baby shower: details part 2

Do you love party favors? I do. I love to send guests home with a sweet little memento of the evening, to thank them for joining the celebration. The trick this time was coming up with something that was a) semi-useful, b) semi-thematic), and c) very very budget friendly for our large guest list. Also, I wanted to avoid candy and anything labor intensive like fancy sugar cookies. The final product: little bundles of mulling spices with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, orange zest. Not exactly pumpkin-y, but still seasonal and packaged to tie in with the invites, buntings, etc.

I purchased whole spices in bulk from a local grocer, tied them up in tiny kraft bags with ribbons and tags complete with instructions. A cinch, very affordable (approx. 60 sticks of cinnamon= approx. $1.50), and they made my living room smell delicious.  I did have some difficulty finding small packaging, so I settled on the last 2 packages of small kraft sacks I could find anywhere in town.

The spices can be added to your favorite hot cider or wassail and steeped for about 30 minutes. I recommend placing them in a tea ball first, but if you don’t have one, just strain the bits before serving. To fragrance your home, add the spices to water and heat on the stove on very low heat for couple of hours.