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What's That Smell?

© L.C. Dumke

I am a fragrance junkie. I admit this shamelessly, and without remorse.

My mother was the first to get me hooked, and I was just a tot at the time. She would arrive from the florist with lavish bouquets of flowers each week, arrange them in tall crystal vases, and place them on the kitchen table. I would sit at the kitchen table just to breath in the perfumed air around them.

But when I got older, flowers were not enough for me. I wanted more, so I turned to potpourri, scented oils, yes, even incense. I've been at it for years now. And inevitably, when people visit my home for the first time, they breathe in deeply and ask, "what's that smell?"

So you're a budget decorator with a need to spruce up the scent of your home, you say? Well, it's quite easy to do. And you don't have to stop at the florist and pick up an expensive bouquet each week. (Unless you want to!) Instead, you can try these simple ideas for adding an aromatic touch to your home:

• Visit your discount store and pick up a few scented candles. They're inexpensive and they serve double duty -- giving off a great aroma while creating a romantic atmosphere.
• Fill a large bowl -- like a wooden salad bowl -- with bags of potpourri, also available at discount and crafts stores. (Who says potpourri has to be displayed in tiny little baskets?)
• Fill baskets or bowls in your bathroom with luxurious, scented soaps.
• Tuck scented dryer sheets in your closets and drawers to keep those areas (and your clothes) smelling fresh.
• Bring that holiday scent to your home by punching cloves into oranges and creating pomanders to display in glass vases or bowls.
• Make a simple wreath from artificial materials -- such as plastic or silk greenery -- and tuck in a few fragrant, real flowers. This enables you to alternate the scent and the look of the wreath simply and inexpensively.>
• Decorate with dream pillows - find some inexpensive fabric and make your own beautiful and great-smelling dream pillows.
• Display flowers in unique ways - try a variety of containers and display ideas.
• Create an indoor garden -- attach a flower box below a window (on the inside) and fill it with small potted flowers, plants or fragrant herbs.

For more information on many types and uses of aromatherapy, don't forget to stop by Suite

The copyright of the article What's That Smell? in Budget Decorating is owned by Jill Florio. Permission to republish What's That Smell? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.