Fabulous Fall Fridays #1: Candle Apples Centerpiece

Welcome to Fabulous Fall Fridays!  I'm so excited to start this series!  If you follow me on Facebook, you will have seen the supply list for this first Fabulous Fall Friday earlier this week.  I'd planned on getting this post up earlier in the day, but I had sick kids all week and a sick husband today, so I feel like I'm doing good that it's up before midnight!

So what is Fabulous Fall Fridays?  Every Friday between now and Thanksgiving, I'll be posting a DIY craft or project to beautify your home for fall.  I know it's still technically Summer, but I'm ready for fall, so I decided to start!  Today's project is sort of "Back-to-School" looking, so it's okay to do early, right?  Ready?  Here we go!

This is what my table usually looks like.  HAHAHA!!!  Okay, everyone who knows me knows that my table does NOT
usually look like this.  But this is what it looks like after it's been all cleaned off!  Not very fall-friendly.  

What is currently in the center of my table.  Pretty, but not for fall!  I am going to have a problem since this is the only spot in
the house where these plants get any light.  Not sure where they're going to go...

This is what we're replacing it with!  Pretty, huh?  So here's how we do it!  

Candle Apples Centerpiece
Idea Source: Thrifty Decor Chick's idea on Pinterest.  Follow me for more great fall ideas!
Time Needed: 1-1.5 hours
Supply List:

A small bowl or basket
5 or 6 apples  (I used Gala apples...because I love them and plan to eat the rest of the bag I bought!)
5 or 6 tea lights (I got mine at Walmart and got the ones that smell like vanilla.  Mmmmm...)
Lemon juice
Salt (not pictured)
A small, sharp knife
A spoon (not pictured)
A pen

Step 1:
Arrange apples in your basket or bowl to see how many you'll need.

Step 2: 

Wash apples and dry with a towel so they're nice and shiny!  

Step 3: 

Take a tea light, keeping it in the plastic, place it on the top of an apple (after you've pulled off the stem), and draw around it with a pen.  

See?  Don't take it out of the plastic yet!  

Step 4: 

Very carefully, using just the tip of the knife, SLOWLY, trace it around the circle you drew, basically just cutting the skin.  

See how I just have the tip in there?  

Just the tip!  And go slow!  That's how you get a nice circle.  

Step 5: 

Hollow out the hole for the candle.  You'll probably have to test a few times with the actual candle to see if you've carved out enough.  Take the candle out of the plastic to do this.

First, use your sharp knife to cut out the core.
Then, sing the spoon,  pop out pieces of the apple.
Use the line you cut with the knife to keep it nice and round.  

After a couple tries, I found that cutting an X through the middle really helped.
It took longer than I expected, but it's worth it to make it nice and neat.

Step 6: 
Pour lemon juice with salt in it into the hole and let it sit for a few minutes.  This will help it not rot or turn brown.

Apple hole filled with salty lemon juice.  

Step 7: 

Take the candles out of the plastic holder, pop them in the apples, arrange in the basket, light, and enjoy!!  

Apple Candles!  I love them!  The one that's on the table has foil under it so wax doesn't drip on my table...

I read somewhere that you should keep these in the fridge to keep them fresh longer, but I'm probably not going to do that.  I'll let you know if I regret it.  :)  Since they were treated with lemon juice and salt (the same as apple-head dolls), they should be just fine.  And anyway, I'll be putting together a new fall centerpiece in a couple weeks to replace them.  

So tell me, what are you doing to beautify your home this fall?  Any fabulous ideas I should hear?  I'd love it if you leave me a link in the comments showing your fall decor ideas!

Make sure to stop by next Friday to see what's next in our home!  And check out Facebook this week for next Friday's supply list!

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