Dried Orange Peel Star Garland

An adorable, dried orange peel star garland is super simple to make. Put those kitchen scraps to good use and add some holiday cheer to your home with this easy tutorial.

I don’t know about cheap, but frugal has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Frugal is exactly the word I’d use to describe this dried orange peel star garland. I’d also call it adorable (so dang cute!), easy to make, great smelling and very cheerful. As a bonus, it’s made using fruit peels you’d typically throw away.

I mean, come on – how ridiculously cute are these? Festive orange peel stars are my latest craft obsession and I’m finding all sorts of ways to add this cute decor to our holiday the Lavender Blue Cottage.

If you want to make cheerful dried orange peel star garland from your kitchen scraps, let me show you how it’s done. Grab the kids and make this one of your fun activities this holiday season!

What You’ll Need to Make a Dried Orange Peel Star Garland

This dried orange peel star garland is easy-peasy to make. You’ll only need a few things to get started:

• Oranges (the larger your oranges are the larger your stars can be)
• A small star cookie cutter or sharp knife
• A cutting board (if desired)
• Thread, yarn or twine
• A large sewing needle

How to Make Your Star Garland

1. Start by peeling your oranges. You want as much of the peel intact as possible. I’ve found that the easiest way to do this is to cut off the top and bottom of the orange peel, them make a vertical slit down the side and try to carefully remove the peel in one piece.

2. Next, lay out your orange peels and use that star-shaped cookie cutter to punch out the star shapes. I like to use a cutting board to protect my countertops. (You can also use a kitchen or Exacto knife to cut the stars out if you don’t have a cookie cutter.)

3. Once your stars are all cut out, grab a large needle and double up a piece of string or thread. You’ll begin by poking a hole through the star, then loop your thread around the outside of the star and back through that same hole. Doing this will help your stars hang forward-facing rather than sideways.
4. Continue adding more stars every few inches until you’ve reached your desired garland length.
5. Finally, tie off the garland end and hang it somewhere to add a festive holiday touch!

Tips for Making this Star Garland

Pretty simple, right? I do have a few tips to make this garland even easier to put together.

• Use a cutting board to protect your countertops, if needed.
• If it’s uncomfortable to push the cookie cutter through the orange peel using just your hand, grab a hand towel or hot pad to use as a soft buffer.
• Some people like to dry their orange peels in the oven or a dehydrator. I like to just let them dry naturally on the garland. It’s easier and you get to enjoy their delicious scent for longer.
• These darling stars might start to bend just a bit as they dry. Personally, I like the rustic look of the naturally dried stars, but if you want yours to be perfectly flat, try placing them under some heavy books while they dry out and remove them once finished.
• You can mix things up! Try using lemon, lime or grapefruit (really any citrus peel) for your stars. If stars aren’t your thing, try another shape. It’s a pretty fool-proof craft.

Ideas for Using Dried Orange Peel Stars

There are lots of cute ways to use these darling orange peel stars.

• Make the world’s cutest garland, like I did in these pictures.
• Pair your dried orange peel star garland with a dried cranberry garland. I’ll show you how to dry cranberries for decorating.
• Skip the garland and use these stars individually as Christmas tree ornaments.
• Add a few stars to your holiday wreath,
• Tie these cute little stars onto gifts with ribbon for a charming gift topper.

How Long Does Orange Peel Garland Last?

These orange peel stars are going to look fantastic all Christmas season long. They are definitely good for several weeks. However, they won’t look so cute next year, so just toss them out at the end of the season and plan to make a new batch next Christmas.

See My Other Christmas Decor Ideas

This little orange peel star garland has added the perfect amount of holiday cheer to our home. I’m glad I gave it a try and I hope you will too. Drop me a comment and let me know where you would use some of these darlings stars.

I’ve got lots of other Christmas decor ideas, so feel free to stay a while:)

• Blue and White Christmas Decor Ideas
• Cozy Christmas Living Room Decoration Ideas
• Timeless Christmas Kitchen Decorating Ideas
• Living Room Decorating Ideas for Christmas that are Budget Friendly
• Natural Christmas Decorations
• Old World European Inspired Christmas Home Tour
• A Victorian Farmhouse Christmas Tour