Evergreen Orange Flower

How about a flower that never wilts?

Make this simple craft project using:

• dried orange peels,
• string,
• small evergreen branch

It will smell nice like your typical flower, but lasts much longer.

1.(CAUTION, REQUIRES KNIFE, ADULT SUPERVISION AND CUTTING BOARD SUGGESTED)

Get some citrus fruit like, oranges, tangerines, cuties, or grapefruit. After washing the fruit, have somebody experienced with a knife carefully cut the fruit into 3-8 even segments, so that peel remains one piece. I choose 5ths.

2a. Carefully pull the peel back without tearing it. Remove the fruit for eating. The peel should resemble a star.

2b. Dry the peel with heat. I used the top of a fireplace. A food dryer or hot sun works too. BE CAREFUL, the dried peel is very flammable and delicate.

2c. Repeat until you have 3-6 peels. These will be the flower pedals.

3a. Find an evergreen tree, I choose a Redwood. Clip 6-12 inches of a stiff branch that has smaller green branches on it.

3b. Clip the tip of the branch, leaving some smaller branches underneath for support. This is where the flower will go.

4a. Stack your peels in order with largest on bottom and smallest on top.

4b. Tie the peels together using matching string or twine. Wrap the string around the gaps or crevasses in the peels, and then use a double knot to secure them.

5a. Take the orange peel flower and tie it to the branch. Wrap the string around the smaller bifurcating shoots of the branch. Tie it using a permanent knot, and trim off the excess.

5b. Stick the Evergreen Orange Flower in a vase with water. The branch will stay green a long time this way, and the flower will never wilt! It has a nice citrus and evergreen aroma. ( It is also very flammable )

Use as decoration or a gift! I used mine for a Mother's Day gift.