Apple Stamp Garland

We decided to combine two of our fall bucket list activities, apple stamping and a fall leaf walk, to make one cute apple stamp garland. My toddler loved this activity, and was so excited to see his art work put up and displayed in our home.

We split this project up into two days. Our first day focused on apple stamping. I got all of my supplies for this activity, besides the apples, at our local Dollar Tree. I got the apples from our local grocery store. When choosing apples to use choose a variety that is firm and dense. You will not be eating them and the firmer they are the better they will hold up while you paint!

What we purchased:

• Paint
• metal serving fork
• firm apples

Supplies we had at home:

• white card stock
• plastic plate to pour paint onto

There is not much prep for this activity besides pouring the paint you would like to use on a plastic plate and preparing the apple. You are going to use the apple much like how you would use an ink stamp. To create the “stamping” part of the apple cut it in half slightly off to one side of the stem. You are going to use the slightly larger section of the apple that still had the stem attached for stamping.

Now, a half of an apple can be really hard for toddler hands to hold on to, especially when there is wet paint involved. We opted to use a large metal serving fork as a handle for the apple and it worked great. We simply stuck the prongs of the fork into the back of our apple stamping piece. You are going to want to be careful while you do this because you do not want to poke the fork all the way through your apple. You want to stop before you can see the prongs coming out on the opposite side. You could probably use a normal house hold fork, but I like how long the prongs and handle were on the serving fork. It allowed for my son to paint easily while also minimizing the mess.

I helped my son with the first couple of stamps, and then he was very eager to do it on his own. If you are wanting to make a full garland out of these apple prints you are going to have to make about five pages worth of prints. Don’t worry my son kept begging to make more, so that should not be a struggle. Also, do not stress out if your child’s apple stamps look more like apple smears. This is supposed to be a fun activity for them. let them have fun and explore the world of painting with apples. You really only need one recognizable apple print in order to create a garland. If your child was not able to create one, create on together at the end of the activity! Once we were done painting we set the papers outside to dry. I knew that if I kept them inside my toddler would find a way to reach them and I would end up having apple stamping paint splotches!

Later that evening, while the paint was still drying we took a fall leaf walk. It was an absolutely beautiful night. The sky was bright pink and orange and I was so excited to look for leaves with my little boy. As I should have expected, my toddler was much less enthusiastic about the leaves and would have much rather spent the entirety of our trip throwing dirt clods into the ditch. I say this to encourage you. Things may not always go as you planned, but when you take a step back you may realize you are still making sweet memories with your family. Often times, I find that it is these unplanned and spontaneous memories that I treasure the most. They showcase the true personalities and characters of our little kiddos. All of that to say our leaf walk was full of tears, dirt clods, and scrambling to grab some leaves before we rushed back inside to beat the dark, but it sure was a fall memory we wont forget!

I waited to the next day to assemble the garland. The assembly part of this project is pretty much an adult only job. I was not comfortable allowing my toddler to help due to the involvement of hot glue and scissors. I just happened to have all of the supplies for the garland at home.

Supplies:

• Scissors
• Hot glue
• Twine
• Hole punch (optional)

The first step of assembly is to cut out all of the apple stamps. If you only have one good stamp, cut that stamp out first and use it as a stencil to make apple “shapes” out of the apple “smears”.

Once the apple stamps are cut out it is time to get the leaves involved. Now, if you are planning on saving this garland you may want to look into preserving your fall leaves before you complete the following steps. If you do not preserve your leaves they will dry up and get crunchy. We decided that we would forgo the preserving of the leaves for times sake.

The first thing that you are going to want to do is to remove the stems from the leaves.

You are then going to hot glue the steams to the back of the apple stamps so that when you turn them over they resemble apple stems.

You are then going to want to fold your leaves down so that they can act as apple leaves. The size that you fold your leaves down to if completely up to you. You can leave them unfolded as well if you want a more full look. If you decide to fold them add a bit of hot glue in between each fold so that the leaf does not unfold.

Once you have your leaves how you like them, glue them to the back of your apple stamps as well.

Once all of your cute little apples are put together, it is time to make them into a garland! First you are going to punch to holes at the top of your apple. having two holes will keep your apple from twisting and turning once strung on the garland. I suggest using a hole punch for the hole, but if you do not have one you can cut a small slit instead with your scissors, once you have punched your holes, string the apples onto whatever string or ribbon you are wanting to use for your garland. We chose to use twine to go with a rustic orchard feel.

Once you have strung all of your apples your garland is ready to be hung up among your festive fall decor!