Recycle Shriveley Apples Into Shrunken Apple Head Dolls For An Uber-Eco Halloween Decorating Treat

Some of the most crystal-clear recollections that I have are from my days in kindergarden because everything back then was such an exciting adventure and the most pressing issue that I ever had to grapple with was what colors I should select for my art projects.

While spray painted macaroni assemblages and magazine collages were high on my list of fun things to create, I was wildly partial to shrunken apple head dolls -- in fact, I thought that the whole process was close to pure magic as humanly possible, and I was truly mesmerized as I'm sure that any child (or young-at-heart adult) might be today.

Naturally, I never realized what a "green" craft this really was, but it has stood the test of time since it blows away all of the styrofoam and plastic pre-manufactured Halloweeny trinkets cluttering the stores. Not only is each head that you create fun to make and endowed with its own unique personality, it is TOTALLY biodegradable!!

This is a really great project to work on with your entire family or you can just invite your greenie-compadres over for harvest-themed snacks and an evening of apple head and pumpkin carving -- kill two crafty birds with one stone!

Supplies You Will Need:

1) Apples that are past their prime.

2) Carving tools such as an Exacto knife, screwdriver, tweezers, scissors...anything that will help you to make precise cuts.

3) One large bowl or bucket that will accomodate approximately ¼ cup lemon juice and ¼ cup salt per gallon of water used.

Process:

Carve your apples using library books and magazines for inspiration, pumpkin carving templates that are available online or just rely on your own imagination!

To prevent them from oxidizing, immediately drop them into a bucket filled with the lemon juice-salt-water solution mentioned above and allow each carved apple to soak for several hours.

Pat them with a cloth or towel to absorb all excess moisture and then rest them on a cooking drying rack along a windowsill for several days so that they dehydrate as completely as possible.

Depending on your level of patience, they can be ready in as soon as a few days or for maximum shrinkage, as long as a few weeks.

If you want to ramp up the process, finish them off in a 200 degree oven for approximately 4 hours.

In the event that you've created a veritable masterpiece that you'd like to preserve for a long time, spray it with a liberal coating of polyurethane sealant and allow it to dry.  Remember -- this step isn't necessary if you intend to use your shrunken apple head(s) just through the end of this season.

To enhance their creepy features, use beans, beads, rice grains, acorns, googley eyes and other organic bits and pieces to create eyes, teeth, hair and other distinguishing facial characteristics.

You can decorate your table with them, hang them from the ceiling (especially if you leave the stem in tact) or create shrunken apple head trees -- there are so many fun decorating possibilities, just think outside of the box! 

Images courtesy of theartfulcrafter, stolloween.blogspot, marthastewart.com, worth1000.com, makingfriends.com, halloweenalliance.com, frugaluankee.com