Ah, the Aromatic Diffuser, tres chic, tres cher (that means expensive en Francais). Here's a very chic one Aromatic Diffuser
They are wildly popular right now as they should be, they are not only visually alluring, the subtle fragrances make for an excellent alternative to some of the other ways to create ambiance (Glade?), and they are flame-free. If you are on a serious budget or want to make something for gifts this season, these are so simple and elegant. I made this one from a trio of mini vases from Ikea, I loved that it looked very Jonathan Adler-esque, but was only 5 bucks!
I hope to be able to show you how to do this easy peasy lil' project.
OK, HOW TO MAKE REED DIFFUSERS 101:
SUPPLIES:
ALCOHOL (Below are types you can use, note just use one type, k?)
Ethyl Alcohol-You can buy this at most drug stores
EverClear-This is a high proof grain alcohol, some states don't have this
Perfumers Alcohol This stuff 'aint so cheap
High-Proof Vodka
REEDS:
These should be rattan NOT the bamboo skewers you find at the market
Here's a place I bought my reeds
FRAGRANCE OIL:
Okay this category is exhausting, I use candle fragrance oil in mine, but you can use bath and body fragrance oil. Here's a good place to buy fragrance oil
VESSEL
Any sort of glass or ceramic would work I used about a 2 ounce vase, small. DON'T use plastic! (ask me why)...
Okay now, just add your oil and alcohol to your vessel, I would use about 40% oil to 60% alcohol (you need the alcohol to pull the fragrance up through the reeds). No need to fill all the way up (I filled mine about 80% full).
Swirl the concoction over a sink, be sure to cover the opening with your hand and PLEASE try not to get in your eyeballs, wear gloves, goggles, just protect your purty little face and body when doing any thing crazy like this.
Once it is swirled and mixed (technical terms), add your rattan reeds (depending on your opening use an amount that is not tough to get the reeds in and out of your opening) flip the reeds a few times. The scenting action should take about 24 hours for the "juice" (fragrance) to rise, but once it does you should have a lovely little aroma emanating from your new project. BTW, just in case you were unaware alcohol is VEY flammable, PLEASE DO NOT PUT NEXT TO EXCESSIVE HEAT OR OPEN FLAME, SMALL CHILDREN, PETS OR SOMEWHERE IT CAN BE EASILY DUMPED!!!! Sometimes, um, common sense is not so common (I am very aware of that myself).
If you want to go a little more fancy, you can color your fragrance with a couple drops of liquid candle dye or add a design to your glass to make it even more personalized. Do this BEFORE you add your liquid. I bought the jar at CostPlusand used this handy, dandy tutorial to teach me how to easily etch my design on glass. Here's the result:
And that my friends is how to make a reed diffuser, but if you don't want to go though all the hassle, and you've got a couple extra bucks (or two or 72) buy one for yourself or a loved one, this one is really great.
