Poisoned Candy Apples

$5 - $10 (based on 2018 prices)

Makes three apples

The farm theme for 2016’s haunt left me with numerous apples and I have spent the last few years finding ways to repurpose them. For the witch den, part of my office’s annual decorating competition, I decided to use the entire allotment to bring into fruition two ideas for poisoned apples which have been swimming around in my creative conscious for years. The first one – which is featured in this week’s post – involved the notorious fruit fabricated into a candied apple. The second – which will be presented on a later date – involved glass display bowls.

• Three artificial apples
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in fire orange
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in hot cocoa*
• Three gnarled tree sticks
• One 0.44 oz. bottle of glossy black nail polish

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area give the apples two even coats of orange spray paint. The number of coats is based on your desired coverage for the props, so you may use more or less depending on your preferences.

2. To give the apples a rotten appearance, water down black acrylic paint and brush it over their surfaces (you can also use a spray bottle for the application). Allow the mixture to sit for a minute and then wipe it clean. Repeat this process with additional coats if you want a more muted tone. You may want to experiment with the consistency prior to doing this: the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash; the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash. To enhance the decay, pat hot cocoa paint in random spots to creates bruises.

3. Cut holes in the tops of the apples large enough to accommodate the sticks and insert them into the openings. For additional support, push the sticks at least an inch into the foam cores of the apples.

4. Use hot glue to create a poisonous drip on the tops of the apples. You can fashion a simple puddle around the sticks or an elaborate dribble that trickles far down the sides.

5. Paint the drip with a coat or two of glossy black nail polish. Although I chose black, you can utilize an alternate color to cater the props to your specific theme.

6. To enhance the props even further, considered gluing insects to the sides or drilling holes into their surfaces and inserting rubber worms in them.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.