Yesterday, I shared the first post in my Christmas decor, my porch, with you all.  On the mini trees and strung throughout the green garland, I had a handmade dried orange and cinnamon garland that was a cinch to make.

Not only did the garland adhere closely to my colonial theme, but it is much less expensive than lots of the garlands out there on the market and it smells amazing (win – win – win).

Today, I’ll show you the easy steps so that you can make your own.

dried orange slices

Slice a few orange in 1/4″ – 1/2″ slices.  Arrange them on a non-stick surface or parchment paper.  Set them in a cool oven and turn the temperature onto the lowest setting your oven will allow.  Mine was 170° F.  Leave the slices in the oven for about 5 hours, then shut the oven off and leave the oranges in there overnight or until completely cool.  They will be fairly dry, but will continue to dry out over time.

whole dried oranges

Using a paring knife, slice the oranges vertically being careful to cut the majority of the way through the skin without cutting the fruit inside.  This will help the moisture of the oranges to escape while drying out and it looks pretty! Arrange the oranges on a non-stick surface and put the pans in a cool oven.  Set the oven temp as low as your oven will allow (again, mine was 170°).  Leave the oranges in the oven for 48 hours.  Yes, two whole days.  Turn the oven off after 48 hours and leave the oranges in there to completely cool down inside and out.  I left mine in the over for another 24 hours.

When your oranges are dry, you can use them anyway you’d like!  I strung some together using an upholstery needle and twine.  The twine helps the oranges stay put on the garland since it has a rough texture.  Alternate the oranges with large cinnamon sticks.  I found that the cheapest and best cinnamon sticks were at World Market or in the Mexican section of the grocery store (NOT in the baking aisle.

You’ll be happy to see that I’m using this garland throughout my decor and there is more in store to show you tomorrow in my entry way (and pomegranates too – watch out!)