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    Home » DIY Projects

    Dried Citrus Ornaments: Natural Holiday Decorations

    November 29, 2016 by Patti Estep 25 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card

    Learn how to make dried citrus ornaments to embellish your wreaths and to hang on your Christmas tree. Easy to make and their natural beauty really shines.

    Dried citrus ornaments on chandelier

    So many people loved the dried orange slice garland project, so I thought I'd make some whole dried citrus ornaments to decorate the house this Christmas.

    This took a little trial and error, but in the end, they turned out really nice. I tried lemons, limes, oranges, and clementines. The orange and clementines worked out the best, so I made several clementines to dress up an old berry garland in the kitchen.

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    citrus-ornaments-garnish-tool

    Making Dried Citrus Ornaments

    For this project, you will need a garnishing tool to carve sections of peel from the fruit. You can easily pick one up at any major grocery or retailer for less than $10.

    citrus-ornaments-carving-clemintine

    Simply peel away the rind, starting at the top, and move to the bottom. You can also make a spiral shape.

    moldy-clemintines

    When you are done you need to let them air dry for about two weeks, depending on the humidity in your home. The first time I made them, I placed some in a wicker basket, (above) and they got all moldy. Yuck.

    carved-clemintines-in-hanging-basket

    However, these hanging in a wire basket worked great.

    oven-dried-clemintines-on-rack

    I also tried sticking them in the oven. See the group on the right. Not a good look.

    carved-clemintines-on-rack

    Finally, I just used a wire rack and made sure they were in a nice dry area of the house.

    single-wire-ornament-hanger

    How to Hang the Dried Clementines

    To hang or attach the dried clementines, take an ordinary wire hanger, leave one end hooked, and straighten out the other end.

    wire-hanger-through-clemintine

    Pierce the clementine with the straight end, and let the hooked end slide into the bottom and act as an anchor.

    wire-hanger-threaded-clemintine

    Now you can attach the fruit to your tree, or any other spots such as wreaths or garlands.

    dried-orange-ornament

    Here's an orange I dried too. I used an eye screw and some ribbon for this larger ornament.

    berry-garland

    For the clementines, I took an old artificial berry garland and wrapped it around the light in my kitchen.

    citrus-ornaments-on-garland

    The clementines can easily be attached to the garland with their wire hangers.

    citrus-ornaments-garland

    A few sprigs of rhododendron leaves add a little extra fresh look.

    citrus-ornaments-on-garland-with-lights-on

    It turned out great, and I think this idea would work well for all kinds of special occasions.  

    For now, it will be part of our Christmas decor.

    Patti signature

    P.S. You may also love this stacked Dried Fruit Ornament idea or this Homemade Dried Apple & Orange Potpourri. You can find them and much more on my DIY Projects Page.

     

    Dried clementines on chandelier

     

    Dried clementine with wire hanger
    Print
    5 from 1 vote

    Dried Citrus Ornaments: Natural Holiday Decorations

    Make some whole dried citrus ornaments to decorate the house this Christmas. You can use them to add to a wreath, or your Christmas tree. They smell amazing!
    Prep Time14 d
    Active Time10 mins
    Total Time14 d 10 mins
    Course: Christmas Crafts
    Yield: 1 Ornament
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $5

    Equipment

    • Garnishing tool

    Materials

    • Citrus fruit
    • Clementines
    • Oranges
    • Lemons
    • Limes

    Instructions

    • Use the garnishing tool to peel away the rind, starting at the top, and move to the bottom.  
    • Let them air dry on a wire rack for about two weeks.
    • Take an ordinary wire hanger, leave one end hooked, and straighten out the other end.
    • Pierce the clementine with the straight end, and let the hooked end slide into the bottom.
    • Attach the fruit to your tree, or any other spots such as wreaths or garlands.

     

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenny Young

      October 16, 2018 at 1:09 pm

      I love these! I usually dry fruit slices for my garlands. The only question I have is how long did it take them to dry out?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        October 16, 2018 at 2:17 pm

        Jenny, they took a good two weeks. It probably depends on the temperature and humidity of your home, so maybe a little more or less. Make sure they have good airflow. Hope that helps.

        Reply
    2. Jan

      October 15, 2018 at 3:26 pm

      If you wanted to add some whole cloves, would you do it before or after drying the citris?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        October 15, 2018 at 7:35 pm

        I'm really not sure. After I read your comment I tried a couple in one that was already dried. I poked a hole first with a pin and the cloves went in easily. Here's a pic.

        Reply
    3. Kimm

      December 13, 2016 at 1:45 pm

      What a great look. I have the perfect spot for this (as long as I can keep my family from eating the oranges:))
      Thanks for sharing on Funtastic Friday!

      Reply
    4. Cristina at Ava's Alphabet

      December 11, 2016 at 1:11 pm

      Another gorgeous project, Patti! I even have one of those garish tools somewhere in the depths of my kitchen drawer! Pinned and sharing! Thank you for joining us at Family Joy Blog Link-Up Party.

      Reply
    5. Christine

      December 10, 2016 at 9:37 am

      Love this idea!

      Reply
    6. Mary-the boondocks blog

      December 10, 2016 at 9:30 am

      Patti that is so beautiful and such a cool idea. i have a whole bunch of orange trees, I can easily do this if I don't mold them. And this can be up the whole winter. It is such a pretty idea.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        December 10, 2016 at 9:34 am

        Hi Mary,

        So glad you like it. Once I made sure they received plenty of air all around I had no problems with molding. Enjoy.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply
    7. Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled

      December 09, 2016 at 7:32 am

      This is so pretty, moldy oranges aside! 😉 I'm sure it smelled very good. Visiting from Pretty Pintastic Party.

      Reply
    8. Rhonda

      December 08, 2016 at 7:48 am

      I love this idea. It would be a nice addition to my dried orange slices. Thanks for sharing on Sunday's Best linkup.

      Reply
    9. Krystal Sadler

      December 07, 2016 at 3:01 pm

      Just beautiful!! You make it look so easy. Thanks for linking up with us at Share the Wealth Sunday!

      Reply
    10. Kim~madeinaday

      December 05, 2016 at 8:56 pm

      They cam out so pretty!! I love them! Thanks for linking up to Merry Monday! Sharing on G+! Have a great week!
      Kim

      Reply
    11. Heidi

      November 29, 2016 at 10:35 pm

      Great job on the instructions and photos. One of the better ideas I have seen with drying oranges.
      Thanks so much!
      Heidi

      Reply
    12. Dina

      November 29, 2016 at 11:50 am

      I'm saving this post until I move into a larger apartment! Currently in a studio!
      This project is doable and will come in handy for future decorating adventures!
      How long can these citrus fruits be saved? I'm thinking just one season.
      Many thanks

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 29, 2016 at 5:26 pm

        Hi Dina,

        I'm not sure how long they will last certainly through the Christmas season. However, I still have my dried orange slices from last year and they look a little darker but otherwise are doing well.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply
    13. Penny at Enjoying The Simple Things

      November 29, 2016 at 9:47 am

      I love this idea! I have done cloved oranges before, but this takes it over the top.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 29, 2016 at 10:13 am

        Hi Penny,

        Cloved oranges are so pretty too. I've been thinking about them for a centerpiece but now I'll probably just add in some of these guys.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply
    14. Donna Harvey

      November 29, 2016 at 9:47 am

      Patti, that looks so pretty,añd I bet it smells great to.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 29, 2016 at 10:13 am

        Hi Donna,

        They do smell nice but the scent is not very strong.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply
    15. jemma

      November 29, 2016 at 9:45 am

      I love this project! What a beauty this is, my California daughter needs to be doing this.
      Thanks for sharing!
      Jemma

      Reply
    16. Carole @ Garden Up Green

      November 29, 2016 at 8:00 am

      I love this and citrus is a favorite here especially this time of year. For me decorating for Christmas is all about the natural elements. I love your creativity, gorgeous!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 29, 2016 at 8:29 am

        Hi Carole,

        I bet you have a lot of citrus in the south and I agree with you that natural is a preferred element in my decor. Although I will say that the artificial products seems to be getting better and better everyday.

        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply
    17. Karen

      November 29, 2016 at 7:45 am

      I love this look, Patti. Growing up so near Florida, citrus was always a part of our Christmas and winter traditions, so this really brings back holiday memories for me. This is so gorgeous and creative. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        November 29, 2016 at 7:56 am

        Thanks Karen. It was a fun project to experiment and I am loving how great the clementines are looking in my holiday decor. It did take a good 2 weeks for me to be able to use them so I wanted to get this post out asap in case anyone wanted to try it for themselves.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply

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