Apt Apple's

Before we moved from Derbyshire to Surrey, my son and I made a teacher's apple inspired thank you hankie present.

I bought some cheap plain men's handkerchief's and turned them into a lovely thrifty teacher's gift using a simple stamp technique. It would also work well with tablecloths, or tea towels.

• Slice an apple in half and blot away excess moisture with a paper towel. 
• Use a paint brush to apply red fabric paint to one apple half and firmly press onto fabric. 
• For the stem, we dipped the wooden end of a thin paintbrush in green paint and made a small dash above the print. 
• To finish, lay newspaper over the top of your hankie and iron to seal the fabric paint.

This thrifty project got me thinking about other crafts I could use apples for.

Making budget busting apple tea light holders couldn't be easier:

• Center a tea candle on top of an apple. 
• Trace around the candle with a utility knife, inserting the knife only as deep as the candle is tall. Cut the circle into sections and scoop out the pieces using a metal spoon. 
• Insert a tea candle and light. 

(NB: It is best to use firm apples like Red Delicious, Granny Smith or Fuji.)

But my personal favourite? Home made apple cider. Perfect for those long winter evenings or hot summer days.

The Ingredients
1 litre of apple juice (I have been known to use apple cider as a boozey replacement!)
60ml rum
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks
3 tsp brown sugar
1 apple (for garnish)

The Method
Heat the apple juice, rum, sugar and spices over a medium heat, stirring often. Once it's hot, pour into glasses of mugs and garnish with a sliced up apple.