how to make an apple

i borrowed a cute idea i saw on cheekymagpie.com. this apple is super easy to make and looks adorable when finished. my instructions on how to make the apple are a little different then hers but i made the changes as i saw necessary. and also if you have access to little kid books with pictures in them( black and white), the apples will turn out even better! oh and make sure not to make them too big or they will come out like pumpkins (unless thats what you want).

you will need:

*PAPER BACK books

*create some kind of half stencil of an apple

*exacto knife

*food color of choice

*cotton ball

*water

*blow dryer

*twig

*hot glue gun

1.

first things first- take your paper back and strip it of its cover

next divide the paper back into sections

place book on table - spine up

slice book with exacto knife in the spine where you made the divisions.( your divisions will very depending on how big your book is. i found dividing it into three worked best)

2. lay the stencil onto the book making sure to line the stencil up with the edge of the book.

take a pencil or pen and make an outline onto the book. next either with an exacto knife or in this case a ban saw and cut out the shape of the stencil. tip: ban saw is way faster! however, the downside is you might end up in the emergency room.

3. once you have your half apple cut out, take a cotton ball and dip it into the colored water of your choice. begin to color/ soak ( for a more weathered look)in the rounded edges and inside trim of ever page( front and back). take blow dryer and dry the pages.

4. next, kinda play with the book in order to make pliable. you will want to make it as flexible as possible. divide in have(not cut! just divide) and lay the book down with spine up.

5. take the hot glue gun and put some glue on the spine- add twig. immediately pick book up and fold so the twig is crushed between the two halves. hold vigorously making sure to massage the book so it becomes even more pliable.

6. and last but not least, let go and fan the pages to make and evenly covered apple tada!