Citrus Peel Ornaments and Garland
Citrus Peel Ornaments and Garland
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If you love citrus of any kind like I do, you'll love this quick and easy little citrus peel ornaments and garland project. This is a VERY kiddo-friendly craft that involves little clean up and almost no prep.
Citrus is a real gift through the cold and dark winter season reminding us of warmer days and juicy summer fruits! I love using blood oranges through the season for the flavor and color.
The dark orange and slightly red mottled peel is perfect for these colorful ornaments. Use the fruit you remove from the peel in desserts or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar for a sweet breakfast treat.
Here's what you need.
- Citrus - 6 to 8 pieces - I chose blood oranges and these massive and almost Seussical pomelo fruits.
- Paring knife (short knife as opposed to a chef's knife)
- Cutting board
- Toothpick or skewer (to create the hole to thread)
- Mini cookie cutters
- Sparkle stems and/or thin gauge twine
- Scissors for twine, if needed
Here's what you'll do.
Start by cutting about 1/2" of the peel off of one end of the fruit. This should reveal some of the fruit inside.
Next, cut through the peel on either side of the fruit. Slide your fingers under each peel 'flap' to release the fruit. Attempt to release the fruit with the peel still intact as one piece.
Now, flatten the peel by pressing down and cutting a few notches as necessary.
Use a cutting board and press your mini cookie cutters into the peel to create shapes. Do as I did and use a small and smaller star to make these cut-out shapes.
Run your toothpick all the way through the top of your shape making a small hole so that you can thread twine or a sparkle stem when dry.
When you've created all the shapes you can with the peel on hand, lay the shapes to dry on a rack or towel. They dry very quickly, but plan for a few hours at least.
If you'd like to avoid some of the rolling that I experienced with my ornaments, place a piece of parchment paper over your peel shapes and put a Dictionary or other large and heavy book on top to press them flat.
I found two perfect little lemon cypress trees at my market that I snatched up to use all holiday season. I'll plant them on a warm day in February in a back deck container and will enjoy for years to come. These lemon cypress do very well as container plants or in the ground too.
Star Garland and Christmas Trees
It's fun to create miniature garlands and trees with these citrus peel shapes. To create yours, thread silver sparkle stems through your citrus stars securing each end with a loop.
To create a little tree, poke holes at the bottom and top of a long triangle and the top of a small rectangle (the trunk/stem). Use a red sparkle stem to connect the bottom to the top by first threading the long end through the back of the trunk,
Next connect the trunk to the tree by looping the stem through the bottom of the tree. Then, run the stem up the back of the tree and out to the top of the tree.
Bend the sparkle stem towards the back and create a loop to hang. That's it!
Gift Toppers
Share your bounty when you top hostess and holiday gifts with these sweet citrus peel ornaments. Attach a star or two to a gift tag to give a personalized gift of yourself.
Let's Be Social
Thanks so much for sharing your social media love! Follow me on Pinterest and Instagram. Tag #satsumasmiles to share your creativity and I'll share back.
HELLO THERE!
Today is a gift. Let's put a bow on it!
Find creative and sustainable ways to make family life a delight! Sharing modern etiquette that kids will enjoy.
💕 jennifer
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