Nov 24

Natural Holiday Decor Ideas

I wanted to share a few ideas to decorate your home for the holiday season using natural elements.

Cranberries and Floating Candles

All you need is a beautiful glass bowl, a bag of fresh cranberries, some water, and a few floating candles. Take your glass bowl, add your cranberries into it, add in water, and float in the candles. I can't tell you how beautiful and elegant this looks. You could use this idea for other holidays as well - For February, use sliced strawberries instead of cranberries. The strawberries look sort of like hearts. Sliced apples and a few cinnamon sticks are great for fall. Blackberries look pretty cool around Halloween. Kiwi and blueberries look great for a summer picnic. Or, change up your bowl for something that looks a little more seasonal. I have a beautiful red pedestal bowl. With the colored bowl, I can skip the fruit altogether and just add water and candles. Play around with this!

Let Me Show You All 3 Ideas Here

What's More Natural Than Pinecones

Find a beautiful but rustic container such as a basket or a wooden bowl. Fill it with pinecones and a string of fairy lights to create a natural holiday arrangement. You can add in sprigs of ivy, small pine branches, acorns, or mistletoe to add additional interest. You can also paint snow onto the pinecones first, if you want a more wintery feel to your arrangement.

basket filled with pinecones and fairy lights on a wooden tray containing dried oranges and candles

Turn To Your Fruit Basket

For centuries people have used dried fruit to create holiday decorations. You can use dried fruit to create ornaments for a Christmas tree or sting them into a garland. But today I'm keeping it super simple. Just like the pinecones, I'm just combining dried orange slices with fairy lights and then when Christmas trees are readily available for sale, I will get some fresh pine boughs to surround my bowl. A festive arrangement that look right at home in my kitchen.

white hobnail bowl filled with dried oranges, cinnamon sticks and fairy lights

You can also change this up by switching up the fruit. Dry lemons and lime for a beautiful citrus assortment. Or, use dried apples instead.

How To Dehydrate Fruit Slices

Prep the Fruit

Cut the fruit into 1/4" slices. (If using apples, dip the slices in a bowl of lemon juice to help preserve the color.)
Place the slices on a kitchen towel lined with paper towels.
Place another paper towel on top, and then another towel. Gently press the fruit with you hands to absorb excessive juice.

Using a Dehydrator

Place the fruit slices on the dehydrator trays.
Set the dehydrator for 135F.
Run for 12-15 hours, until fruit is completely dry. Flip fruit halfway through for even drying.

Using an Oven

Place the fruit slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Set the oven at 200F or lower if the oven has the ability.
Bake the fruit for 3-6 hours, depending on the temperature. Note that some ovens do not control their temperature well and the temp may swing high, slightly discoloring the fruit.
Flip the fruit often, maybe even every 30 minutes, until done.