It figures I’d see these too late to use them as holiday ornaments, but they’re attractive enough to leave up year-round.

Artist gnarledbranch made these gorgeous ornaments using papier-mache apples. I love the little skulls atop each stem.

You can make papier-mache apples or other fruit easily enough; or you can find premade ones in craft stores or online. You could also use wooden or plastic apples, although with the latter you’d want to make sure that the paint you used would stick.

I like the matte, dark colors used to paint the apples. The skulls could be painted using a stencil if you aren’t ambitious enough to try them freehand. The skulls on the stems appear to be little plastic novelties similar to these, but you could also use skull-shaped beads (a quick google turns up loads of them; I like these) or make your own from polymer clay.

The material used for the hangers appears to be fairly stiff; possibly something like thin cardboard. You could also use a pretty ribbon, or rough twine for a more rustic look. It could be attached with a dab of hot glue or, if you’re using a heavier wooden apple, a small nail or staple. You could also omit the hanger entirely and just pile these in a bowl, but I have to say that a tree covered with “cursed fruit” would be extremely striking.

Incidentally, be sure to check out the rest of the artist’s Flickr stream, particularly the gorgeous jewelry boxes that he paints.

(Hat tip to Cat)