Spun cotton fruit ornaments and faux sugared fruits are a great vintage decor item that has nostalgic charm. Fake fruit can be found at the craft store and at the thrift store. To make this project, you’ll need faux fruit, glue and glitter and it takes about 30 minutes to complete the project not including dry time. I bought an entire bag to make sugared fruit decor for $2.99 at the thrift store, and I already had the glitter, paint and glue on hand, so this was a really fun and low cost decor item! The glitter makes them looks so pretty almost like they are frosted and are great to display in a bowl, or add a ribbon and hang on a tree! Even though traditionally faux sugar fruits use German glass glitter, I opted to use regular old super clear and sparkly glitter. It has the same effect with out having to deal with glass glitter or buy something extra not found in the craft store and is a little more craft-friendly in my opinion. You can also watch the video that goes along with this post to see some of the process of making the faux sugared fruit .
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Gather Your Supplies to Make Faux Sugared Fruits
-Faux fruit
-Mod Podge (or white craft glue) with a little water to thin. For reference, it should be a tomato soup-ish texture
-Small container
-Clear, sparkly glitter
-Metal Rack or surface to let fruit dry on
-Gold craft paint
-Paint brush
-Eye and respiratory protection
-Surface protection
Find supplies for this project here on Amazon
Paint The Fruit with a Coat of Gold Paint
I really wanted my faux sugared fruit to look old world. The colors on mine were a little bright, so I decided to tone it down with a thin coat of gold craft paint brushed all over the surface of the fruit. Once the gold paint it dry, the fruit is ready for a glue coat.
Add the Glue Coat to the Fruit
Using Mod Podge or white craft glue, add just enough water to the glue in a separate container until it has the consistency of thin pancake batter or tomato soup. This will help the glitter stick without being too clumpy. I used a cookie cooling rack from the dollar store to place my fruit on after the glue coat was painted on that I only use for craft projects.
Sprinkle the Glitter on the Fruit
While the glue coat is still wet, sprinkle the glitter over the surface of fruit, turning it carefully. I added a piece of paper under my rack so I could collect the excess glitter and to return it to the container. Once the entire surface is covered, let it dry completely. Add more glue and glitter after it has dried otherwise it just ends up lifting wet glitter. Let the glue and glitter dry overnight.
If you love handmade Christmas decor, and love the sugared fruit, you should see how to make spun cotton sugared oranges in this post.
Tap off the Excess Glitter and Decorate!
Tap the glittered fruit gently to remove any excess glitter and display! These make faux sugared fruits look so pretty clustered in a bowl together and have just the right amount of frosty sparkle! I had a vintage brass bowl that they looked so nice in and I placed a few sprigs of faux pine in the bowl with them. Make sure to keep these out of reach of pets or kiddos.
Keep the Glitter from Shedding
There are lot of methods to keep the glitter from shedding off of the glittery fruit. Krylon makes a product called Glitter Blast Clear Sealer that can help. There will always be some shedding, but it can help minimize it.
