Welcome back to our 12 Days of Crunchy Christmas Crafts for the whole family! So far, we’ve made: pinecone bird treats, gingerbread nativities, and two little “snowed-in” candle crafts. And since yesterday’s post was in celebration of snow, today we’re going for full color to help make Christmas merry and bright!
Sometimes on winter’s short, gray days, you just need a little sunshine. So, we decided to make some this week! We popped together these Potpourri Pomanders and sliced up some Tutti-Fruity Citrus Ornaments with the kids for day four and are here to spill all the juicy details for you.
First up. . . Potpourri Pomanders!
“Mmmm. It smells like heaven!” -Goldilocks, age 6
DIFFICULTY (aka Happiness Meter): Moderately Easy
MESS METER: minimal
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- oranges (or tangerines/cuties for an easier craft)
- round ribbon or thick twine
- washable marker (optional)
- cloves
- blunt needle (if using oranges)
- fabric scissors
TIME NEEDED: 1/2 hour per pomander
KID RATING: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars; fun but also difficult to push the cloves into the oranges sometimes & process becomes tedious if you pick an extensive design)
PARENT RATING: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5 stars; the process is old-world, and the end result is wonderful but the process requires too much parent help with young kids)
“I’m not gonna make it! Where’s my recliner???” -Papa, age 35 going on 12
*PRO TIPS: pomander tutorials almost always use traditional oranges. But we discovered this go-round that tangerines are so much easier to press cloves into, eliminating the need for pre-poking holes with a blunt needle (ain’t nobody got time for that). We also skipped the scoring of the fruit which is not something we wanted to tackle with the kids.
1.) Assemble supplies.
2.) Tie ribbon/twine around tangerines/cuties or oranges if you prefer.
Loop around tight, then loop the other way and knot tightly. My husband was able to do this without “holding cloves” pressed in to secure the twine but I was not.
3.) Draw a pattern with washable markers or wing it like we prefer to!
4.) Turn on that Christmas playlist and pop those cloves in!
*PRO TIPS: If using oranges, you may need to pre-poke holes with a large or blunt needle. However you insert the cloves, keep in mind that the more coverage you have, the better your pomanders will preserve and the longer they will last and smell heavenly! Sparse “cloving” results in rotting pomanders which are just not festive. A heavy “cloving” will allow you to keep your pomanders all year! We just threw out the last one we made over a year ago.
5.) Display/hang your potpourri pomanders!
Next juicy item. . . Fruity Festoons!
DIFFICULTY (aka Happiness Meter): Moderately Easy
MESS METER: minimal
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- oranges, lemons, and/or limes
- thin ribbon or twine
- sharp knife & cutting board
- dehydrator or oven
- star anise (optional)
- fabric scissors
- hot glue gun or strong adhesive
TIME NEEDED: 1+ hour active time, and 24 hours inactive time
KID RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars; both kids loved hot-glueing on the star anise, and the Captain (9) was able to string them all himself with a blunt needle!)
PARENT RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars; truly simple process and lovely end result. These are some of our favorite ornaments of all time!)
1.) Assemble supplies.
2.) Slice the citrus . . . not too thick, not too thin.
3.) Lay flat and dehydrate.
Run in a dehydrator at 135 degrees for 12-30 hours. Time will depend on your dehydrator as well as how thick your slices are. Ours took a full thirty hours but I probably sliced our citrus a little on the thick side. You can also dehydrate them in an oven on the lowest temperature for roughly 1/3-1/2 as long.
The orange slices came out with a lovely, pale orange color. But the lemons! I had no idea what they would do and was surprised to find them a luscious, caramelly brown color! It sounds odd, but mixed with the orange on the tree, they are oh-so-lovely! Next year, we want to add to our collection and give blood oranges a go!
4.) Glue on optional star anise.
Our nine-year-old, the Captain, loved this! This was the first time he has used the hot glue gun without any help or monitoring. After sister got to glue a few, the Captain finished the entire lot while I prepared the twine!
5.) Use a blunt needle to poke holes into the citrus and string with twine, ribbon, or insert hooks.
6.) Secure loops or hooks.
7.) Hang your fruity festoons and soak up that sunshine!
May your days be merry & bright!
Thanks for crafting with us today! Hope to see you tomorrow!
Love, ~Candace Arden
2 Replies to “On the fourth day of crafting… 🍋FRUITY FESTOONS🍊 (citrus ornaments & pomanders)”