DIY Dried Orange Ornaments

Learn how to make these cute, natural, and super easy DIY dried orange ornaments; they’re the perfect, old-fashioned adornment for your Christmas tree this year.

Please note: This post may contain affiliate links, for our full disclosure click HERE.

Looking for a simple and cute DIY ornament idea? I have the perfect solution for you! These dried citrus ornaments are SO easy to make and they’ll be a beautiful addition to your tree.

I love a good, old-fashioned DIY. Making these citrus ornaments had me feeling like Laura in our little house on the prairie. I was ready to make a rag doll next followed by some popcorn garlands!

Although it takes a little while to make your dried citrus slices, making the actual ornaments is only a few minutes!

What I love most about these handmade ornaments is that you can totally customize them however you want. I did a few different styles with mine, but the options are really endless.

In order to make these you’ll need to have dried orange slices or other citrus. I used oranges and grapefruit for mine. I have a whole tutorial HERE for drying citrus. Head over there first, and once you have a small little bundle of dried citrus, head back here to make your ornaments!

DIY Dried Orange Ornaments

Supplies Needed

• dried oranges, grapefruit, or other citrus (learn how to dry citrus HERE).
• string
• wooden beads
• ribbon (or sew your own fabric ribbon with the tutorial below!)

Instructions

If you’re using your own fabric ribbon, you can follow the tutorial below. If you want to add a regular, store bought ribbon, just skip ahead:)

How to make a fabric ribbon: take two pieces of fabric, 25″ long and 1.5″ wide. Place them right sides together, and cut diagonal at the corners to make a point.

Now, sew two of the long sides, and one of the short diagonal sides. Flip it inside out by attaching a safety pin to one side and wiggling it through to the other end.

Tuck the open ends inside of itself and do a topstitch to close it.

Now tie your ribbon up into a bow. Loop both ends like bunny ears and tie them around each other.

Now you can make your ornaments! Start by taking your fabric bow, and pushing some string through the knot on the backside.

Once you have your string halfway through, poke some holes in a couple of citrus slices, and push that same string through the dried citrus.

Tie you the ends of the string so that it can hang. That’s it!

If you’re using regular ribbon, you’ll just tie your citrus up first like above, then tie a ribbon to the top of the string.

Another option is a dried orange ornament with wooden beads. These ones are so cute! You’ll start with a dried orange (or other citrus). Poke a hole in the top and put your string halfway through.

Now, using a needle if you have to, wiggle BOTH ends of the string through the middle of a wooden bead. Push it all the way down to the orange. Add as many beads as you’d like, in whatever design you want. When you’re finished tie a not in the ends of the string, flush with the last bead.

Then, tie a new knot in the very ends of the string, so there’s a small loop to hang.

One more option, is to string two pieces of dried citrus together (preferably different sizes), then add one wooden bead to hold them in place.

Here are some frequently asked questions that may be helpful to you!

How long do dried orange ornaments last?

As long as you dried your orange slices out completely, your dried orange ornaments should last for a few years, or until they no longer look good. Depending on how you store them, your dried orange ornaments can break about apart, so make sure they’re stored in a safe container.

Can you keep dried orange ornaments?

Of course! You can definitely keep your dried orange ornaments. Store them in a small box with your Christmas supplies and pull them out again for next year’s tree. Just make sure that the oranges or other citrus are completely dried out to prevent mold.

Do dried orange slices attract bugs?

Your dried orange ornaments should NOT attract bugs as long as they’ve been completely dried out. Store them in an plastic container to avoid breakage and to keep any critters away in case you happened to not dry them out completely.

I hope you are able to make these with your family this year! Making your own Christmas ornaments can be cost effective, sustainable, and oh so fun.

If you’re looking for some more inspiration, I have a tutorial HERE for making embroidery hoop Christmas ornaments. I also have some other posts that will inspire you to have a simple, handmade, old-fashioned Christmas. Check them out below!

DIY Christmas Wreath Ideas

How to Have an Old-Fashioned Christmas

5 Old-Fashioned Christmas Decorating Ideas

Let me know in the comments if you make these dried orange ornaments for Christmas this year!

Pin it for later!