by Carol Jordan
Although most of us think of an apple as something to eat, there are several fun and beautiful craft project that use this versatile fruit.
Apple Stamp Art
Cut the apple in half horizontally so that you can see the star in the center. Use the halves as stamps to use with paint. Decorate newsprint for wrapping paper or make an interesting picture!
Dried Apple Crafts
For each of the following projects you will need the following ingredients / materials:
- Juice of 8 - 10 lemons
- 2 tsps salt
- 8 - 10 large apples (braeburn and fugi work well) peeled, cored, and sliced horizontally to make circles
- 8 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cloves
- Heavy gauge wire (for the wreath)
- 1.5 yards ribbon
- Jute
Begin by drying your apples according to the following procedure:
- Mix lemon juice and salt in a large bowl then add apple slices. Soak apples for 10 minutes turning apples frequently so that all slides are able to absorb the lemon juice. Pat apple slices dry with a towel.
- Mix spices in another bowl and add in apple slices tossing to be sure all slices are well coated.
- Lay apple slices flat on a baking sheet and bake at 150 - 200 degrees (F) until they are completely dry. The slices should be slightly pliable (bendy). This will take approximately six hours.
Apple Wreath
- Fold apple slices into quarters and thread onto the heavy gauge wire packing the folded slices closely until the wire is full.
- Use pliers to bend the ends of the wire into hooks. Hook ends together and close tightly with pliers.
- Shape wire into desired shape - circle, heart, oval...
- Use the ribbon to create a hanger for your wreath.
Apple Garland
- Cut a 3 foot length of jute and tie a knot in one end.
- Begin stringing apple slices onto it by pushing one end of the jute through the center of each apple slice and sliding it all the way to the opposite end.
- Tie a fabric strip or ribbon onto the jute after adding several apple slices - repeat this process until you have filled the length of jute.
- Tie the "open" end off and hang on the wall for a scented decoration.
Carol Jordan is the mother of 2 children. She has been a preschool teacher for 9 years and is working toward a CDA (Child Development Associate) an Early Childhood Education professional credential.
Copyright © Melissa Jaramillo and Julie Snyder. Permission to republish granted to Pregnancy.org, LLC.
