This egg carton apple craft turns a few recycled cardboard pieces into the cutest little apples! Add some colourful paint, a tiny twig stem, and maybe a few painted seeds, and it’s amazing how quickly an ordinary egg carton starts to look like fresh-picked fruit.
Kids can make bright red apples, crisp green ones, or a whole bushel in different shades and colours. It’s a fun craft for back-to-school season, a cozy autumn afternoon, or a fruit-themed classroom activity. The finished apples are perfect for pretend play, fall decorations, or a cheerful recycled craft display!
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How to Make an Egg Carton Apple
Materials:
- Egg carton
- Twigs
- Acrylic paint (red, green, white, brown)
See the craft in action:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Cut the egg carton pieces
- Cut 2 egg carton cups (the part where the eggs sit) from an egg carton. We find it helpful to use a craft knife to ensure the cups are as tall as possible.
- Cut the edges of the cups so that they’re even.
- Fit the cups together to make your apple. Trim them down, if needed, so that they fit together better.
- Cut a small leaf from a side part of the carton (we cut it from the “hinge” between the lid and bottom).
Step 3: Paint the pieces
- Paint the outside of the cups with red (or green) acrylic paint. Cover the bottom edge of the cups as well.
- Then paint the small leaf dark green. Allow to dry about 2 hours.
Step 4: Put the apple together
- Gather a loose twig from outside and cut a section about 1 inch long for the apple’s stem.
- Use a craft knife (or small scissor tip) to make a hole in the top of one cup.(Important: It’s safer to make the hole while the cup is sitting on your working surface. This picture is just to show how the hole is made!)
- Slide the twig down into the hole and secure it in place with hot glue inside the cup.
- Add a tiny dot of hot glue to attach the leaf to the base of the stem.
- Apply hot glue to the rim of the other cup.
- Line up the edges and connect the apple together.
Step 5: Make an apple core
- To make an apple core you’ll also want to cut 2 egg cups from the carton. Make these ones a bit shorter and paint them red — both inside and outside.
- For the center part you’ll cut a “cone” from the carton (the part separating the eggs).Paint it white and then once it’s dry, use a fine tip brush or a toothpick to add brown seeds.
- Add hot glue to the bottom of the cone and attach it inside one of the cups.
- Then add glue to the top of the cone and attach the top cup (with stem and leaf already attached).
- Your egg carton apple crafts are complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Use a strong glue: Hot glue gives the quickest and strongest hold, especially for keeping the twig stem in place. Tacky glue can also work, but the pieces will need more drying time.
- Trim the egg carton carefully: Use sharp scissors to cut away the extra carton and shape each cup so they fit together nicely. Detail scissors can help clean up uneven edges.
What kind of paint is best for making this egg carton apple craft?
Acrylic paint is the best choice because it gives the egg carton bright, even colour. Multi-surface acrylic paint works especially well and usually gives the apples better coverage with a slightly shiny finish.
Tempera paint will also work, but it’s thinner and may soak into the cardboard more. You’ll likely need a second coat to get a bold, solid colour.
What else can I use for the apple stem?
If you can’t find a nice twig to use as the apple’s stem there are a few other good options. You can cut a toothpick in half and use that. You can even paint it brown first. Or, cut a short piece of brown pipe cleaner or roll up a strip of brown cardstock.
How do I make an egg carton apple with a worm?
Twist 2 or 3 pipe cleaners together, depending on how thick you’d like the worm to be. We used 6-inch pipe cleaners, but you can also cut standard 12-inch pipe cleaners in half.
Fold one end of the bundle back on itself to create a rounded head, then glue on tiny googly eyes. Bend the rest into a wiggly worm shape and attach it inside the bottom egg carton cup before gluing the top half of the apple in place.
How do I make a red and green apple?
Some apples have a mottled mix of red and green instead of being one solid colour. To make an apple like this, start by setting out a few different shades of red and green, and use a separate paintbrush for each colour.
Choose one colour as the main shade and paint it randomly over most of the egg carton cups. Fill in the gaps with the second colour, then move back and forth between the shades to blend the edges slightly. Don’t overmix them, or the colours will start to look muddy.
For a speckled, dappled look, use the end of the brush to dab on some lighter shades instead of brushing them across the surface.
These egg carton apples are truly adorable, and they’re a lot of fun to make. Line the finished apples up for a mini orchard, use them in a pretend farmer’s market, or turn them into playful fall place settings. However you display them, they’re a clever way to give an everyday egg carton a completely new life.
Here’s even more egg carton craft ideas:
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72 cute and fun crafts that kids and parents alike can enjoy. All with as little mess as possible!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
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