How to Tuesday ~ Faux Caramel Apples

Hey everybody! Whew, I am tuckered out! I really enjoy these long weekends, but it is killer going back to work on Tuesday. One of my jobs is opening and distributing the mail and I also have to do the daily deposit. Well, let me tell ya, having four days worth of mail to do in one day takes forever!!!! Not to mention all the checks I have to sort and batch up. So needless to say, I pay dearly for that coveted holiday break!

When I showed y'all my faux caramel apples, I had a couple of people ask me to do a tutorial on them. I know that most of y'all already know how to do these, but I'm gonna post a tutorial on how I did mine, because it's my blog and I'll post whatever I want! LOL!

Here are the supplies I used: faux green apples (I got mine at Wal-Mart for $1.00 a piece. I've also seen them at the Dollar Tree), craft sticks or popsicle sticks, tan colored craft paint, a plastic bowl with lid, a plastic spoon, Mod Podge Matte Glue, corn cob liter, freezer paper, clear treat bags, and pretty fall themed ribbon.


Step 1: Cut a small slit in the apple where the stem is. I used an ordinary steak knife for this step. You don't have to cut a deep hole. I just stuck the knife in and pushed it slightly. Just be careful!!


Step 2: Insert craft sticks into the hole you just made.


Step 3: Mix glue with the paint in a plastic bowl or plastic cup with the plastic spoon. I used an old Cool Whip bowl because I wanted to keep the leftover mixture to do more apples later and the glue/paint mixture won't dry out if it's covered. The amounts of each you will use will vary depending on how many apples you are doing. For the three I did, I used about 1/3 bottle of glue and just squirted a glob of the paint in. Stir together until well blended. You can add more paint if you want your "caramel" to be darker. Just note: the glue/paint mixture will dry darker on the apples than it appears in your bowl so keep that in mind.


Step 4: Tear off a piece of wax paper big enough to set your apples on and to catch excess drippage. Place each apple on the wax paper and using your plastic spoon, spoon your paint mixture over the top of the apple starting at the craft stick. Let the paint run down the sides of the apple, leaving some of the green showing. I recommend doing a couple of layers because if you just do one layer of the paint mixture, it will dry somewhat transparent. Two layers seem to work pretty good.


Step 5: Take a handful of the cob liter and sprinkle on each apple. These are your "nuts". I had a hard time finding this item locally. I ended up finding it at a Wal Mart in another town in the pet section. I tried using some small aquarium gravel before I found the cob liter, but it didn't look right and was too heavy for the apples. So if you can't find the liter at your Wal Mart, I'd suggest checking with a pet store or maybe a vet's office to see if they can help you. If anybody has any other ideas on what would be good to use for the "nuts", I'd love to hear them!
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Step 6: Tear off a fresh piece of wax paper and transfer your apples to it to let them set up and dry for at least 24 hours. Cause if you don't, this is what you will end up with:


Step 7: Once your apples are dry, you are done! I put mine in a clear treat bag and tied them up with some pretty ribbon and a hang tag I made.




Until next time. . .