Dried citrus and clove mobile
Garlands made with dried citrus fruits are so popular once again, and they make beautiful winter holiday decorations!
You can use them to decorate your home in so many ways: create citrus garlands for your Christmas tree, use citrus garlands as window decorations, add dried citrus slices to your homemade wreaths and swags, or you can even create a citrus garland mobile.
No matter how you choose to use them and decorate your home with them, they are bright and cheery and add a welcome pop of color during the winter season. Dried citrus garlands have a simple, old fashioned feel that is so pleasant.
I just love using natural materials in crafts and home decor! And if you haven't already, check out my Crafting With Nature Pinterest board for tons of ideas.
Create strings of dried citrus slices - think lemon, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit - and add other natural elements such as cloves, star anise, and cinnamon sticks to add variety, scent, and texture to your garlands. I also think mini pinecones would be a great addition.
If you do not have a food dehydrator at home to dry the orange and lemon slices, you can do it in your oven!
To make dried citrus slices, just slice your citrus fruit into slices that are about 1/4" (thinner will dry faster, thicker will take longer,) and then gently blot off any wet juice from the slices with a paper towel. Next place the citrus slices on a parchment-covered cookie sheet and then bake in a preheated 250° to 300 F oven. Bake for an hour and then carefully flip the slices over and bake for another hour, keeping and eye on them.
Once finished baking, remove from oven and allow your citrus slices to dry on a drying rack for a few days until they are completely dry. To preserve your slices for years to come, coat slices with shellac or acrylic sealant spray from your local craft store.
Use a needle and twine to thread the citrus slices and add other natural materials as mentioned above to create variety.
Add twine to individual slices to create ornaments. Here is some inspiration from some creative folks to get you started!
What do you think?
Have you ever dried citrus slices?
Pin this post!
You might also like:
Have a great week!
Laura
Join me on:
Article copyright Laura Beth Love 2021 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link updates or corrections leave correct info in comment area.
