We’ve done articles on autumn decor this semester, and we’ve done articles on Christmas decor in the past, but what about fun decorations that can stay up all season long? I’ve been browsing on Pinterest as of late, and almost my entire feed is filled with cute ideas for cinnamon ornaments and homemade garlands. I’ve been wanting to try some of them out, but haven’t yet found the motivation to do so. Regardless, here are some fun ideas to decorate for the winter season, and honestly, this could be a fun craft to do with your friends!
The short list of supplies that you need to make these cute and festive decorations includes ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, applesauce and glue. The rest are optional, although a rolling pin might be beneficial. After rolling out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick, use a knife or cookie cutter to cut out the desired shape, and then use a straw (or something that can be used to poke holes in it) to make a hole at the top for hanging. Be sure to leave the unused dough under plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out too quickly. Then, just leave the ornaments out to dry for 48-72 hours and voila! You have dorm decorations that smell amazing. I think that if I were to make these, I would attach them to a string and hang them around my window or mirror.
This particular decor idea speaks to the “Little Women” part of my soul. You can use any type of paper, although I would personally opt for something a little more vintage. Either scissors or star punchers may be utilized to cut the stars out of the paper, but honestly, just use whatever you have on hand. Essentially, you’re going to use the sandwich method. Lay one of the stars down on your work surface and add a drop of glue to the center. Then place the twine on top (the meat of the sandwich) and finally, put another star directly on top so the twine is sandwiched in the middle between the two paper stars! It might take a bit of time, but soon you’ll have a good length of garland to hang around your bed or tape to the shelves above your desk. Because I already own a string of fairy lights, I might make this and hang it up around them to add more of a vintage touch.
While this is one of the more well-known homemade decor ideas and arguably the easiest, it’s also the most time consuming. Just cut the orange slices into 1/4 inch and lay them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets. If you can, let them sit overnight so the release of moisture reduces the baking time the next day. Bake the slices for 3 hours at 250 degrees, flipping them once every hour, and if they’re still a bit wet after 3 hours, let them finish drying on wire baking racks. Pinterest has ideas for stringing these slices together with cranberries in order to add more color!
There are plenty more decor ideas to explore on Pinterest or on the internet in general; these are just the ones I want to take a crack at. This could be a fun activity to do while taking a breather from studying for finals or writing a paper. The best part is that they can stay up all winter long! Happy crafting!
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