let's make {apple charms}

As a teacher, I'm especially grateful for this time of year--when school is out! (or just about) Though I never expect any gifts myself (college students don't really bring their teachers apples), I know a lot of parents still treat their kids' teachers to a little something to mark the end of the year. This little project would be perfect for such an occasion. It would also be a wonderful treat for the apple of your eye! :)

Here's what you'll need:
polymer clay in red, green, and brown
pointy tool (knitting needle, wooden stick, etc)
knife to cut clay (don't use with food afterwards)
pliers and wire cutters
1 inch piece of silver (or other metal) wire, 18 gauge or lower
adhesive (such as superglue)
18" necklace and 4 mm jumpring for necklace or 6-8" ribbon for ornament

Alrighty. First you'll need to open up those packages of clay. For the apple, you'll need about 1/8" of the 2 oz block (1/4 oz). You'll only need a tiny bit of the green and brown clays. Save the rest for another project.

Let's form the apple. Work the clay in your hands until it is very pliable and form it into a ball.

Now, hold the ball in one hand using your thumb and index finger to form indentations at the bottom edges. At the same time, press down on the top of the ball with the index finger of your other hand to flatten the top a bit.

Turn the ball 1/4 turn and press again with your thumb and index finger. You should now have four indentations on the bottom side of the apple. It kinda looks like a strawberry at this point.

Now we'll make it look a bit more like an apple. Using your pointy tool, press down in a rocking motion from the indentation to the bottom center of the apple. Repeat in each of the four indentations.

It should look a bit like this.

Now, take a tiny piece of the brown clay and roll it into a ball.

Place the brown ball at the bottom of the apple and press it in using your pointy tool. You can also draw out the sides of the brown spot a little to make it look like the star-shaped blossom remnant (or whatever that area is really called) on the bottom of an apple.

Work with a small amount of green clay until it is pliable and then press it out until it is flat and even, about 1/8" thick or so. Using your knife, cut out a leaf shape. Then use your pointy tool to score the leaf with veins.

Now, press the leaf onto the top of the apple, just off-center.

Use your pointy tool to gently poke a hole in the top of the apple, just in front of the center (by about 1/8").

Roll out a small snake of brown clay about 1/8" in diameter and 1/4 inch long.

Place the brown stem into the hole in the apple.

Using your wire, poke a hole about 1/4" deep into the top of the apple just behind the stem. Now cook the apple at 275 degrees for 30 minutes. It's best to use a baking sheet dedicated to projects like these (and not for food), but at the very least, cover your pan with foil and then a sheet of parchment paper (this will keep the clay from getting a shiny spot where it is resting).

Using your pliers, bend the wire to a 90 degree angle about 3/8" from the end.

Now bend that short section of the wire back toward the longer end to form a loop.

Cut the long end of the wire to 1/4" and apply adhesive to the wire.

Once the apple has cooked and cooled, place the wire into the hole in the clay. Allow the adhesive to dry completely before moving on.

To make an ornament as in the first photo, cut a short piece of ribbon (6-8 inches), slip the ribbon through the loop, and tie it. For a necklace, open a jumpring with your pliers and slip it through the chain and loop on the apple, then close the jumpring. Note, this apple makes for a chunky pendant, so a longer chain (18-20 inches) works best. If you want something daintier, just use less clay to make a smaller apple.