Dried Orange and Cinnamon Decorations

I love the smell of Christmas. It's a smell that when you close you eyes and concentrate, you can recreate it in your head every time. It makes me think of open fires, family, new pajamas and walks in the snow (when we have some).

I had a few oranges laying to waste in the bottom of the fridge so instead of throwing them in the bin (I hate wasting food) I'd dry them out and make some traditional scented orange and cinnamon decorations.

What you'll need:

Oranges, preferably large ones
Sharp knife & chopping board
Flat baking trays
Cinnamon sticks or cinnamon essential oil
Ribbon / string / wool / elastic for tying and embellishing

How to make them:

Step 1 - Pre-heat your oven to 100 degrees C

Step 2 - Lay your orange so that the top where the stem used to be is at 9 o'clock and the bottom is at 3 o'clock. This means you'll get a nice cross section of the orange when you slice and the piece won't fall apart. Slice your oranges thinly (less than 1cm thick) with a really sharp knife.

Step 3 - Space out your orange slices on some flat baking trays and bake in the oven for around 2-3 hours. I have a convection oven so it gets pretty hot in there! You may need to cook for longer but until the pieces are dry to the touch and don't stick to the try when you lift them up.

Step 4 - If you're using cinnamon oil, drip a single drop on the centre of each orange segment.

Step 5 - Make a small hole at the top of a slice and thread ribbon/string through it and tie to make a loop. Use these as single decorations and embellish with a bow tied to the string.

Step 6 - if you're using cinnamon sticks tie another piece if ribbon / wool around the stick and tie this piece toto the orange's thread.

You can also embellish in other ways such as adding glitter, beads or different scented oils. You could also string them together to make a festive orange garland for your tree or fireplace. How about drying some lemons and cranberries and making your own festive pot-purri? The list is endless!

This post is part of the Crafting Days of Christmas blog-hop! Why not join in on the festive creativity?