DIY Winter Houses + Dried Oranges Garland

Simple and an activity your kids can partake in? That is my kind of activity, especially when it involves not having to go buy various materials. I have to say from start to finish this garland was fun and actually quite relaxing to make. The best part is Caroline got to make most of it and is so proud to see her finished product hanging on our staircase.

The entire project took two days from start to finish, but you could easily do this in a day if you have time.

Winter Houses How-To:

You will need:

- Paper Lunch Bags

- Oil Pastels

- Construction Paper

- Glue

- Masking Tape

- Any other extra materials you have on hand (washi tape, popsicle sticks, glitter, pompoms etc.)

- Hole Punch

Directions:

1. Fold over the tops of the back of the bags to make a triangle. Secure with tape.

2. Have your child start decorating! I made an example to show her, but she ultimately made up her own designs, which I love.

3. Lastly, punch a hole in the top of the triangle for the garland.

Dried Oranges How-To:

You will need:

- oranges (blood, navel, clementines)

- lemons

- grapefruit (if you wish)

- knife

- 2 baking sheets

- parchment paper

- hole punch

- string or this fun snowball ribbon that I used

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.. Slice up all of your oranges and lemons. For this project, I used two navel oranges, one lemon, one clementine and a blood orange.

2. Place all citrus on two parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 2.5 to 3 hours turning over every thirty minutes or so.

3. Let them cool on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool/dry more overnight.

4. The next day punch a hole in the tops of your citrus.

Making the Garland:

This is the easiest part of the project. Decide what kind of pattern you want to make with your garland and hang it where you please. Just make sure you use thin string, but make sure its sturdy. I really love the ribbon I used because it is made with wire. Happy Garland Making!