Tuesday, December 22, 2020
I don’t know if you have taken notice this year, but in Blog land, dried citrus slices are the biggest trend for Christmas. They are everywhere and I suspect they will be even bigger next year!
In this post I will show you how to slow dry the citrus so you can use them around the house this holiday season. It’s not too late to make these for Christmas! This is a very easy and fast craft to do with your loved ones and will make a colorful impact on your Christmas tree.
You can use oranges, grapefruit, lemons, limes or any other type of citrus.
- Cut the fruit- Slice circles 3 to 4 millimeters thick (1/8 Inch). It is the case where 1 millimeter does matter! Set oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit in convection mode.
2. Put a piece of parchment paper right on the oven rack. Place the sliced citrus on the paper in a single layer and leave in the oven overnight (around 8 hours).
While in the oven, the citrus made the most pleasant smell throughout the house. When the oranges are completely dried, they actually look like stained glass.
There is so much that can be done with dried citrus:
Make easy potpourri for a pretty bowl. (Add some cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and pinecones)
Make a garland by stringing together the slices
Add citrus slices to a wreath
Christmas tree ornaments
Put in the middle of a gift wrapping bow
To embellish the dried citrus and turn them into decorations you will need the following:
Dried citrus
Cinnamon Sticks
Star Anise (found here)
Decorative String
Glue Gun
Embellishments- from my front yard I collected small pecans, boxwood, cedar, red berries
I placed various sizes of citrus on top of each other and used the glue gun to attach them together.
Using the glue gun to decorate the citrus slices, place any of your embellishments, cinnamon sticks, or star anise.
To turn these slices into Christmas ornaments, I attached the decorative string with glued to the back of the citrus.
Take a look at how wonderful the these turned out!
On the presents, the citrus takes center stage and makes the wrapping look extra special.
The dried slices look fantastic on gift bags as well!
That is it! Making these is so simple. What do you think of these decorated citrus ornaments and are you going to try it? Let me know in the comments below!
Get updated on the latest holiday posts by reading:
A Holiday Trip to Texas Hill Country
An Elegant Vintage Colored Christmas