At the table (2)

( lack of natural light made it almost imossible to take good photos today, so excuse the poor quality!)
I really enjoy giving my friends and family personal presents which have been thoughtful wrapped and decorated, but in a simple and natural way. Using brown paper, kraft paper, wax paper, I`m just adding finishing touches as twigs, cones, sticks of cinnamon, berries and dried fruit. Specially dried fruit as lemon, orange and grapefruit works really well. I think that looks beautiful on top of a gift.

How to dry slices of orange, lemon and grapefruit for decoration :
Dry oranges for decoration by slicing them about a half a centimetre thick and softly squeeze out as much of the juice as possible. Try not to squeeze and misshape the slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet and leave for about 4 - 6 hours at between 80 -100 degrees to dry. ( Keep the oven door slightly ajar for air circulation )
~ It looks beautiful and the wonderful scent makes your home smell amazing also.

Photos © Aina - Modern Country
I also use natural twine, jute, wool and straw as ribbon. I thought about using strings of handwoven linen also. These whole anise seeds were actually meant as a subtle flavour for my favourite cake, but I think they look pretty cute on top of these small gifts for my mother. Looks like christmas stars..
How do you like to wrap your gifts ?
~ Aina ~