Tis the most wonderful time of the year

11th Dec - Orange pomander balls

These are perhaps the easiest Christmas decoration to make as they can be as simple or as complex as you want (or capable of), which mean they are great to make with children. They are also very pretty and smell amazing.

What do you need:
          Oranges (one orange for every pomander you want to make). Make sure they are firm and fresh.
          Toothpicks, skewer, or a nail – anything sharp and pointy really
          Whole cloves.
          A zester or peeler. I also use a craft knife.
          Pins, ribbon and festive string for hanging the pomanders.

How to make it:
          Cut shallow designs into the skin of the orange using the corner of the zester, peeler, or knife, but don’t go too deep.
          You can make any design you like; try swirls, or lines, maybe some stars, or Christmas trees.
          Once you have your designs marked out, poke a row of holes with the tooth pick and then push the cloves into the pre-made holes.

To hang these pretty little decorations, you have two options:
          Option 1 – pin a ribbon around the circumference of the oranges – crossing twice (a bit like a present) and then tie a loop on the top.
          Option 2 – using a large needle, thread some festive string through the orange from top to bottom.
          Tie a knot at the bottom and loop at the top.

Tips:
          These are pretty, but if you really want to jazz them up a bit more you could roll them around in ground spices for added fragrance:
          cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg... any Christmassy spice.
          You could also cover them in some craft glue and then roll in glitter to make some sparkly versions.
          Try using other citrus fruits such as lime, lemon, and clementine to give you centre pieces a bit of a twist.

These tend to go mouldy after about 4/5 days. The best way to stop this is to dry them out by hanging them in a cool, dark place for a week. This will also enhance the smell.