Shrunken Apple Heads
Ranked #5,079 in Holidays & Celebrations, #84,095 overall
Carve a Shrunken Head from an Apple - Ghoulishly easy fun!
Add a little evil intent to this art form and they can become inexpensive, creepy shrunken head Halloween decorations. This is an excellent inexpensive Halloween craft for kids with adult supervision and help with the carving process. Since the apple heads can take about 2 weeks to complete the dehydration process, it is important to start the project when the apple harvest begins - well before Halloween!
Supplies to Make a Shrunken Apple Head
A short list of common household items!
Fresh apples (not too soft!)Vegetable Peeler (for peeling and carving)
Knife and/or Pumpkin Carving Kit (for carving)
Lemon juice
Salt
Wire, sticks or string
Peppercorns, whole cloves, peas, beans or similar items for eyes
Rice, barley or other grains or seeds for teeth
Bowl
Your Choice of other Decorative items
Apple Carving Supplies
Some handy tools to create your apple heads
More items you may need to make your appleheads
Choosing the Right Apples for Carving
Many apple varieties can be used for making appleheads
Although you can use damaged or fallen apples, for best results use apples that are fairly round, firm and crisp. Some people recommend using Red Delicious or Golden Delicious varieties. Other people like Granny Smith apples. Larger apples can be a little easier for carving the face, especially for children, but if you have free apples available to you, why not experiment!
How to Make Shrunken Apple Heads
See how easy it is!
The Steps to Create Your Halloween Apple Heads
Five Easy Steps to a Shrunken Head!
- First peel the apple.
- Now, use the small knife or apple parer to carve the face and add eyes and teeth (if desired).
- Give the apple a bath in the lemon juice and salt mixture for a few minutes
- Dry your creation
- Decorate and add any finishing touches
Peel the Apple for your Apple Head
Peel all but the top of the apple
As much apple as possible can be removed, or a little can be left on the top which will look like a little hat when the apple is done drying. Or any remaining apple skin can also be covered with other decorative materials to look like hair, a witches hat, etc. The peels can also be dried and used for decorating. Carve the Face of the Apple
Make large features on your Applehead!
Use whatever tools work for you to carve the face in the apple. Some recommended tools include a paring knife, pumpkin carving tools and the end of a vegetable peeler. The most important thing to remember when carving the face is that the apple will shrink approximately 50% when dried so make the features large so they will still stand out after the drying is complete. Peas, peppercorns,cloves and other round objects can be placed into the eye sockets to look like eyes and rice or seeds can be put in the mouth which will look like teeth. The best part is that you really can't make a mistake. The apple never turns out exactly the way you expect anyway! Another video shows how to make shrunken appleheads
More ideas
Give the Carved Apple a Lemon Juice and Salt Bath
Soak your apple head in lemon juice and salt
Mix 1 cup of lemon juice with one tablespoon of salt in a bowl. Giving the apple head a bath in this mixture for a few minutes will help prevent the apple from molding. Roll the apple around or pour the mixture over the apple to make sure all surfaces of the apple are covered. Add Eyes and Teeth to your Carved Apple
Scary Details for your applehead
Make eyes from peas, whole cloves, peppercorns, seeds or even plastic googly eyes. Push clove stems or other eye material back into the apple in the eye socket. The apple will shrink back and the cloves will show. If they don't stay in the eye socket after the apple shrinks and dries, they can be glued in place with craft glue. Teeth can be made from rice or seeds. Cucumber seeds make great fangs for vampire shrunken heads! Watch the Fun as your Shrunken Apple Head Dries!
The features on the apple will change as it dries
The apple may take up to two weeks to dry. If you live in a humid area you may need to help the process along. One way is to heat your oven to 200 degrees, turn the oven off and then place the apple inside the oven on a tray and shut the oven door. This may need to be repeated several times. The apple should be turned so it will dry evenly. It is fun to watch the changes each day as the apple head dries!You can either dry naturally in a warm, dry place or use a food dehydrator to speed up the process.
The Apple Head that was Dried Naturally
Watch as it Transforms into a Shrunken Head!
This is the photo taken immediately after carving the apple when it was placed in the oven. The oven was heated to 200 degrees and then turned off to create a warm, dry environment. (The metal in the background is a metal rack - not a nail through it's head!)
Food Dehydrators
Speed up the Drying Process
Apple Heads Dried in a Food Dehydrator
Come back to see the photos added each day
This is a photo of some apple heads that were put in a food dehyrator to dry
Finishing Touches
Be Creative!
If desired add hair made from moss, cotton, dried apple peels, yarn or other materials.
Add Clothing or hats.
Paint them with food coloring.
They can be used to garnish a dish at a Halloween buffet or potluck.
Put several on sticks to make a centerpiece or make a tree of creepy hanging shrunken heads.
Any number of Halloween characters can be made using the shrunken apples - witches, ghosts, Frankenstein or jack-o-lanterns.
Gravenstein Applehead?
Apple Jack O'Lantern Head?
Apple Head Kitchen Witches
Handmade Apple Head Dolls on Etsy
Corn Husk Apple Head Kitchen Witch Doll | Price: $0
Here are representations of two Native American traditions, Corn Husk Dolls and Apple Head Dolls. The European legend of the Kitchen Witch says she wi... (full description)
Corn Husk Apple Head Kitchen Witch Doll LEE ANNE | Price: $25
Here is a representation of two Native American traditions, Corn Husk Dolls and Apple Head Dolls. The European legend of the Kitchen Witch says she wi... (full description)
Corn Husk Apple Head Kitchen Witch Doll CAROL SUE | Price: $25
Here are representations of two Native American traditions, Corn Husk Dolls and Apple Head Dolls. The European legend of the Kitchen Witch says she wi... (full description)
How to Sculpture Applehead Instruction Book
Applehead Museum Book
The Vincent Price Shrunken Head Kits and Memorabilia on eBay
Vintage Shrunken Head Apple Carving Kits from the 70s
More photos of dried shrunken apple heads
No two are alike!
Not sure what I'll do to dress this one up - maybe just use it to garnish a buffet dish
Shrunken Heads Made From Apples
Carving apples for Halloween
Although apple heads are an old traditional folk art, making ghoulish shrunken heads is a wicked twist for Halloween that many people have never tried.
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skiesgreen
Feb 9, 2012 @ 1:01 pm | delete
- Great subject with very clear explanations and pics. Blessed and featured on Blessed by Skiesgreen 2012 and also on Witches. Hugs
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SudokuNut
Jan 30, 2012 @ 11:04 pm | delete
- This is the first time I've seen anything like this. Great idea for Halloween and less messy than a pumpkin.
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miaponzo
Jan 30, 2012 @ 1:56 am | delete
- Back for a blessigng :) I have always wanted to make these! :)
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JoshK47
Jan 27, 2012 @ 10:23 am | delete
- These things are awesome - love 'em! Blessed by a SquidAngel!
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Srena44
Nov 17, 2011 @ 10:08 pm | delete
- nice lens
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The Apple Doll
by Elisa Kleven
The Apple Doll
Amazon Price: $8.50 (as of 06/01/2012)
This is a delightful children's book about a lonely girl named Lizzy who makesa doll for herself with an apple for a head and twigs for its body. She takes the doll to school and is teased by the other kids. Then. Lizzy's mother shows her how to make an apple-head doll by peeling the apple, carving some features and letting the apple dry. Lizzy takes her doll to school again with the new carved and dried applehead and it becomes the model for a class craft project. There are also instructions at the end of the book about how to make applehead dolls.
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