If you prefer to decorate the house with your own hands and want to add even more color to the interior, try using dried oranges for decoration. Bright, and most importantly, living elements in the design - it is always fresh and interesting. Just imagine what original decorations for the New Year can you do. And also involve your children in the drying process and crafts - this will make the atmosphere truly family and festive.
- Selection of suitable oranges
- Citrus preparation
- Drying methods
- In the oven
- In the electric dryer
- For battery
- Useful tips
Selection of suitable oranges
It is noteworthy that not any "golden apple" can be suitable for drying. An immature fruit after drying can lose its saturated color, and too overripe, on the contrary, can darken. Therefore, oranges of medium size and ripeness should be chosen. 
Pick up the size for your crafts: if it is a postcard, then the size is average, if the picture or decoration is on the Christmas tree, then it is better to use larger citrus fruits.
Citrus preparation
Before you dry the orange slices for decoration, the fruit must be thoroughly washed, then wiped dry and cut into pieces of the thickness you need.
Drying methods
Dried orange slices for decoration can be a variety of ways. They give the same result, but how quickly you want to complete this process, and the choice of method will depend.
In the oven
For drying in this way, in addition to the citrus themselves, you will additionally need a towel and foil.
- Cut slices 0.5 cm thick;
- Press down the pulp of each slice with a towel to remove the juice from it;
- Prepare a baking sheet: cover the entire surface of the foil;
- Place sliced slices at a distance on a baking sheet;
- Send a baking tray with sliced fruit to dry in the oven for 4-5 hours at a temperature of 50-60 degrees;
- Turn the slices to dry evenly every 40 minutes.
In the electric dryer
The use of electric dryers is the easiest way to prepare live decorative elements, if you have one, of course. This method has several advantages: there is no need to monitor the drying process and the process itself takes only one day.
It will only be necessary to cut the citrus into slices, put them on the drier pallets, set the appropriate mode, and all that remains is to wait for the results.
For battery
Before drying the oranges for decoration in the battery, prepare a cardboard - the sliced fruit will be laid on it. Divide it in advance into two parts and make a couple of rows of holes in them in increments of several centimeters. 
The following procedure is as follows:
- Cut the fruit into slices 0.5-0.7 cm thick;
- Spread them on one piece of cardboard and cover with the top of the second;
- Tie a sandwich with a string or any other thread;
- Put the cardboard in the battery and dry the future decoration until it is completely dry (about a week).
Useful tips
- The resulting jewelry items should be stored in a glass container in a cool dry place;
- If you dried some other fruits, it is better to keep them separately;
- To keep the mole in the container with dried lobules, put a sprig of mint in it;
- To get rid of excessive moisture in the storage of dry decor or near the finished crafts will help standing next to an open container of salt.
The received decorative element will serve as a bright addition to any craft you have already conceived. It will look spectacular in the complex design of paintings, vases, and garlands.
