DIY Citrus Christmas Garland

I have been wanting to do this citrus DIY project for years and finally made it happen this year.  I love lemons, the smell of lemons and the color so I couldn't wait to try this project.  I read several tutorials and then made a plan that worked for me.  I learned some tips along the way and things that I'll do differently for next year.  That's right.  I loved this project so much that I'll do it again!

My tips and changes for next year are at the bottom of the post.

Grab a big bag of lemons from Sams.  They're around $5 and your favorite twine.  I sliced about 10 lemons for this project with a sharp knife and put them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  I left the seeds in and liked the look of that.  Your kitchen will smell great.

Bake at 200 for 2 hours at a time.  Flip.  The tutorials I read online said to bake lemons for 2-3 hours, but mine took probably 6 hours.  I'll make a few changes in the future to cut down that baking time.

Let them cool and air dry for a day.  They turned out to be the prettiest amber color.

I used a tooth pick to poke a small hole in the top of the lemon slices and then strung my red and white twine through.  I just tied a simple knot for each lemon.

I did one long strand for my mantle. It was the perfect finishing touch.  I have 3 garlands, ornaments, garland and stockings below.

I loved the red and white twine.  I'm super traditional and want all the red and green Christmas decor this time of year.

The ornaments are just as pretty as the garland!  I added about 15 lemon slice ornaments to our real tree.

A few things that I'll do differently next year:

1. Slice lemons thinly and then toss the thicker end pieces.  They curled up funny when baked and I ended up throwing most of them away.

2. Dry lemon slices with a towel after placing them on parchment paper.

3. Let them air dry overnight allowing them to dry out on their own some and bake for less time the following day.  I've heard that the keep their color better if they bake for shorter amounts.

4. Add in some oranges with my lemons!

Have you ever done any dried citrus projects at Christmas time?

This is a great one to start with!  I'm so pleased with the finished product!