Hi, Everyone. I am having a hard time after the holidays getting engaged. The end of 2020 turned out to be even more difficult for my husband and me than the beginning of the pandemic. In the span of three months my husband lost a brother and two of his brothers-in-law. In fact, his brother-in-law, Bob, who along with his sister, Judy, have been our best friends for several decades now, passed away from cancer two weeks before Christmas. It was a devastating time for the whole family and, truly, it has been hard to get over.
But, time waits for no man, as they say, so I am trying to get back into the swing of things as January 2021 moves in. All Christmas season I had wanted to try drying oranges and using them on a wreath. I had seen several wreaths that I liked on Pinterest and hoped to get one made by Christmas. Well, that never happened so, just this week I set out to give it a try.
So, I started off by Googling how to dry orange slices. It is fairly easy but, you must have patience and some time on your hands. I cut the oranges in slices. I think I may have sliced them a little thick because I cooked them longer than was suggested and some of them still did not totally dry.
My other problem was that the oranges I purchased appeared to look like pink grapefruit inside when sliced. I continued on regardless. You are supposed to put them on a cookie cooling rack set up in rows. You should also have a cookie sheet under the rack. I lined the cookie sheet with parchment paper to catch the liquid from the oranges. That extra step made the clean up a snap! You then place the cookie sheets in a 250 degree oven and cook for 2-3 hours turning the slices 2-3 or more times to help them dry evenly. Keep an eye on them because some slices will dry more quickly than others.
I went out in my yard and gathered some pine boughs and used some leftover greens that I had kept in a bucket of water in my garage to fill in the gaps. With a grapevine wreath base I constructed a shaggy looking wreath. I was ok with that because the oranges were supposed to be the star of the show.
I don't usually integrate silk "flowers" with real elements but, since it is January there are no real berries available anywhere. I wanted the berries to be white and I am not sure I would have found those during the holidays anyway. In using white berries I hoped to bring the wreath into January with a winter look and not to look so "holiday". I am not sure I achieved that but, I like the white berries on the wreath as an accent in any case.
Well, I think your wreath is gorgeous! And it looks perfect in your kitchen! The pine def gives it a winter vibe, too! Hope we get to see you at Tuesday Turn About!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Julie. I would love to drop by on Tuesday! Thank you for the invitation :).
DeletePlease accept my condolences for your relatives' deaths so close to Christmas. I'm glad you are continuing to create, though. I love your wreath! I also have been wanting to try this and saw some pomelos today at the supermarket that were huge and I'm thinking next week I might buy a couple and try to dry the slices. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI truly appreciate your thoughtful condolences, Teddee. You are sweet. I hope you give the oranges and wreath a try. It is always so much fun to branch out and experiment with something new! Have a great weekend :).
ReplyDeleteChristine,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely DIY project! You did a fabulous job, too.
Thank you so much, Cathy :).
DeleteThanks so much for sharing with is I'll be featuring you when the next To Grandma's house we go link party starts!
ReplyDeleteThat is wonderful! Thank you, Tarahlynn :).
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