A simple way to make cute woodland-themed ornaments for your Christmas tree!
These rustic and simple ornaments are perfect for a woodland-themed Christmas tree. I was inspired to make them after my one-year old baby boy tipped over our 3 foot tall Christmas tree today… because the best part about these acorn ornaments is that they are kid-friendly! What mama of littles needs breakable ornaments in her life, anyway?
I got the idea to use orange peels to make the acorn caps from all the dried orange mushroom ornaments I have seen trending this year, as well as fabric acorns made with real acorn caps. Since I don’t live near any large oak trees with acorns (sigh), and I didn’t feel like copying someone else’s mushroom ornaments, I decided to blend the two crafts into one. And I discovered that it was so easy, I could even get the assembly done during my son’s afternoon nap time!
I hope you enjoy!
Materials:
- Orange peels cut in half cross-wise and with the flesh completely scooped out (Pro tip: Cuties have the easiest skin to peel off, and they are the type of orange I used!)
- Different fabrics for the acorn cap and body (burlap, plaid, cheesecloth, etc)
- Stuffing (cotton balls, toilet paper, newspaper, whatever you have on hand)
- Wire, twine, or thread of choice to make a loop hanger
- Twine, raffia or yarn to cover loop hanger if you use wire
- A sturdy needle (I used an embroidery needle)
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Tape or string
Method:
- Dry orange peels in the oven at 200F for 1-2 hours, flipping them every 30 minutes and pressing down the tops to make an acorn cap-like indent. Make sure to remove the peels that get dry first— mine took varying amounts of time to dry, from 1 all the way up to 2 hours!
2. While peels are still warm from the oven, use your sturdy needle to poke two holes in the top to thread your wire through to make a loop hanger. If they cool off and harden before you can make the holes, simply use a clockwise rotating motion with the needle to gentle bore the holes without cracking the orange peels. Twist or tie the ends of the loop tightly underneath the cap.
3. After making your loop, cut a circle of fabric for the acorn cap with a circumference that is one inch wider around the sides than your orange peel.
4. Cut a tiny slit in the center of the fabric circle and push the loop of your orange peel through.
5. Hot glue the fabric to the orange peel right underneath the slit to seal the slit closed and prevent it from splitting and fraying over time.
6. Hot glue the edges of the fabric circle underneath the rim of the orange peel (try to make a rippling, scalloped overlapping).
7. Next, ball up some of your stuffing of choice into roughly the shape of an acorn body. Then, take your fabric of choice for the acorn body and wrap it around the stuffing, shaping it like an acorn. Create a vertical fold to keep the end tip of the acorn body pointy.
8. Twist the fabric around at the neck and tie-off tightly with string or tape. Cut the twisted neck as short as possible, keeping the tape intact to avoid unraveling the fabric.
9. Add hot glue around the inner rim and in the center of the underside of the acorn cap (i.e. the fabric-wrapped orange peel), and mush your acorn body into it, keeping it as centered as possible.
10. (This part is optional if you like the plain wire loop). Hot glue the tip of your twine, raffia, or yarn to the middle of the base of the loop hanger on top of the acorn cap, then make a spiral around the base of the loop. Hot glue the end of the spiral down before you tightly wrap the rest of the twine around the entire loop, and then hot glue it down in the center of the base again. I ended up trimming off the flyaway hairs of the wrapped twine that I used, as well.
11. Hang on your Christmas tree and enjoy your soft, kid-friendly woodland ornament!
Jeremiah 17:7-8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Inés Ross
Little Folk Hollow
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