When that happens, I tend not to just let our surplus apples hang around in the refrigerator getting mealy. After all, in a few weeks when we have a hankering for apples again, we will still have applesauce to eat, and dried apple slices, and apple butter, and frozen apple hand pies to heat up. Instead, our surplus apples get turned into that other hallmark of harvest-time: apple crafts! From clove apples to apple votive candles, there are some really cool things that you can do with your surplus apples, and the beauty of these projects is that when you tire of them, the apples that you used can generally go right into your compost. So check out these five projects for inspiration to use with your own surplus apples: With a single apple, a LOT of cloves, and a bamboo skewer to do the poking, you can create an apple pomander just like the one that Ma Ingalls received for Christmas in Little House in the Big Woods. And just like Laura said, your clove apple will smell sweet and stay sound, beautiful as a holiday decoration or useful hung in your coat closet to keep your outdoor gear from smelling musty. Next » As a nice centerpiece floating in a glass bowl at your Thanksgiving table, check out these floating apple votives that Martha Stewart’s team of crafty worker bees thought up. I love the simplicity of these candles, needing nothing more than apples, lemon juice, and tea lights. For bonus points, make your own rolled beeswax tea lights for an entirely in-house craft! [Image by Martha Stewart, used with attribution] Next » Dried apple wreaths are another seasonally appropriate holiday decoration, and look fine hung on your front door or laid out on your Thanksgiving table. If you’re already in the habit of preserving your autumn apple harvest then you probably already know how to dry apple slices–if not, I assure you that it’s an easy and tasty project. And when your apple slices are dry, IF you can rescue any from being eaten right away, then a lovely apple wreath is just a hot glue gun away. Next » I’ll tell you right now that I think these things look about as freaky as you can make a piece of fruit look, but my kids love making them, and so did my great-grandma, so there you go. If you want to make yourself a genuinely freaky piece of fruit, then check out these dried apple dolls from Be To Me, with a dried apple doll tutorial. If you want, you can craft an entire freaky humanoid body to go along with your dried apple doll head, and then you can give that doll to a child, who will hold it and gaze at you solemnly as the dried apple doll stares evilly in your direction, ready to steal your soul. [Image by Be To Me, used with attribution] Next » Okay, now that you’ve survived the apple head doll, you deserve some serious cute, so here it is: crocheted apple cozies. Seriously. They’re awesome, right? You know you hate it when your apple gets bruised in your lunchbox, or rather it gets bruised when you just toss it into your backpack with all your other junk because you’re too lazy to get out your lunchbox. Now, all you have to do is crochet yourself a set of apple cozies, tutorial courtesy of Make Handmade – Handmade – Handicraft, and your problem is solved. [Image by Make Handmade – Handmade – Handicraft, used with attribution]
