DIY Christmas Tree Ornaments

This December, I indulged the homemaker in me and set out to decorate my boyfriend’s miniature Christmas tree in a way that I liked.  I remembered seeing a recipe for ornaments made from dough comprised of cinnamon and applesauce many years ago, and found this one, on www.allrecipes.com.

    I had to add a little more applesauce and glue to make the dough a workable consistency.  After mixing the ingredients together in a bowl, you simply roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.  I used a chopstick to poke a hole to thread a ribbon through later.  You then dry them in a 200 degree oven for several hours, or in a sunny window for 4 or 5 days.  I used my dehydrator and it took about a day.  I then drew on them with puff paints.  They continue to make my apartment smell delicious!  

  Then I dreamt up another ornament I wanted to make.  I dehydrated orange slices, and then sewed whole sticks of cinnamon and a star-anise flower to them, and sewed a ribbon to the back to  hang it from.  I love the old-fashioned feel these gave my tree.   

  I saw a garland online that someone made with spray painted acorns.  I thought this would fit the developing theme for my tree quite nicely, so I bought fake acorns on Etsy, baker’s twine from the craft store, and hot glued the acorns to the twine and wrapped it around my little tree.   

  A wide ribbon and wooden lase-cut snowflakes completed my tree.  The snowflakes were a gift from a friend a few years ago from a company named Roost.  The finished tree has a very earthy feel, which arguably could be a descriptor for me as well, but I love how it turned out!