Fruits and flowers in the tree

This year, Mélissa Leduc opted for an old-fashioned Christmas tree. Not only because the look paired well with her burgundy living room, but also because it was an economical choice. Indeed, many of the decorations of yesteryear were handmade! The one who is known by her blogger name Dusty rose agreed to show us how she made her ornaments.

Inspired by the past

“Before, people didn’t buy a lot of Christmas decorations; often, they made them, says Mélissa Leduc straight away. So there were lots of fruit, paper and flower ornaments. I was really inspired by those years for my tree. »

To make your own decorations, you don’t need to be a genius do it yourself. It takes a little time, a minimum of patience and some explanations, which the author of the decoration blog Dusty rose has agreed to reveal to us to reproduce the look of her tree.

dried oranges

In recent years, we see everywhere the ornaments made of dried citrus fruits, and more particularly of oranges. And for good reason: not only do they cost practically nothing to make, but they can also be kept for a very long time. Not to mention their natural side that blends into most decors.

Making this little craft is easy, provided you dry the oranges properly. Indeed, for them to last, you have to make sure that they are left to rest in a dry environment. “When they’re really dry, they don’t go mouldy, because there’s no more humidity inside,” explains Mélissa Leduc. They then keep very well, and can even last forever. I still have the ones I made two years ago! “, she testifies.

The procedure is simple. First, cut the citrus fruits into slices, then pat them dry with a paper towel. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, before leaving them in the oven for at least eight hours at minimum temperature.

This year, Mélissa Leduc found the ultimate trick to make them even more beautiful: she left the slices of oranges overnight in the turned-off oven, which allowed them to dry without humidity. “I had no burnt edges and they were really dry! »

She hung them in her tree as ornaments, but some prefer to make garlands. The procedure is the same, and the result just as pretty.

dried flowers

To add texture to our tree, and fill in annoying little holes, dried flowers can give an amazing result. Mélissa Leduc opted for baby sighs, those tiny white buttons. But she also saw, on social networks, trees decorated with roses or even dried hydrangeas.

“We really have a choice in terms of colors, because we can choose the flower that we want, which dries well”, she summarizes.

Simply separate the flowers into several small bouquets, and dry them upside down so that they retain their shape. “I either hang them on a clothesline or in the kitchen. In addition, it can be beautiful: it’s a bit bohemian to have flowers that dry! “, she says, laughing.

Then just place them in our tree, in the desired location, and you’re done.

Muslin Ribbons

Finally, for a little movement, Mélissa leduc put the finishing touches to her tree with muslin ribbons. “The idea is to make a loop that’s a little loose, not too tight, a little drooping,” she explains. I find that it adds a little chic side to the tree, raising it a little more. »

Again, you can choose your ribbon according to the style you want to give to your tree. “I went with a white muslin, but someone with a bit more rustic decor might choose a nice burlap ribbon; whereas for a more chic touch, you can go for satin,” she lists as examples.

She got hers from Amazon, but notes that the Michaels store has a nice selection of similar ribbons.

Now that the tree is decorated, the lights are on and December is here, the festivities can begin!