper. You can read all about the DIY process here! 

In other news, today is Shelby Dog's 4th birthday. I love to tell people that she was born on Seis de Mayo! Someday, I want to throw her a backyard birthday party and invite over our friends and their pups. Husband loves to BBQ, we could sit out on the patio, and let all the dogs run around together in the yard. How fun would that be?

Shelby Enjoying a Birthday Treat

Happy Seis de Mayo,