Here are some great apple crafts for crafting beginners.
Apple Pencil Holder
* Materials Needed:
o 1 Balloon, size depends on how many pencils it’s going to hold
o 1 Cup water
o 1 Cup all purpose flour
o Several strips of white paper
o Red tempera paint, also known as poster paint
o Green felt or green construction paper
* Directions:
o Mix the water and flour together to form a paste. Tip: If the paste is too runny, add a little flour and if it’s too thick, add a little water. A good rule of thumb: add a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
o Blow up the balloon.
o Run the strips of white paper through the paste and apply them to the balloon, layering them over the balloon and each other, leaving a 2″ hole at the base of the balloon for the pencils.
o Layer strips of paper until you have 2 to 4 layers of paper mache, remembering to leave a 2″ hole for the pens and pencils to go through.
o Allow the paper mache to dry for at least 24 hours.
o After the 24 hours, poke the balloon with a pin to pop it.
o Using a damp cloth, readjust the hole to the correct size.
o Readjust the bottom of the apple so it sits flat. You can do this while the paper mache is still damp or you can place the apple on a damp cloth and gently push down for five minutes to flatten the bottom.
o Pain the apple red and add green leaves with either felt or construction paper.
Dried Apple Garland
* Materials Needed:
o Juice from 8 to 10 lemons
o 2 teaspoons salt
o 8 to 10 large firm apples
o 8 teaspoons cinnamon
o 2 teaspoons allspice
o 1 teaspoon cloves
o Jute
o 1 to 1 ½ yards of ribbon or fabric scraps
* Directions:
o Mix lemon juice and salt in a large bowl.
o Peel, core and slice apples horizontally into ¼ inch thick circles.
o Soak apple circles in lemon juice for 6 to 10 minutes each, making sure that each side has a chance to absorb lemon juice.
o Mix spices in a bowl, blending well.
o Remove the apple circles from the lemon juice, place them on paper towels and pat the tops of the apple circles with paper towels.
o Dust the apples with the spice mixture, then turn them over and repeat the dusting on the other side.
o Place the apples in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 150 to 200* F for 6 hours or until completely dried, but slightly pliable.
o Cut enough jute for your desired length of garland. Tip: Be mindful of length, too long is better than too short.
o To string your apples, push one end of the jute through the middle of each apple slice
o You can add things in between the apple circles for variation or you can simply make apple garland.