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Getting Our Homes Ready for Harvest: Cleaning, Candles, DIY Potpourri & a Harvest Gift Basket

When I started working on our Harvest content, I realized something. When I was putting away my Fall decorations so I could put out #Halloween which David was excited to see. I noticed I only had 2 small signs for #Harvest from the Dollar Tree everything else was Fall based and that wasn’t what I was needing.

Before we start planning family activities and before we start looking for Harvest festivals and other things to do. Sometimes we need to get our homes ready for Harvest. And that doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money or completely changing your house.

It can be as simple as giving the kitchen a good cleaning, freshening up the family room, lighting a candle, making something together, and creating a little Harvest corner in your home. That’s what I want to do with this Harvest project.

Instead of just having Halloween out this year I’m going to clean, create, read, give, and earn tickets along the way. As I drive David and Charlie up a wall and confuse them because I am going to be decorating not only for Harvest, but #Fall and #Halloween to. This year were not going to do #oneholidyatatime where going to do the whole kitten and caboodle. Can you come help me decorate?

One of the things I found while looking for Harvest products was an actual line of cleaning products labeled for Harvest. Can you imagaine that? They caught my attention because I wasn’t just looking for something that happened to have an autumn-colored bottle.

I wanted to find products that actually connected to the Harvest theme. One of the lines I found was Clorox Scentiva Harvest Apple & Spice. I liked finding out there is multi-surface cleaning products and wipes in the line. I’m planning to check them out at Walmart to see what is available.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But Glenda, you said apple and cinnamon can feel like Christmas.” You’re right! And that is exactly why I’m not going to tell you that one particular scent has to mean Harvest to your family because everyone has there own feelings as to what scent stands for what.

For some families, apple and spice may feel like Harvest. For another family, that same scent may immediately make them think of Christmas. That’s part of what makes this fun. We’re going to find some Harvest-inspired products and then let you decide what feels like Harvest in your home.

A Few Places to Start: As you shop, look for scents and products that remind you of:

• Hayrides
• Bonfires
• Freshly baked treats
• Maple
• Vanilla
• Warm woods
• Dried leaves
• Fresh air
• Harvest fields
• Gathered crops
• Your family’s favorite Harvest traditions

And remember: pumpkin, cranberry, clove, apple and cinnamon can mean different things to different families. For me, some of those scents immediately cross over into Halloween or Christmas. So I’m going to be looking for the scents that make me think Harvest while giving you plenty of choices.

And Yes, We Need a Harvest Candle Because if we’re cleaning the house, we might as well make it smell good! I don’t think a Harvest home needs to smell like Christmas in September or October. That’s why I’m interested in finding candles with scents that feel more like: Hayrides. Bonfires. Maple. Vanilla. Fresh-baked goodness. Warm autumn air.

A candle can be as simple as something you light while your family is reading together, making potpourri, or putting together a Harvest gift basket.

Harvest Candle Ideas As you shop, keep an eye out for candles labeled:

• Harvest
• Harvest Hayride
• Bonfire
• Maple
• Vanilla
• Fresh Baked
• Warm Woods
• Leaves
• Other scents that your family considers Harvest

You don’t have to buy the most expensive candle in the store. Sometimes a little three-wick candle from Walmart is all you need to make a room feel different. And if you’re making our Harvest gift basket, a candle is an easy item to add.

Now this is where I think the fun really begins; Instead of buying everything already made, let’s make something ourselves.

Make Your Own Harvest Potpourri

You can make a simple Harvest potpourri with things you may already have around the house or can pick up inexpensively.

What You’ll Need: Choose whatever combination works for your family:

• Dried orange slices
• Dried apple slices
• Pinecones
• Dried leaves
• Wheat
• Dried grasses
• Dried flowers
• Small pieces of dried fruit
• Cinnamon sticks, if that scent feels like Harvest to you
• A few drops of a Harvest-friendly fragrance or essential oil, if desired

You don’t need every ingredient. That’s the beauty of homemade potpourri.

How to Make Potpourri

1. Gather your ingredients: Let the kids help choose what goes into your Harvest mixture. 2. Add everything to a bowl.: Gently mix your dried ingredients together. 3. Add your fragrance: If you’re using fragrance or essential oil, start with just a little. You can always add more. 4. Mix gently: You don’t want to crush the dried pieces. 5. Put it into a container: A pretty bowl, basket, jar, or other decorative container works beautifully. 6. Put your Harvest potpourri somewhere your family can enjoy it:: The kitchen, entryway, dining room, or family room are all possibilities. And just like that, you’ve created your own Harvest home fragrance.

FREE HARVEST POTPOURRI PRINTABLE

I’m also creating a free printable with the Harvest Potpourri instructions so you don’t have to keep coming back to this post while you’re making it. You can print it and keep it with your Harvest decorations. Or put a copy in a Harvest gift basket. Or let the kids decorate their copy and make it part of the family project.

Turn It Into a Harvest Gift Basket

Now let’s take everything we’ve been talking about and turn it into a gift. Because a Harvest gift doesn’t have to be about Christmas. It doesn’t have to be Halloween. It doesn’t even have to be Thanksgiving. Harvest can stand on its own.

What to Put in a Harvest Cleaning Gift Basket

You could include:

• A Harvest cleaning spray
• Cleaning wipes
• A Harvest candle
• A candle holder
• A small Harvest decoration
• A small bowl or basket for potpourri
• Ingredients for DIY Harvest potpourri
• The free Harvest Potpourri printable
• A Harvest dish towel
• A small Harvest sign
• Ribbon, raffia, or twine

You don’t have to include everything. Pick a few things and make it your own.

Or Make a Harvest Gift Sack

If a basket is too expensive, use a gift sack instead. A reusable shopping bag, fabric sack, kraft paper bag, or another container can work. Put the larger items toward the back, add the smaller items around them, and finish it with a little ribbon or twine. You could even let the children decorate the outside of the sack.

How to Assemble Your Harvest Gift

Step 1: Add tissue paper, a towel, or another soft filler to the bottom. Step 2: Put the tallest item toward the back. Step 3: Add your cleaning products. Step 4: Add the candle. Step 5: Put the DIY potpourri ingredients into a small bag or jar. Step 6: Add the printable instructions. Step 7: Tuck in a small Harvest decoration. Step 8: Finish it with ribbon, raffia, or twine.

Now you have a Harvest gift that is not just something someone can look at. It’s something they can use and make.

Who Could You Give a Harvest Gift To?

This would be a fun project for families because you don’t have to make just one.

You could make one for:

• A grandparent
• A neighbor
• A teacher
• A friend
• A family member
• Someone who just moved into a new home
• Someone who could use a little encouragement
• A hostess
• Someone who loves to decorate for Harvest

And the children can help put it together. That’s what makes this more than a shopping list. You’re making a memory while you’re making the gift.

Earn a Ticket While You Get Ready for Harvest: And of course, we’re going to turn our Harvest activities into opportunities to earn tickets!

Earn 1: Ticket: Help Get the House Ready Choose a cleaning project and work on it together. Maybe it’s the kitchen. Maybe it’s the family room. Maybe it’s cleaning the entryway before you decorate. The goal isn’t to make the entire house perfect. It’s to work together.

Earn 1 Ticket: Make Harvest Potpourri: Gather your ingredients and make your own Harvest potpourri. Let the children help choose the ingredients and decide where to display it.

Earn 1 Ticket: Make a Harvest Gift; Put together a Harvest gift basket or gift sack for someone else. The entire family can help.

Earn 1 Ticket: Create a Harvest Corner: Choose a small space in your home and make it your family’s Harvest area. Add your candle, Harvest sign, potpourri, flowers, basket, or other decorations. Earn 2 Tickets: Read a Harvest Book Together: This one is special.

Find a Harvest book and read it together as a family, and you can earn 2 tickets. You don’t have to read a particular book. Look through your own books. Visit the library. Find a Harvest story that your family enjoys. Then sit down together and read. And if the children want to keep reading afterward? Even better.

Harvest Doesn’t Have to Look the Same in Every Home

This is something I want to remember as we work through our Harvest series.

What does Harvest mean to you? Maybe it means gathering with family. Maybe it means the harvest from a garden. Maybe it means a hayride. Maybe it’s a Harvest festival. Maybe it’s cleaning your home and getting ready for a new season. Maybe it’s sitting around the table. Maybe it’s reading a book together. Maybe it’s giving something to someone else.

There isn’t one way your family has to celebrate Harvest. You get to decide what Harvest means in your home. And that’s what I love about this project. We’re not just buying something. We’re making our homes ready. We’re making something together. We’re giving something to someone else. We’re reading together. And we’re creating memories along the way.

What Does Harvest Look Like at Your House?

Now I want to hear from you. What do you do to get your home ready for Harvest? Do you decorate? Do you clean and reorganize? Do you light candles? Do you make homemade potpourri? Do you have a Harvest meal? Do you attend a Harvest festival? Do you have a favorite Harvest book? Or is Harvest something completely different for your family?

Tell me in the comments: Because I’d love to hear what Harvest means to your family.

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed 🐸 Fully Rely on God • ✝️ Faith, Friends & Family • 🦋 Suzanne, Flying Free • 🎮 Charlie

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Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates