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Orange Peel Heart Wreath
Don't restrict yourself to oranges for this project. Lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, and
lime peels also make interesting fragrant wreaths. Use them singly or in patterned
combinations.
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Materials:
- 5 or 6 large oranges
- 14 inches 20- or 22-gauge florist's wire or lightweight coat hanger
- Flat basket or screen dehydrator
- 12 inches raffia
- 4 lengths 1/8"-wide, 12"-long satin ribbon
- 2 or 3 tiny pinecones or dried rosehips
- 6 inches 28-gauge fine florist's wire
- White glue or quick-drying glue
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Instructions:
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1.
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Save the fresh peels from 5 or 6 juiced oranges. Pull the membranes
away from the peels.
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2.
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Cut each peel into strips 1/2" to 3/4" wide, then cut each of these
into equal-sized squares. Don't worry if your pieces aren't perfectly square; the odd
shapes will blend in nicely.
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3.
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Make a 1 inch right-angled hook at one end of the florist's wire to
prevent the citrus squares from sliding off while you string them. Thread the other
end of the wire through the center of a peel square, pushing the square down the wire
to the end that has the right-angled hook. String the remaining peel squares.
Note: As they dry, the peel squares shrink; gaps can develop if you don't string
citrus peels close together. In order to have a full-looking finished wreath, compress
and add as many squares as possible.
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4.
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Twist the 2 ends of the wire together, and shape the wreath into a
plump heart. The wire joint becomes the top, center of the heart. Lay the heart wreath
in a flat basket or dehydrator in a very warm spot and let it dry for 4 to 6 days.
Turn the wreath each day to prevent the peels from developing mold.
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5.
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When the heart is dry, tie two 12-inch lengths of ribbon onto the
wreath. Dry citrus peels are firm to the touch.
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6.
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Treat the raffia and two lengths of satin ribbon as one piece and
form them into a figure-8 bow. With your thumb and forefinger, pinch the bow in the
center and hold it in place by twisting the two ends of the wire that hold the wreath
together around the center of the bow. Lay the wreath flat and, with the glue, stick
on the pinecones or dried rosehips for decorations.
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Potpourri and Fragrant Crafts, by Betsy Williams. Pleasantville, NY:
Reader's Digest Association, Inc. ©1996. Page 82-83.
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