Welcome Natasha of Violet Tinder Studios who is here to share with us a fun tutorial for making your own scented stationary. Natasha sells gorgeous stationary in her shop like the ones she used in this tutorial and you should definitely check them out!
Don’t you just love the idea of scented stationery? It seems so romantic and a little old-fashioned… like you’re carefully putting together a love note for your fiancé, who’s stationed far away across the sea, and adding just a little spritz of something good will make it feel that much more personal.
I’ve wondered before, why isn’t more paper scented? Why can’t you flip through a book with the faint scent of lavender wafting out? Or get a postcard from the beach that reminds you of sunscreen?
Being a stationery lover, I was determined to find a way to scent some of my own letters and cards, without spritzing a giant pump of perfume all over them. (Because A. that stuff is expensive!! and B. I’m going for “faint” here, not Macy’s-perfume-aisle)
Imagine sending out birthday cards that smell like bubblegum or holiday cards that smell like cinnamon!! (Totally going to try that, btw.)
What You’ll Need:
– Stationery, Cards, Paper
– 2-3 sheets of cardstock
– Large size tupperware (I used the inexpensive disposable kind, in the largest size available.
– 3-5 cotton pads
– Scent! You have a lot of options here: Essential oils (sold at stores like Whole Foods), Baking/Candy Flavor oils (sold in the baking section of craft stores), your personal perfume… or anything else that you can easily transfer onto a cotton pad.
1) Take your cotton pads and add a couple drops of the scent you’re using. If you want to create a unique scent (I.e. Lavender Vanilla), add each individual scent to it’s own cotton pad. Or you can keep it simple, and just use one scent per container. Then, place the scented cotton pad flat on the bottom of the tupperware container. If you have more than one pad, space them out evenly along the bottom.
2) Next, take a sheet of cardstock and make sure it covers the cotton. The idea is to prevent the oil from touching the actual stationery and staining it or leaving marks, so the cardstock acts as a kind of barrier between the two.
3) Get your stationery and place it evenly on top of the cardstock. The more it’s spread out, the better it will absorb the fragrance.
4) Now, put the lid on it and wait! I suggest waiting at least 24 hours to make sure the scent is absorbed into the paper well. For a more intense scent, add a couple more drops of the oil to the cotton pads after a day, and close it up to let it sit for another 24 hours.
5) Another tip to increase the potency of the scent- take a small empty spray bottle (like the travel kind for hairspray) and fill with a tiny bit of water. Then, VERY lightly spray the card with a fine mist of water (preferably from the back so it can’t damage any image or design on the front) and place it in the container on top of the cardstock. As it dries, it will absorb more of the fragrance in the container.
6) You can repeat these steps with multiple cards, in different containers. Have fun experimenting with the scents!! And can’t wait to receive your fir-tree scented Christmas card. 😉
Check out some of the stationary featured in this tutorial:
Hi, thanks for de DIY, i have a question, how long does the smell last on paper, do have a idea? thanks
It matters what kind of scent you use. But usually it should last for a couple of weeks. You could always test out a specific scent on a small strip of paper.
Thanks for the info I’ve tried placing a scrap piece of scented paper in a zip locked baggie with my journals their especially made by Elis cooke in Canada
I was wanted a stronger longer lasting scent for them and I use scented ink with my calligraphy pens the scent were matching the color but I changed to vanilla sandlewood and opium for the guys I use Giorgio armini
Tammy Christianson