This lemon peel star garland is a great easy and inexpensive way to add a little fresh smelling brightness to your holiday mantel.
If you have visited here before then you know how much I love to work with naturals, especially at the holidays. My dried orange garland with bay leaves and cinnamon sticks was getting a little weathered looking so I decided to make something new. Today's simple DIY is a dried lemon peel garland that will smell great and add some bright color to your mantel.
How to Make a Lemon Peel Star Garland
Supplies
- 1 dozen or more large lemons
- Small star shaped cookie cutter
- Waxed thread/twine
To make this garland use a small star cookie cutter to press out shapes from lemon peels. They will dry in a matter of days. Some will ultimately curl up, which you may like. But you can keep an eye on them and press them flat if that is the look you prefer.
Here's the link to the star shape cutter I picked up at Hobby Lobby. It comes as a set of three. The smallest one was used for these stars. They worked well because they are metal and a little sharp which really helps with pushing through the lemon peel.
I ended up using about 4 dozen stars for my 8-foot mantel. I began drying a few stars at a time when I was cooking with lemons. Some of the earlier lemon stars were pretty dry by the time I made the garland. However, the simple fix was to soak them in some warm water for about 5 minutes.
You can measure out with the thread ahead of time. This will determine how long you want your garland and that will help you decide how many lemons you'll need. Depending on the size of your lemons and/or the size of the star you should be able to get 4 stars out of each lemon.
If you decide to make this all at once perhaps you could freeze the pulp or make lemonade from the discarded flesh.
Brown wax thread
is used to string the lemon stars for the garland. This is the same one that I used for the dried flower garland on our fall mantel.
I love using this thread. The wax coating allows the stars to glide easily, yet holds them in place at the same time.
This charming little garland can be used on the mantel atop fresh greens as shown here or on your tree, around a door or archway, so many different options.
I'm really loving the way this lemon peel star garland looks on our mantel. The lemony scent works so well with the fresh pine and cedar and makes our home smell oh so fresh.
More Homemade Garland Projects:
Lemon Peel Star Garland
This lemon peel garland is an easy and inexpensive way to add a little fresh smelling brightness to your holiday mantel.
Materials
- Lemons ~12
- Star Cookie cutters
- Waxed Twine
Tools
- Needle with large eye
Instructions
- Score lemons lengthwise and peel away from the fruit to get two full half peels.
- Push a small star-shaped cookie cutter through the peel to create a lemon peel star. You should get 4 stars for each lemon.
- Allow the stars to dry.
- Use waxed thread or twine with a large needle to thread the stars in equal intervals.
- Hang the string of lemons on the mantel, a Christmas tree or anywhere you want.
Notes
If the lemons are too dry and curled when you go to work with them you can soak them in a bit of warm water for a few minutes.
I used about 4 dozen stars for my 6 foot mantel. You could measure out how long you want your garland first and get an idea of how many stars you will need.
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Leen
This is such a clever idea! Those little stars are adorable and I am sure they smell heavenly!
Patti Estep
Thanks Leen. They were fun to make and we really like the way they turned out.
Kristi
This is, by far, one of the sweetest garlands I've ever seen. I bet it smells fantastic, too!
Patti Estep
Thanks Kristi! We are really enjoying it.
lynn
Patti! You blow me away! I love that lemon peel garland...what a brilliant idea. I can only imagine how great it smells combined with the pine and balsam. Thanks for the inspiration.
So happy to join you on this fantastic blog tour!
Hugs, Lynn
Cindy
Mmmm, I can almost smell it!! I love this idea, and the stars look gorgeous against your garland!
Patti Estep
Thanks Cindy. I do like the way they look against the fresh greenery. Hoping they don't dry out too much before Christmas.
Randi
I love this! I made a similar one from orange peels one year and it was so fragrant and pretty ... and it still looked great even after it was dried out.
Nancy @ Foodie Chicks Rule
Get out!!! Lemon peel garland....I LOVE that! xo
Maryann
So pretty & I bet it smells amazing!
Patti Estep
Thanks Maryann!
Kathy
That star garland is so sweet! Love it.
Patti Estep
Thanks Kathy. We are enjoying it and I have been so inspired by all the creative projects and decor in this blog hop.
Susie | Chelsea Project
I just totally love this garland!!! Especially with the mix of greens. I mean really, how earthy and elegant can you get? Please come to my house and help my ailing mantel. 🙂
Patti Estep
Thanks Susie. Not that you need any help with decor as you are quite the expert, but the cold is already getting to me so I just might need to make a trip south to visit. 🙂
Lora Bloomquist
I wish this post was scratch and sniff! I'm sure the lemon fragrance with the fresh greens is amazing! I love the pop of yellow against the green; so natural. Fun hopping with you!
Patti Estep
Hi, I just purchased this plugin on the suggestion from Charles at WPOPT
I tried the free version and it was working fine but I wanted more options, especially the pin it button on image hover which is one of the reasons Charles recommended Social Pug.
So I purchased the Pro plugin, deactivated and deleted the free version.
Uploaded the paid version and added my settings.
Problems (After clearing the cache and the browser)
1. I can only get the inline buttons to show up and the pinterest button does nothing. Facebook, twitter and yummly work ok.
2. Floating buttons worked on free version but not paid. Pinterest worked on free version too??
3. The sticky buttons do not show at all.
4. There is no hover button on images to Pin. Maybe the two are related.
I have read the documentation, FAQs and cleared the cache.
What else am I missing?
I don't think it is a plugin conflict because the free version was working at least for the inline pinterest button and the floating icons.
Paula
I absolutely love this project! Yellow lemon stars look so pretty against your green garland and I'll bet that it smells good as well. I am looking forward to more of your Christmas projects this holiday season!
Patti Estep
Thanks Paula, they do smell great and I'm also looking forward to see what you and so many talented bloggers have planned for this season. It's always so inspiring to see such creative talent.
Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge
Patti, I'm swooning over this. I always love your projects but this one is so unique and it pairs perfectly with your evergreen garland. Now I'm going to be on the lookout for little star cookie cutters so I can make this myself. Thanks for the tutorial!
Patti Estep
Thanks Angie, I'm sure you will find them easily. I liked this one because it's rather sharp making it easier to push through the peel. I probably should have linked to one you could purchase. Maybe I'll update the post.
Carole West
Beautiful garland and what a great idea. I'm so impressed with all your natural ideas for decorating. Always pushing forward with something unique and wonderful. I bet it smells fantastic - I love the scent of lemon and bet it compliments that cedar perfectly.
Patti Estep
Thanks Carole, I'm loving it so far.