Dried fruit ornaments are the perfect and organic way to add a festive touch to your Christmas tree. Fruits available in winter season are just perfect for drying and using them in natural decorations, garlands or as ornaments for the Christmas tree.  Are you trying to think of creative Christmas decorations this season? They are easy to make, give a beautiful earthy touch and they smell delicious!

Christmas Decorations: How to Make Dried Fruit Ornaments 

Dried Fruit Ornaments Materials:

Citrus fruits: oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, lemons, limes; apples and pears

Sharp knife

Twine or ribbons

Oven

Cookie cutters

For dried fruit ornaments decorations

Cloves, cinnamon sticks etc.

Pine twigs, pinecones and other seasonal items

Glitter (optional)

Mod podge or white glue and brush (optional)

Dried Fruit Slice Ornaments

To make slices which you can use as ornaments or for décor, just slice the fruit of your choice thinly, about ¼ inches. You can dip the pear or apple slices in a solution of water and lemon to prevent discoloring. Preheat your oven to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Now put them onto the oven rack and bake for about 2 or more hours, until done, turning them one or more times. Check each one of the slices separately, since one can be done sooner as the other, depending on the fruit and the thickness of the slices. As an energy saving alternative you can place the slices over a turned on radiator for some hours or even let them air dry, which would take of course much more time and a dry atmosphere. If you want you can apply some glue or podge and sprinkle glitter on them, for a more glamorous look. When they dry completely, you can attach a ribbon or twine to hang them on your tree. Or you can use them with spieces such as gloves or cinnamon sticks for a spicier look.

We love these dried fruit ornaments from No Meat Athlete too!

Image via: Etsy – Little Bear Woodwork – Dried Fruit Ornaments 

Citrus Peel Ornaments With Cookie Cutters

For this option one should use only citrus fruits. Peel the citrus fruits of your choice carefully so you will have as large as possible peels in one piece. Now cut your favorite shapes using cookie cutters. Great shapes for this are stars, hearts and Christmas trees. To dry them, follow the instructions which have been described above.

Make Roses With Citrus Peels

To make flowers you will need to peel the citrus fruits in a way that you will end up having one long stripe of peel of even width. To do this you will need to start from the top of the citrus and cut in a spiral movement downwards. Try to get the peel as thin as you can, not cutting too much of the white with it. Now wrap the peel around itself, creating a beautiful rose and affix the peels at the end with a toothpick to prevent unwrapping. You can dry the rose on a radiator or use them as they are in decorations.

All of the above ideas have beautiful and natural results. You can make decorations for your table or a garland, using the dried fruits and pine twigs and other seasonal material. For adding fragrance, use spices and even some drops of essential oils.

These homemade citrus ornaments from dried fruits at Whole Foods are a great alternative.

Easy, cheap, beautiful; a perfect decoration item! Which dried fruit ornaments do you think you will try?

For more holiday ideas on Stagetecture, click here.