DIY Faux Terra Cotta Apples

DIY Faux Terra Cotta Apples. Today I’m sharing an easy fall craft on how to make faux terra cotta apples. All it takes is a few coats of paint to transform plastic apples into a beautiful faux terra cotta apples to use in your fall decor.

Last year I created faux terra cotta pumpkins in my post Three Easy Faux Pumpkin Makeovers. With this project I’m taking the same idea to see how it works on apples.

The faux apples I’m using are new. However, if you have old plastic apples that have seen better days, you can give them a new life with paint. By the way this works for faux pears too, so keep that in mind.

The secret is textured paint to give whatever you’re painting that soft raw finish that resembles clay. There are also recipes for making your own textured paint that you can find on Pinterest if you prefer.

Supplies For DIY Faux Terra Cotta Apples

• plastic apples
• textured craft paint such as Folk Art Terra Cotta in Pueblo and Cool Concrete
• craft brush
• cup of water
• scissors
• paper towels
• clear matte sealant spray (optional)
• cardboard or paper sack to protect your work surface

The first step is addressing the apple stems. I removed the long stems and cut them in half. Then I pushed the top half of the stem back into the same hole as far as they would go.  If you wish you can just remove the stem all together and fill the hole with spackling.

Second step is applying two coats of the Folk Art Terra Cotta paint in pueblo, allowing it to dry between coats. You might be able to get away with one coat on red apples, but I think the finish will look better after two.

Next we can apply a lighter contrasting coat of Folk Art Terra Cotta paint in cool concrete. This is where the magic happens. The trick is to water down the paint a little, brush it on the apple and immediately blot it off with a paper towel. This will give it a unglazed terra cotta finish.

Add as much or as little of the contrasting paint until you’re happy with the results. If you add too much just go back with the darker pueblo color and blend it in. Remember it’s a process for so have fun with the project.

After you finish painting all your apples, you can apply a matte clear coat to help preserve the finish. Now you’re ready to style them in your favorite late summer or fall vignette.

Styling Faux Terra Cotta Apples

This is a simple arrangement of mini pine cones and faux terra cotta apples in a wood bowl. Just think about all the ways you can use these apples in your fall vignettes. Mix them in a basket with pretty fall leaves just like you would mini pumpkins.

I’m still playing around with different looks, so we’ll see what I create for our upcoming fall tour in September.

Be sure to follow Thistle Key Lane on Pinterest, where the boards are up to date with ideas you can use right now!

For more projects using textured paint check out this post, Ceramic Lamp Makeover With A Terra Cotta Finish.

Are you ready to make some faux terra cotta apples? Now that you can see how easy they are to make, I hope you will.

Thank you so much for visiting today. We are still hotter than heck here in Texas, but I know fall will get here eventually. When it does I’ll be ready with more fall ideas for you.

Cheers!

© 2023 DIY Faux Terra Cotta Apples post first appeared on Thistle Key Lane.