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Make Inexpensive Floating Apple Votives, à la Martha Stewart

Compiled by Vicki McClure Davidson

Here's a cheap, attractive, and unique decoration to add a festive quality to the home for either a Halloween party, a fall get-together, or the family Thanksgiving dinner. It would make a gorgeous table centerpiece for a Christmas party. Home-design maven Martha Stewart demonstrated making these festive floating apple votives on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien TV talk show on September 27, 2005. Love them!

Materials Needed:

4 to 6 apples
4 to 6 tealight candles
Melon baller
Exacto knife
Attractive fireproof container filled 2/3 with water in which to float the votives

	Martha Stewart shows host Conan O'Brien how to hollow out the top center of an apple using a melon baller and an Exacto knife.
	As Conan awkwardly attempts to hollow out his own apple with a melon baller, Martha drops a small tealight-sized candle into the tealight-sized hole she's hollowed out of her apple.
	Martha takes her apple votive to place into the fireproof container filled up 2/3 with water. The ornate container she is using appears to be copper.
	After placing the apple with candle into the water, Martha lights the candle.
	Martha shows how quick and easy it is to create these holiday floating apple votives. The apples are balanced as they float and are high enough in the water so that the candles do not become submerged.
	Conan's apple (in the upper left) is missing a tealight candle and is a bit rough around the edges compared to Martha's, but this inexpensive holiday craft took only a few minutes to create and is lovely.

Because of the dangers with using an Exacto knife, this project should only be done with supervised older children. Never leave the candles burning unattended and NEVER place them in an area where something could catch on fire, such as nearby curtains, Christmas packages, or dried floral arrangements.

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Make Inexpensive Floating Apple Votives, à la Martha Stewart