DIY Fruit Ornaments For The Holiday Season

It’s funny how I’ve been thinking about citrus fruits lately and it’s almost winter.

I was preparing my bath of fruits and herbs the other night. While slicing up the lemon, I remembered that my friend Jodi posted a picture of dried fruit Christmas ornaments last year on her instagram account. They looked beautiful. I wanted to try this!

I called Jodi and got some pro tips and creative crafting ideas. Below are the directions for this holiday craft.

DIY Fruit Ornaments

Supplies:

Knife
Cutting board
Baking sheet
Parchment paper or wax paper
Lemons, oranges, grapefruit or other fruit of your choice
Ribbon and/or wire hooks
Toothpick
Q-tips
Craft Items: sparkles, glue, ribbon, gemstones, etc.

Directions:

Step One: Cut the fruit into ¼ inch slices and carefully remove the seeds with a toothpick. Try to make the cut as even as possible using a sharp knife.

Step Two: Arrange the fruit slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the warm oven set to about 150-170°F. Bake for 3-4 hours. Flip every hour. You want the fruit to keep its color, so it should not be completely shriveled. Alternatively, if you’re a planner and have the time, you can leave the fruit out for three days to dry naturally. To note, the slices will curl a bit more using this method.

Step Three: Set up your crafting station. Use a toothpick to feed the ribbon through the fruit. Use sparkles or other crafting supplies to adorn the decorations. Or keep the look natural. This is where you can get creative and make them your own – to fit your personal holiday style.

Besides this being a very affordable and fun decorating option, I like the idea of an old-fashioned Christmas. Before we had big box stores with every decoration imaginable, families used what the earth provided to them. The branches and sticks outside their home, the pine cones on the ground, the fruit they grew, and the berries on the trees. This concept is so appealing to me. Additionally, DIY decorating is less wasteful and safer for our environment. And I bet these decorations will look more beautiful than anything you can buy in a store because they’re homemade with love.

I’m very pleased with how my fruit ornaments turned out. The fruit is transparent and when the light shines from the window or the Christmas lights, it has a warm glow.  Apart from using these to adorn your tree, you can also decorate holiday gift packages, string them together as garland or integrate the fruit into a winter floral centerpiece. Turn on the Christmas music and try this craft with your friends or family. And the kids will enjoy it too!