Christmas Orange Garland

Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year, however every year when Christmas comes I feel a sense of guilt for the amount of waste and environmental damage that is caused from a single occasion. When decorating and spreading the festive cheer I try to be as sustainable and plastic free as possible. Over the years through trial and error I have uncovered many tips and tricks that help me feel less guilty around the festive spirit, and now you can too. This is how I made the super popular and super easy Christmas orange garland, enjoy!

Christmas Orange Garland

You will need:

~ Twine or string

~3-5 Oranges (More or less depending on how long you want your garland to be)

~A serrated knife

~ A Cloth for blotting

~Greaseproof paper or silicone mat

~Scissors

~Baking trays

~ Knitting Needle/Crochet hook 

Step 1.

Pre-heat your oven to 100 degrees Celsius and line two or more (depending on how many orange slices you have) baking trays with greaseproof paper or non-stick silicone mats. Cut your oranges into thin flat slices and blot the oranges to soak up the excess juices.

Step 2.

Lay slices out on to the baking trays and put in the over for 2-3 hours. Make sure you check on them every 30 minutes to flip the slices over, so they are cooked evenly. Once your oranges are dried and slightly browned take them out the oven and let them cool on a drying rack overnight, I left mine out for 2 days just to make sure they were fully dried out before moving onto the next step!

Step 3

Grab your twine and scissors to start making your garland. Make two small holes in the orange slice near the rind and thread your twine through the hole. Once you have done this gently thread the twine through the orange slice, I used a knitting hook/needle as I had one to hand however you can do this without it may just be more fiddly. When threading the first orange through I tied a knot on the end of my twine so that the orange slice wouldn’t fall off. Then continue to thread the oranges through onto your twine ensuring you have enough space between them, it helps to tie small knots after each orange slice so they don’t slide around the garland. This is a very simple orange garland however you can always personalise it and add other things to it! Some ideas include cinnamon sticks, pinecones, and dried apple slices!

 

BONUS- Orange Slice Tree Ornament

Did you know dried orange slices also make lovely tree ornaments! Repeat step 1&2 from the orange garland tutorial above but instead of threading onto one large piece of twine, loop each orange slice onto small individual pieces of twine and tie so you have a hanging ornament!

I hope this has given you some décor inspiration for the festive season, an added bonus is it leaves your house smelling amazing! If you attempt this garland for yourself tag us in your photos, we would love to see how they turned out! Keep an eye out for our next blog post for a more sustainable alternative to traditional wrapping paper.

 

Until next time,

Olivia & The Moo Family x