HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS pt3 DIY DRIED FRUIT ORNAMENTS & BELTED GARLAND

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17TH, 2013

Remember the ornaments I mentioned

WEEKS ago?

These are it!

I loved the natural element the pinecones gave to my kitchen/dining table,

 so I decided to continue the natural theme in my living room by using dried fruit.

I got the idea from this super savvy girl,

Lindsay 

She's REALLY doing things on a budget and its amazing!

She's also a great cook and regularly shares her recipes.

Y to the U M.

I was so tempted to use her idea for a tree skirt

but it will have to be for another year.

Here are the steps to make the ornaments.
How I made my garland follows right after.

I bought some oranges, the apples I already had.

The lemon was for the apples.

 Then sliced across the width.

L. I read on a different site that soaking the apples in lemon juice for a few minutes

helps stop the browning. 

I didn't use enough or soak enough because I got a bit of brown.

R. Then lay on cookie racks with foil underneath to catch any juices.

Bake for 6ish hours....YES HOURS at 200 degrees.

Flip the fruit every hour or two for even drying.

AFTER!

I couldn't find our ornament hooks at the time

so I just used paper clips :)

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Now for the garland you see above.

I wanted something neutral, earthy and different.

So I used an old sheet and thrifted belts.

I had 5/6 belts each .50

To attach the ends I had to make a loop with floral wire, feed it through and wrap the ends together.

I used a LARKS KNOT to attach the alternating belt and material.
Its hard to explain how I did it. So click on the link.
The first knot was the easiest, the consecutive ones required feeding each added piece through.

 L. Loose knot
R. Tighter knot

AFTER!

 Unfortunately, as the tree got wider the belts ended up on the opposite side.
So you mainly see strips of material on this side.
I'll have to adjust it for future use.

Full view

More crafts to come :)

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