Natural Chinese Lantern Ornaments

As well as gathering the papery red Chinese lanterns that appear in late summer and fall for these organic ornaments, look out for moss, rosehips, crab apples, thistles, Old man's beard from clematis and anything else that catches your eye.

If you want to mix your homemade tree decorations with some bought decorations, choose fairly traded and ethically sourced products that have been produced from sustainably grown, natural materials.

Materials Needed:

• 1 length of thin wire, approximately 12" long
• 1 small piece of twig
• knitting needle or skewer
• an assortment of found natural materials, including seed heads and small fruits with their stalks left on, and then dried

Step 1

Wrap one end of the length of wire around the small piece of twig a few times and secure the end neatly.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - A Greener Christmas © 2008 Dorling Kinsley Limited

Step 2

Use a knitting needle or a skewer to pierce a hole through a crab apple fruit or a berry, as close to the center as possible.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - A Greener Christmas © 2008 Dorling Kinsley Limited

Step 3

Thread the wire through the fruit, then push it carefully through the Chinese lantern. Make a knot in the wire below the lantern.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - A Greener Christmas © 2008 Dorling Kinsley Limited