Last week I showed you all how to dry oranges in the oven, and now I’m going to share a tutorial for these natural Christmas ornaments, featuring dried oranges and cinnamon.
My Christmas tree is sort of a blend of the natural/wooden/homemade look and the sparkly/magical look. I always find myself especially drawn to the more rustic styles for decor, and these beautiful ornaments are a perfect fit for that theme! So, if you are like me, I hope you enjoy this natural Christmas ornament tutorial.
Here’s what you’re going to need:
- Dried orange slices
- Cinnamon sticks
- Cream or coloured embroidery thread
- Embroidery needle
- Red ribbon (I used a velvet textured ribbon for mine)
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Glue gun (optional)
This is a really fun project to do on your own or with kids, if they are old enough to tie knots and follow directions… My little ones are not quite at that skill level yet, so they just watched me work on these… and then smelled them with me, since they smell like Christmas, all bundled up in a neat little package.
I recommend reading through the directions first, and then batch working – Cut all of your embroidery thread and ribbons ahead of time, and then start putting these together!
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Arrange the oranges and prepare the cinnamon
I like to use one slightly smaller one on top, and then a larger one on the bottom for each ornament. Break enough cinnamon sticks in half to accommodate each 2-orange slice ornament with one half-piece of cinnamon.
Step 2: Bind the oranges together
Thread your embroidery needle with a 4″-6″ length of embroidery thread, and poke the needle through the top of the large one and loop it around to come through the bottom of the top one. Remove the needle, tie a double knot, and cut the excess string away.
Step 3: Top with Cinnamon
Thread the needle again with a 10″-12″ length of embroidery thread. Poke it through the top of the smaller orange, and tie it securely with a double knot, leaving one end about 1-1/2″ on one side, and the rest of the thread (with the needle) on the other side. Tie the the threads together tightly over the cinnamon stick, securing with a double knot on top. Loop the rest of the long piece of thread around the cinnamon stick a few times, and then tie it securely in place with a double knot on the back of the stick (I used the needle to help with this part). Trim the excess string.
Step 4: Make the loop
Thread the needle again with another 10″-12″ length of embroidery thread. Slide the needle underneath the thread wrapped around the cinnamon stick to pull the new thread through. Remove the needle, tie the ends together, and then slide the knot down against the cinnamon stick.
Step 5: Add the bow
Tie a 12″-18″ length of red ribbon to the base of the string, right above the cinnamon stick. Trim the ends if necessary to make it look even.
Step 6: Glue the strings in place (optional)
Using a hot glue gun, put a little glue dot onto the back of the cinnamon stick where the embroidery thread is wrapped around to glue them together.
And that my friends, is all there is to it! Can’t get much simpler.
Have you made any other homemade Christmas decorations? What are your favourite?
Thanks for stopping in,
Naomi
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