Do you happen to have a childhood memory of orange slices and cinnamon being used as decorations in your home during the autumn season?
While I was growing up, my grandmother was always the one to use the things provided to her by the seasons and use them to decorate the house.
When I became a mother, it came very natural to me to want to do the same things with my children. Of course some things I tried to incorporate did not stick, but things like orange slices dried up, cinnamon sticks and dried lavender always seem to show up very naturally on an herbalists table so around here I always think of ways to incorporate them.
Orange slices, cinnamon and lavender…
An added bonus is that it makes the home smell amazing!
What you need
There are a few things that can differ on this craft, the main one being is if you have a dehydrator or not. Orange slices are fairly easy to find nowadays. I usually try not to make them too thick maybe about 1/4 of an inch. If you are using a dehydrator, then just dry the orange slices according to the instructions.
You will also need some cinnamon sticks. How many will really depend on how long you want your decorations and also how many oranges you plant on using.
Also nice to have some of that lavender from the garden which needs to be used or incorporated.
Essential oils are also fun to play around with in this recipe. It really depends on which scents you are looking to put an emphasis on. There are fall scents in a blog post here you can get some ideas from or simply play around with lavender, sweet orange, cinnamon or anything else you prefer.
You can also play around with adding any evergreens.
My kids love collecting pine cones so we tend to use them here because there are so many laying around but it’s always fun to maybe go on a hike or a nature scavenger hunt to see what your kids would like to add.
That is always a joy to see when the kiddos share in finding the items and then also make a special craft.
Directions
- Use your dehydrator if you have one and follow the instructions accordingly. You can also bake the slices at 200 F/ 93 C for about 2 hours flipping the orange slices halfway. Just make sure that they are completely dry as they will spoil if not dry.
- After the slices are dry, put a few drops of the chosen essential oil mix onto the orange slices.
- To create the garland, cut your twine rope to the desired length leaving some root on each end.
- Spread out your orange slices evenly. Now you will need to make a loop of twine beneath each orange slice and poke it in through the middle. Slip the lavender and cinnamon stick through the loop securing it in place in the twine loop. You can also add in whatever other evergreens you collected in the loop as well. If using pine cones then create a pattern with orange slice and pine cone separately.
- Repeat with each orange slice.
- Hang up where near a window or up where you can enjoy it.
Final thoughts
Incorporating herbs into your everyday life does not need to be just for medicinal purposes.
It can also mean fun with the family!
I think the main thing to remember is that we are given so much around us already, how can we use what we have in a meaningful way as well as in a way to connect with our loved ones which brings seasonal inspirations into our lives.
I hope you enjoy this craft as we slow down and begin to be more indoors. I also hope this inspires you to get creative and use what you might already have to create connections with your kids which they will take as memories.
Much love,
Krystina
