Homemaking

DIY Dried Orange Christmas Wreath

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It’s finally here, that magical holiday season that we all love. One thing I love to do around the holidays is make homemade decorations, gifts, and ornaments. With the cost of living so high lately, it is a bonus to make things at home to save a little money and, it’s fun! My kids love to join in making holiday projects, we put some Christmas music on, have some hot chocolate, and get crafting. It makes for some great core memories. This year I have been seeing different dried-orange projects that look so beautiful. I had to learn how to dry oranges to make a project like this. For my first dried orange project, I wanted to make a wreath. Read on for a tutorial on how to make a dried orange Christmas Wreath.

Supplies Need to Make a Dried Orange Christmas Wreath

Dried Oranges

5 oranges
Cookie Sheet
Parchment Paper

Dried Orange Christmas Wreath

Wire wreath, like these wire wreath
Greenery, I used pine and sparkly aspen leaves
Thin floral wire. I used 22-gauge floral wire
Clear jewelry string elastic string
Sewing needle
Wire cutters
Any extra things you want on your wreath

How to Dry Oranges For Christmas Decorations

I LOVED this step. My house smelt amazing! It was like walking into an orange sugar cookie factory. I may dry oranges in the future just to make my house smell like this! Seriously, amazing. Anywho, what you want to do is set your oven to 170 degrees. Next, slice your oranges thinly, I also slice a grapefruit for some color variation. Place parchment paper on your cookie sheet and lay your oranges out in a single layer. Then, place in the oven for about 5 hours, turning halfway through. You will want to start checking them around the 4-hour mark to make sure they aren’t burning.

My oranges took the full 5 hours and some of the very thin slices did get a little burnt however, the color variation turned out great on my wreath. When you take them out of the oven they should feel mostly dehydrated. Next, place them on your counter to cool and continue drying overnight. Once they are fully dried, they will feel tough to the touch. That’s it, easy peasy

How To Assemble Your Dried Orange Christmas Wreath

This is the fun part, get creative with it and make it your own! I began by cutting down my floral pine pieces and breaking them into smaller pieces. This is when you will use your wire cutters. Some of the greenery especially the pine, took a little muscle to cut; you will want to be careful and take your time. I then used my floral wire to secure the greenery to the wire wreath, keeping the tied part in the back so you don’t see it. Next, I added some clear plastic crystals throughout the greenery to give it a little sparkle. I found these in the wedding section at Hobby Lobby. Make sure to mix your different greeneries so you don’t have odd chunks of just one type or color. My greenery side turned out so pretty I almost made it the whole wreath; I may do this next time.

Next, you will secure your dried orange slices to the wreath. For this, I used clear jewelry string and a sewing needle. I weaved in and out to get the oranges tied securely to the wreath, again trying to make sure any knots were in the back. When I was on either end where the oranges meet the greenery I tucked the oranges under the greenery to give it a layered look.