Easy Sugared Spun Cotton Orange Ornament-Vintage Style

Growing up we would always go to my great aunt’s for Christmas Eve. The entire extended family would gather and on thing I always looked forward to seeing was the Christmas tree. It was a white aluminum tree decorated with ornaments shaped like different fruits such as bunches of grapes, lemons and oranges. It also had a color wheel that would rotate and change the colors of the tree. As a 5 year old it was mesmerizing. Using ornaments shaped like fruit goes all of the way back  to 19th century Germany, where they would create fruit-shaped ornaments out of spun cotton and glass glitter and decorate goose feather trees. Spun cotton ornaments is somewhat of a lost craft making an emergence again. Traditional spun cotton ornaments require adding layers and layers of cotton. We cut out a step in this tutorial.  This step by step easy sugared spun cotton orange ornament tutorial will make it easy for your to create and bedeck your own tree with glittery and sweet with a vintage style.

Prepare your plastic ornament

It’s important to use a plastic ornament for this project since you are going to be putting a lot of pressure on these with pouncing. Remove the cap on the ornament, paint it with the green multi-surface paint and set aside.

Get the Cotton Batting and Glue Ready

If you are using a roll of cotton batting, separate the layers of the batting so you have a very thin layer. Cut it in a circle that is just large enough to cover the ornament and set aside. If you are using white craft glue create a mixture of 1 part glue to 3 parts water. If you are using decoupage medium you can use that right out of the container.

Use a brush to brush your glue mixture or decoupage medium onto the outside of the ornament. Make sure to cover the entire outside of the ornament with glue.

Create the Spun Cotton Ornament Orange Base

Once the plastic ornament is completely covered, wrap it in the thin layer of cotton batting making sure there is good contact between the ornament and the batting. Trim off any extra near the top so that where the hanger goes back in is clear of cotton batting.

Once the batting is adhered to the ornament, brush the batting with the glue/decoupage medium until it is completely covered. We found it was helping to let it dry upright on a dowel rod over night until the glue/decoupage medium is completely dry.

Paint the Spun Cotton Orange

Squirt as dime size amount of light orange, dark orange and yellow onto a plate, holding the ornament at the hanger base opening, use the pouncer to paint the spun cotton with the orange and yellow paint to resemble and orange. Once the orange is painted let dry.

 Add Glitter to Resemble Sugar

One of the sweetest things about these ornaments is the glitteriness that resembles the look of sugar. Use a brush to add a layer of glue and then lightly sprinkle the clear crystal glitter over the top. Let dry upside down.

Cut out the Leaves

While the orange is drying, Cut leaf shapes out of the felt and set aside. Once the orange is dry, replace the now green painted cap, and use a few drops of craft glue to adhere the leaves to the orange.

Hang your New Sweet Vintage-Style Sugar Spun Orange Ornament!

Just add a hanger and add to your tree! There are so fun and sweet, and once you get the hang of it, easy and fun to make! If you are giving them as a gift, you can package them really cute in some paper shred and a box like they are real fruit.

If you love crafts with fruit, make sure to see how to make this orange wreath with faux oranges