How to make a shrunken Head
Shrunken Pirate Heads
Here’s a fun, fairly simple craft idea for Halloween. Shrunken Pirate Heads! You can hang them around the house, use as a pencil topper or find your own fun use.
NOTE: Parental supervision is required when using a hot glue gun and when carving apples. Do NOT attempt on your own.
What You Need:
? Large Apples
? Whole Cloves
? Grains of Rice
? 4-5 cups water
? 1/2 cup Salt
? 3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
? Wire or String
? Hot glue gun/glue
? Spray Craft Sealer
Instructions:
Step 1: Remove the peel from your large apple. It is ok to leave a bit at the top and bottom. Parents can use a small knife to carve out a face. Concentrate on the nose and mouth. Shrinkage will make them smaller. Ears are optional. With some practice you will get the hang of it.
Step 2: You will need to soak your carved apples in a “brine” solution to prevent browning. Fill a bowl with water, salt and lemon juice. Add your apples. Let soak for 24 hours.
Step 3: Next day, remove your apples from water solution. You can feed a string or wire through top to bottom of apple. Tie off at bottom. Allow enough string/wire to hang your apples to dry.
Step 4: Hang your apples in a dry location for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Keep an eye on them to make sure the apples are not rotting. You can speed this process up a bit by placing your apples (without string/wire) in an oven on the lowest temperature for several hours. They will still need to dry out for at least a week outside the oven. Should you discover your apples are rotting, remove any mold with a cotton swab and use the oven-dry process to help prevent further rotting.
Step 5: Once your apples are completely dried and you are happy with the shrinkage you can now add some fun features. Whole cloves can be poked in the eye sockets for eyes. Grains of rice can be hot-glued in the mouth for teeth. If you like, you can add a bandana for a pirate look, an eye patch, fake hair, or a witches’ hat.
Note: Before you add hair, or hats you should seal your apple with a sealer. You can purchase aerosol craft sealers at craft stores. If you cannot find, you may also paint on a polyurethane or shellac. This will keep moisture from damaging your shrunken head.
http://www.buccaneersandlobsters.com
Processing your request, Please wait....
