Presenting - Polymer Pomander Pods

In 1997 my husband and I were fortunate to be able to visit Egypt through our zoo travel program. One item on our itinerary was the Khan el-Khalili bazaar in Cairo. A bewildering maze of narrow streets, filled with shops, cafes and restaurants, the spice vendors remained one of my most vivid memories. One item that I bought my mom was a small lidded container made entirely of woven whole cloves.

A year or so ago, I brought this souvenir home with me and put it on a side table in our living room. Even with the spices almost 15 years old, I still get whiffs of clove from this box. I thought about pomander balls, the ones made by sticking whole cloves in oranges, then letting it dry out. Then, I considered the version that is a perforated (usually) ceramic ball, with whole spices inside.

It struck me that if I could construct an appropriate container, I could enclose whole spices in polymer. So, I built some 3" dia. lentil halves, with holes that were large enough for air to flow through, but not large enough that a typical whole clove could fall out. Before sealing, I added in addition to cloves, some whole allspice and a couple of whole cardamom.

I also made a base for what I'm calling "pods" to rest in. (Pomander "pods" sounds better than pomander "lentils", don't you agree? Alliteration and all that...) They will just naturally emit a subtle fragrance, or you can pick them up and shake gently a few times for a more intense jolt. Also, they look nice just sitting there.

So, without further ado, let me present 11 BOLD street's newest brain bomb - Pomander Pods, in polymer, of course!

  

Copper Washers Aren't Just For Plumbing Anymore...

Remember the copper washers from a few weeks ago? The ones that I had fun hammering and making into toggle closures? Well, I used the first of these in a bracelet, featuring polymer lentils and more hammered washers.

Gunmetal black and copper beads and wires complemented the copper polymer lentil beads. I gave them black, "hammered" texture backs, just because we all know that the backs of items should be as nice as the front!