How to Make a Dried Orange Slice Garland and Ornaments

dried orange garland

The holidays are just around the corner, so let the crafting begin! One of my favorite Christmas crafts to make are dried orange slices. Their bright cheery color and aroma really add character and charm to your holiday home décor.

This is a fun little project that both adults and children can enjoy!

By the way………..your house will smell fabulous when you make these!

What do you do with slices of dried orange?

  • One of my favorite things to do with them is to make a garland, and that is what I will be showing you how to do in this post.
  • Make single Christmas tree ornaments.
  • Use them to embellish your gift wrapping.
  • Add them to a potpourri mix.
  • Hang them in a window.
  • Add them to a Christmas wreath.
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Items and things you’ll need

Cooking the oranges

1 -Preheat oven to 250°

2 -Slice oranges ¼ inch, crosswise. Discard small ends.

 

dried orange garland

3 -Blot with paper towel.

4 -Place on parchment covered cookie sheet.

5 -Place in preheated oven and cook for 3-4 hours. Flip oranges over half way through cooking time.

6 -Check periodically to make sure oranges are not overcooking and turning brown.

7 -Remove when almost dry and place on cooling rack to finish drying.

Making the garland

1- If using small twine, thread the yarn needle with the twine.

If not, just poke a hole into the orange with a nail or another small pointed object and insert twine.

2- Insert the needle just inside the rind from the back side.

Stick the needle back into the rind about an inch away from where threaded.  (Insert at 1:00 and exit at 11:00) Like on a clock.

Leave about a 12 inch tail for hanging.

3- Continue to thread until you achieve the desired garland length.

(Make sure to leave a little space between orange slices so they don’t overlap).

4- Make a knot with the leftover jute on both ends for hanging.

To make single Christmas tree ornaments

 

You can use these nifty pre-bent wire hangers or simply poke a hole in the orange and tie with a piece of jute or ribbon.

Doesn’t this just add some fun color to a Christmas tree!

Look how cute these single dried oranges look hanging in the window. They look like mini stained glass windows.

Let the holiday crafting begin! These also make cute Thanksgiving decorations. Perhaps some cute Thanksgiving dinner place setting decor?

Enjoy your holiday crafting.

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Pixie & Pilot Caps Pattern with New Video Tutorial

Just in time for the cooler weather coming on, these cozy pixie & pilot caps are the perfect thing to keep your little ones ears nice and toasty!

Although this is not a new pattern release, I do have a NEW video tutorial to go along with it. I’m super excited to share it with you.

These whimsical, but most importantly functional pixie and pilot caps were designed to fit snug around the face and tie comfortably under the chin.

A cap for all seasons

Spring & Summer: For those days when the little ones just need a light covering, a cap made with cotton knit is the perfect thing.

Fall & Winter: An upcycled sweater or a cozy piece of fleece, are the perfect thing to make a pixie or pilot cap out of. 

If you would like the look of a hand knit hat for your child but you don’t knit, but you DO sew, this pixie & pilot cap pattern works great. Use the bottom cuff of a sweater and cut it out with the method I show in my pattern tutorial and it will hug around your child’s face just like you had knit it by hand.

These make really fun baby gifts!

Where do you get the pilot & pixie cap pattern?

The pattern includes two different styles of caps: A functional pilot cap and a fun whimsy pixie cap.

Five different sizes from Newborn to a Child Size Small.

The cap uses very little fabric or sweater material. This one was made from an upcycled cotton sweater and the lining from an upcycled fleece jacket.

Lining the cap will make the cap REVERSIBLE and it’s so easy to do!

This is another opportunity to use some of your sweaters from your stash, if you have one.

If you are like me, once you start making things from upcycled sweaters, collecting second hand sweaters becomes an addiction.

Just think of all the combinations of colors and textures you can use to make some fabulous caps.

Pilot & Pixie Caps Soft and Cozy Binding

Using the method I show, in a previous post, to bind the hat with fleece, makes the hat so cozy around the face and ties comfortably under the chin. 

HERE ARE SOME OTHER FUN HATS TO MAKE.

Christmas is just around the corner. So dig into your sweater stash, or purchase a small amount of fleece and get sewing!  *******Holiday sales are coming up and fleece can usually be found at a really good price this time of year.

So grab your pattern and get sewing. 

 

Here is the video tutorial that will walk you through the process, step by step!

Play Video

Have fun sewing!

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Jan Howell

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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DIY Essential Oil Travel Case: Take your favorite oils with you

I love using essential oils and I use them frequently. They come in handy for all kinds of things around the house and for many ailments both physical and emotional. This charming, functional and easy to make essential oil travel case allows you to have access to your favorite oils without taking up all the room in your purse. I love traveling with mine.

What are your favorite oils that you carry around?

Some of my favorite essential oils that I include in my travel case are:

Lavender essential oil

I think everyone needs to have a jar of Lavender Oil handy. Some of its benefits are:

  • Widely used for its calming and relaxing qualities.
  •  Soothes occasional skin irritations.
  • Reduces appearance of skin imperfections.
  • Helps to ease feelings of tension.
  • Add a few drops of Lavender to pillows, bedding, or bottoms of feet for a restful night’s sleep.
  • Freshen your linen closet, mattress, car, or the air with a light mist of Lavender combined with water in a spray bottle.
  • Add to bath water to soak away stress or apply to the temples and the back of the neck.
  • Soothe and relieve symptoms from mild sunburns and burns.

Peppermint essential oil

Peppermint is not just for freshening your breath. Here are a few other things it is good for:

  •  Diffuse when feeling fatigued or low on energy.
  • Take one to two drops in a Veggie Capsule to alleviate occasional stomach upset.*
  • Promotes digestive health.*
  • Add two to three drops to your favorite smoothie recipe for a refreshing twist.
  • Place one drop in palm of hand with one drop Wild Orange and one drop Frankincense and inhale for a mid-day pick-me-up.
  • Helps reduce bloating, gas, and occasional indigestion.*
  • Add to cold water compress or foot bath to cool off when overheated.
  • Inhale for a non-stimulant, invigorating pick-me-up on long drives.
  • Add to shampoo or conditioner for a stimulating hair massage.
  • Repels bugs naturally. Spritz around windows and doors.
  • Diffuse during study-time.
  • Apply topically to relieve feelings of tension.

Tea Tree Oil (melaleuca)

  • For occasional skin irritations, apply 1–2 drops of Melaleuca essential oil onto affected area.
  • Combine 1–2 drops with your facial cleanser for added cleansing properties, or apply to skin after shaving.
  • Apply to fingernails and toenails after showering to purify and keep nails looking healthy.

I have used Tea Tree Oil (melaleuca), lemon and clove for over 15 years in my cleaner recipes.  Essential oils promote healthy immune function, protect against environmental and seasonal threats, help with skin irritations, and the list goes on and on. Essential oils smell great, they are SAFE, and they get the job done!

I use essential oils in my healing salve and deodorant recipes.

Anyway, I could go on and on about essential oils, and I will in future blog posts.  But for now, I just wanted to share with you this fun little travel purse that you can make. It really is nice to have your essential oils handy when you travel!

Mini essential oil travel case

essential oil case

You can fit up to TEN – 5/8 dram bottles of essential oils in this case.  Taller bottles, like roller balls will also fit in the wallet.

You can buy these cute little bottles HERE

I recommend getting these little pipettes to assist in filling your bottles.

Here is a quick story that I have to tell about an experience I had on the plane. I was flying to California and a lady sitting next to me was sneezing and wiping her nose constantly.  “GREAT, just what I need a cold”.  First of all, I quickly changed that fear of getting a cold, and then I reached in my purse and pulled out my little mini essential oil purse.  I got out my essential oil blend and put a few drops in my mouth, and didn’t worry any more about it.  NO COLD!

I am going to make up a kit for each one of my kids, to keep in their car. These make an excellent mini emergency kit and GIFTS!

Material & Items Needed

  • Sewing machine
  • Scissors
  • fabric or felted sweater scraps
  • Pins
  • 1 sheet of craft foam or thin cotton batting
  • Needle and thread
  • 1/8 inch braided elastic
  • Button or ribbon for closure
  • Masking tape

Finished purse measures approximately 3 ¾ inches x 4 inches, and is 1 inch thick with bottles enclosed.

The easy-to-follow tutorial and pattern are available in my store or in my  ETSY shop.  Only basic sewing skills and sewing supplies are needed.

I used a felted wool sweater for the inside fabric. It turned out quite nice!

get the pattern HERE

You may also be interested in this essential oil clutch pattern.

So if you’re an essential oil lover, you’re going to love this little travel case!

Have fun sewing!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

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