How to make a stunning DIY dried orange slice garland
I recently made a felt letter and wood bead garland for my daughter—then I made some stovetop potpourri ornaments. And I had leftover ingredients from both of these projects that I wanted to do something with.
With a day off work and some leftover supplies, what’s a girl to do? Make a dried orange slice and wood bead garland, obviously. Quick, simple, and beautiful! And it smells great. What do you think?
Supplies you’ll need
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- Dehydrator
- Oranges
- Twine
- Wood beads
- Needle, I just used a regular sewing needle
Step 1: Slice and dehydrate the oranges
Slice a few oranges and dehydrate them. We have this dehydrator and have used it for the past few years. The thinner they are, the faster they will dehydrate. They will also be easier to hang.
If you don’t have a dehydrator, that’s totally fine! You can arrange thin orange slices on a baking sheet and bake on your oven’s lowest setting. Monitor them every 10 minutes or so to see how they are drying. The amount of time depends heavily on how thick and juicy the slices are.
Step 2: Poke holes in the oranges
Next I used a needle to put two holes at the top of each orange. The hole just needs to be big enough to thread twine through them, adding a wood bead between each orange.
Even when the oranges are dehydrated, this can be a somewhat sticky process. You can clean your needle off as needed.
For more DIY holiday ideas, check out my small rosemary wreath and my DIY pinecone potpourri!
Step 3: Cut string and hang
Next cut the string, leaving a few inches on each end to hang. And then hang! I just used a few pieces of tape here, but you could create loops on the ends of each side to hang on nails, tacks, whatever.
You could easily add a bit of greenery in this garland as well. Something like eucalyptus, pine, or rosemary sprigs would be beautiful. What do you think of the finished product?
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Brittany is a seasoned DIY home and garden expert, running a creative brand since 2014 that inspires others with approachable plant care guides, woodworking tutorials, and decor projects. She is a certified project manager and has completed extensive coursework in the art and science of growing your own plants. Her work has been recognized by major publications, and she routinely collaborates with fellow DIY industry leaders—but her favorite thing to do is inspire you! Learn more about her here.
I love that you used orange slices to make this garland! Orange, cranberry and cinnamon are all flavors that remind me of the Holidays – yet we don’t typically see oranges in our decor. What a great idea!
Thank you Jenny! I dried a bunch for this and some stovetop potpourri ornaments…had to use them in a few different things!