DIY Dried Orange Garland: Simple Natural Decor for the Holidays
Are you looking for a more natural way to decorate your home for Christmas this year? I created a dried-orange-and-bells garland to add to my window decor this year, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy and fun it was.
Let me show you how I did it!
What you need to make this garland
I am a BIG fan of all things cranberry and orange. Muffins, scones, decor, candles, cleaning supplies…you name it, if it’s got this combination I’m all over it. So, I thought it would be fun to have a cranberry orange theme for my Christmas decor this year.
If you’re going to make oranges your Christmas theme, then you have to embrace your inner crafty person and commit to drying out your own orange slices! There’s no way around it. I have always avoided this activity because it just felt too crafty, even for me. But you know what? This was the year for me to try!
Here’s what you need to make your own garland, just like I did:
Bag of large oranges (navel oranges work well)
Wire racks
Baking sheets
Oven set at 175
Twine
Drying the oranges
The first thing I did was cut my oranges into ¼” slices. I used a sharp knife for this step. Make as many as you need! I was planning to use oranges in my window garland decor and put some in the tree as well, so I needed quite a few slices.
Once they were all cut, I placed them on my wire racks. The racks let the hot drying air of the oven get to all sides of the orange slices and dry them out evenly.
I placed the wire racks on baking sheets to prevent juice from dripping all over my oven. Then I placed the pans with the wire racks in the oven.
I confess it was not until this point in the “recipe” that I checked how long they had to be in the oven. 4-6 hours! By 11PM the orange slices had been in the oven for EIGHT hours, and they still weren’t completely dry. I decided to take them out and let them keep drying on top of the stove overnight, since I really wanted to go to bed. A girl needs her sleep!
Making the garland with oranges + extras
Even though my oranges were not completely dry the next morning, I decided they would just continue to dry while hanging on my garland. So, I went ahead with the next step!
I decided to add some interest to my garland by alternating the oranges with some cute little brass bells I found on Amazon for a very reasonable price.
I started by making a loop at one end of my piece of twine so that I could easily hang the garland when I was finished.
Then, I tied a bell close to the loop. I punched a hole through my orange slices near one edge (with my pocket knife) and strung them onto the twine after the bell, tying a knot in each one before I moved to the next.
I made my garland using a pattern of bell, three orange slices, bell. I wanted the oranges to really stand out.
I made two strands and added one to each window garland in my kitchen and dining room windows. I absolutely love how all the elements of both sets of garland came together to make a gorgeously cozy orange and cranberry themed decor item.
Watch All of My Budget Friendly DIY Christmas Decor Ideas
That’s it! The biggest challenge to this garland was the time needed for drying the oranges, and you can plan that part way better than I did! I love how my windows look with the cheerful and sweet-smelling orange and brass bell garland as the finishing touch.
Would you try making this garland from scratch? Tell me why or why not in the comments or tag me @diydanie with your garland pics!
