The One with the Shrunken Apple Heads/Pin the Hat on the Skeleton/Pumpkin Fireplace


Monday, October 3, 2011

Early on in Fox's party planning I knew I wanted to make shrunken apple heads (these are pics of some from the internet):
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On my intinerary of events and things to do I had written down to make these shrunken heads 5 days before the party. On a whim today I googled instructions and found out they need at least two weeks to dry! Uh oh! The party is two weeks from last Saturday! Luckily (or unluckily?) it's super hot and dry here still so hopefully that'll speed the process along. I used the tutorial found HERE and doubled the batch.

Here's what you need:
- large bowl
- apples (the bigger the better cuz they'll shrink significantly)
- 4 tbsp salt
- 1 lemon
- potato/apple/carrot peeler
- knife or sharp object to carve
- bamboo skewers
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Fill the bowl with eight cups of cold water. Add the salt and squeeze half of a lemon into it. Stir until most of the salt is dissolved.

Peel the apple. The stem can stay or go, whatever you want. I took 95% of mine off.
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Carve eyes and a mouth into the peeled apple.
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Let the apple soak in the solution for at least 10 minutes - up to an hour if you live in a humid area. Spin and turn the apple so it gets good coverage. The salt takes out moisture and the lemon keeps the color consistent.
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The tutorial I used says to hang the apple from a string, but I don't know how to do that, so I pierced mine onto bamboo skewers. Hopefully it's effective!
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I plan to spin, rotate, and turn them every morning.

Clean up the mess.
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FYI - don't put the apples in the sunlight or they might rot. Don't put them in moist areas like the kitchen or laundry room or they won't dry. If they're still not dry in time, put them in an oven on the lowest heat setting (under 200 degrees) and bake them for 3-6 hours until they look the way you want them to.

We'll see how they turn out! Keep you posted!

Time for more show and tell :)
Last night I whipped up a game for the kiddos to play at Fox's party - Pin the Hat on the Skeleton:
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Thanks to a good ol' Cricut machine that cut everything out for me so alls I had to do was glue and do a li'l embellishing!

Aaaand, last but certainly not least, I got pumpkins to decorate and I don't want to put them out on the porch because people will (and have in the past) smash them. I saw this picture on Pinterest awhile ago and fell in love:
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So here is our version in our own apartment:
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It's beginning to look a lot like HALLOWEEN!

14 comments

  1. wow, i can't wait to see the pictures from fox's party. the preparations look awesome!

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  2. Fox sure is lucky to have such a talented Mom!

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  3. Wow, so fun! Love your decorating!

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  4. you are so insanely talented. i can't get over it.

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  5. Thanks so much for visiting my blog Paige. You always leave the sweetest comments.

    I LOVE the pumpkins and gourds in the fireplace!! Oh, it looks so pretty! I can't wait to see the pics from the birthday party, it looks like it's going to be amazing.

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  6. The skeleton game is adorable. Good work!

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  7. You love halloween as much as I do!! Just put up all my decorations today :) cannot wait to see pics from fox's party and more pics of the decor around ur house!!

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  8. that skeleton game is amazing! and I love the pumpkin fireplace! those are my kind of halloween decorations :)

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  9. im still loving everything! especially the pumpkins in the fireplace!

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  10. Man, I cant stand when neighbor kids smash outdoor pumpkins! But they look absolutely fabulous in the fireplace instead! And those shrunken heads are so COOL! And what a cute pin the hat on the skeleton game--looks like it is going to be a great party!

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  11. I can't wait to see how the apple heads turn out!! LOVE the pumpkins in the fireplace! How do you keep Fox from getting into them? And Joey? And Rachel?

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  12. paige you fireplace looks amazing! cant wait to decorate my own apartment someday. that pin the hat on the skeleton is ridiculously cute!

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  13. You have more talent and creativity in your fingernail than I have in my whole body! LOL. You're amazing. It's all looking great so far! :-D

    Perhaps I should get started on Hattie's 1st birthday. I mean, it's only 10 months away... ;-) LOL!

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  14. Your party is going to be epic. Seriously. It all looks amazing....especially the shrunken heads! Halloween parties are THE most fun to put together! Lucky Fox, and guests.

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Paige Taylor Evans © // Quinn Creatives DESIGN