Forward: My father is a produce man! I have always been around fresh fruit and veggies! I worked for my Dad for three years. I have always loved the colors of the fruits and vegetables. The colors which Mother Nature does so well and strong really speak to me! I am also attracted to colorful things that have fruit and vegetable themes, i.e. Carmen Miranda, Mary Engelbreit, and Walt Disney to name a few.

I can think of no better way to bring the colors of spring, summer, and harvest into your home than with this apple cane. I am combining several techniques to get an All American flair in your kitchen.

Materials:

• Premo! Sculpey in the following colors:
  • 1 pkg. Ecru 5093
  • 1 pkg Raw Sienna 5392
  • 1 pkg White 5001
  • 1 pkg Ultramarine Blue 5562
  • 1 pkg Cadmium Red 5382
  • 1 pkg Green 5323
• Sharp blade (Sculpey Super Slicer)
• Metal switch plates
• Pasta machine (for rolling sheets of clay)
• Needle tool or needle
• Embossing Powder (I used Verdi Gris by Personal Stamp Exchange
• Note: You will not need a whole package of the red, green or carmel.

Directions:

Apple Cane:

• Take a very small coil of the raw sienna, about 1/8" by 2" long.
• Wrap the coil of Raw Sienna with a sheet of Ecru rolled out on the thickest setting of your pasta machine. Do this same step with another sheet of ecru. You should have a coil about ½" by 2" long.
• With a sheet of Raw Sienna rolled out on a very thin setting in your pasta machine, cover this log. (Note: I used a #5 setting on my pasta machine.) 
• Cut off 1/3 of the cane lengthwise!
  
• Wrap with three layers of Ecru rolled out on the fattest setting in your pasta machine; on mine I used a #1 setting to do this. Do not wrap all the way around. Wrap only the raw sienna part. No raw sienna will be showing.
• Lay cane on flat edge and extend or reduce down to the length of about ½" x 7" long. You are making both halves of the apple at this point.
• Cut in half and put both halves together. It will look like this!
• Now, roll a sheet of Cadmium Red on a medium setting (#3 in my pasta machine). Cover your apple insides with this sheet. Butt edges and trim to a smooth seam.
• Now, this apple cane can be rolled down to the diameter you want to use. Don't forget that this cane makes great earrings for the teachers in your life, too!
• Cut off two slices and shape into apples by indenting the top with your needle tool. (The slices that I used are about 5/8" in diameter.)
• Roll two ¼" balls of green into teardrops. Flatten the teardrops. Put the needle tool into the fat end of the teardrop and place these on the top of your apple with the indent. Next, take an 1/8" ball of raw sienna, and roll into a teardrop too. Place the pointed end of teardrop between the two leaves. Bake glue posts to the back and you are off!

Now, back to the switch plate!

• Put your apple cane aside and make the checker board next! You will need white and cadmium red.
• Use ¼ block of white. Knead the white first so you don't get red in your white. Roll out in pasta machine on the thickest setting. You will need three sheets about 2-1/2" by 2". Now do the same thing with ¼ block of cadmium red.
• Next, stack the red on top of the white: You will have an even number of colored sheets so that the bottom piece is different from the top. (6 pieces = red,white,red,white,red,white.)
• Cut the stack into ¼" sections . Next, to assemble the checkerboard, place a ¼" slice on the bottom (r,w,r,w,r,w). Flip the next slice and lay it on top of the first slice (w,r,w,r,w,r). Align carefully. Continue this process and you will get a checkerboard stack! 
• After all stacking is completed, compact this cane together and reduce down to ½" by ½" by 6" long.
• Cut in half and put together, continuing the checkerboard pattern. Then cut in half again and reassemble again. You will have a border cane in checkerboard! 

Preparing the clay for the switchplate cover:

• Mix the embossing powder with the Ultramarine Blue clay. I mix enough embossing powder in until I can see it on the surface of the blue. You will do this with ½ block of clay. This clay will look like stars in the night sky!
• Roll this clay out on a thinner setting, (# 3 or 4). Press the whole sheet on to the switchplate and trim the edges to fit. Poke holes with your needle where the screws to, and trim out the switch hole. Now, if you take a pencil and point first into the holes you made with the needle, it will give you founded holes for the screws to go into. 
• Next, put the checkerboard cane around the outside to form the border.
• Now with your apple cane, use the 5/8" diameter cane and cut two slices and put on the two opposite corners.
• Trim the apple with the leaves and stem as explained earlier in the earring instructions.
• Take a two inch section of your apple cane and roll down to 3/8" diameter and cut slices to add to border. (I put mine around the inside of the checkerboard.)
• If you desire, cut some slices of the apple cane and cut them in half. Place these in a fan shape around the screw holes. Be sure not to get too close to the screw holes. 
• Next, roll a 1/8" coil of Raw Sienna and apply to the outside of the checkerboard border. Also, apply one to the top of the apple slices on the inside of the border. Add a few more ¼" ball leaves.
• Bake in a 200 degree F pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Turn up the oven to 275 degrees F and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and let cool completely. When you get your switchplate out you will notice the white spots from the embossing powder blooming. Don't touch the switchplate until it is completely cool so as to not smear the embossing powder.
  

You can use this technique to create the following items:

• Small items for dollhouses
• Pen and holder
• Brooch
• Small vessel over glass votive