11 Things You Can Do with Dried Orange Slices and Peels
We love making dried orange slices at Christmas! The smell of the orange slices drying, the wonderful vibrant orange colour… it is all perfect to get you into the Christmas mood! We have been drying oranges for years here at Red Ted Art. They are wonderful decoration for the festive season. Here are 11 Things You Can Do with Dried Orange Slices and Peels!
You WILL find that orange slices get darker with time. So it is all about personal preference and the look you are after. A freshly dried orange slice, will be a bright vibrant orange.. that will darken over time. So once you have your oranges, all ready for crafting, what tod o with your dried orange slices and peels?
11 Things You Can Do with Dried Orange Slices and Peels
1 Simple orange ornaments
The most popular way to use oranges is as ornaments! Whether you hang them into your Christmas tree “as is”, of combine them with dried cranberries and cinnamon sticks, an dried oranges always make beautiful Christmas Ornaments. For the bright orange colour, simply take them out of the oven “sooner”, rather than later. If you would like them darker. Bake for longer.
2 Use the dried fruit on Gift Wrap Decoration
Dried oranges look gorgeous as part of a simple gift wrap embellishments. Use brown paper to package your gift and make it special with this eco friendly and natural decoration! Super easy and so effective.
3 Orange Slice Greeting Cards
You can use orange slices or dried orange peel shapes as part of collages on greeting cards. I confess, I haven’t done this YET… but it is most definitely on our to do list this Christmas.
4 Lots of wonderful Orange Slice Garlands
We have written about organge slice garlands before! SUCH an gorgeous way to decorate for Christmas. String them up and decorate your Christmas Tree or other areas in the home. I think a dried orange slice garland would look gorgeous in a door way or up a banister. So pretty!
5 Orange slices used in Christmas Wreaths
There is no question that dried oranges don’t look great as part of a DIY Christmas Wreath… in fact, I have a “fake” wreath that we use most years (depending on what I feel like that year) and adding a few dried orange slices is a great way to spruce it up, make it look fresh, as well as more “real”!
6 Dried Citrus Fruit Potpourri
This of course is a classic use of any dried flowers, spices and dried citrus fruit. The potpourri variaions are endless.. but of course dried cirtrus fruit go really well with cinnamon sticks, cloves, annis and dried cranberries. Combine for both colour and smell to suit your needs!
7 Mulling spices
Disclaimer – contains affiliate link for convenience! Though you can of course put these Orange Mulled Wine Kits together yourself.. you can also just hop over to somewhere like Etsy and help out a small business this Christmas! Making mulled wine, is all about the spices of course, but the dried citrus fruit or dried apple rings, give it that really festive look!
8 Decorative Candles
I have to confess, I am in two minds about the use of dried orange slices in decorative candles. On the one hand there are lots of BEAUTIFUL examples of either decorating “around” the candle with oranges and other dried fruit and cinnamon sticks… or making candles that actually conatine oranges on the inside (how pretty!!)…. but on the other hand, I worry about fire hazards! Sorry to be a party pooper.. but don’t dried oranges also make good fire starters as they contain oils? I don’t know… but I just wanted to mention that here, as I am always cautious around candles and fires!
9 Dried Orange Tea
Similarly to the mulled wine, dried orange slices, also go really well in a nice cup of festive tea! Or warm cranberry juice!
10 Orange Peel Sugar Scrub
I confess, I am not a great user (or maker) or DIY Body Scrubs/ Face Scrubs.. but I know friends who swear by them! And apparently dried orange peels are a great addition for making your own sugar scrubs! The Fashion Lady talks you through drying your own peel (same process really for DIY dried orange slices, then grinding it down and using it in 7 different orange peel scrub recipes!
11 Bath infusion
As mentioned before oranges contain essential oils that are wonderfully refreshing. Combined with other essential oils and salts these can make a wonderful Orange Bath Infusion. As witht the orange face scrubs, personally, I haven’t tried these out yet, but found a wonderful ready made package on Etsy (affiliate links added for convenience!). From the creator on Etsy:
The final piece to our Hygge collection comes in this much requested bath soak! Containing Cinnamon, Vanilla and Wild Orange essential oils, our signature blend smells like a Parisian bakery or a old school sweet shop. A hug in a tub 🙂 Dried Calendula, Elderberries and orange slices will float in your bath to make it all the more heavenly. Himalayan salt is naturally rich in (est. 80!) minerals so works wonders for recharging weary bodies. This ancient salt is well known for relieving anxiety, helping to rid toxins and soothe aches and pains.
That brings me to an end of our 11 uses for dried oranges and and orange peels! I hope you find renewed inspiration for working with this wonderful fruit this Autumn and Winter. Let’s spice up the winter season! Don’t forget to hop over to my “basic” How to dry Orange Slices post trending on google!