When I used to have a car (cough, cough, before I moved to New York City), I used to often ornament my rearview mirror with air fresheners. They were cute. You've seen them. They come in all sorts of shapes and colors. Palm trees were always my favorite (even though I lived in Ohio without a palm tree in sight). The more I think about this old habit of mine, the more I think about how these air fresheners can be avoided, in general. Not only do they contribute to the destruction of trees since so many of them are made primarily from paper, but they are also filled with chemicals. Because they are made from paper, their scents don't last long. This is great for the companies at hand because it keeps you coming back to buy new air fresheners for often. Too bad for those companies, though, because in this post, I'm going to tell you how easy it is to make an air freshener for your car yourself...and it will last much longer, too!

First you need some old fabric. Think about the clothes you no longer wear and towels and blankets you no longer use. If you're not inclined to sewing, you can simply cut out the shape you want from the fabric. Cut out two of whatever shape you choose. Glue these shapes down to some cardboard (think cardboard from old shoe boxes, cereal boxes, etc.). You should make the cardboard the same shape and size as the fabric pieces. After this is done, you can decorate how you wish. Add sequin, other layers of fabric, paint, etc.

When you're totally completed, soak the fabric with your favorite essential oil to your liking. These oils are incredibly strong, so be cautious at first.

The beautiful thing?

When the scent starts to run out, all you have to do is drop some more oil onto the fabric.