A Thanksgiving Craft to Delight and/or Enrage

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Years ago I worked at an insurance agency with a gal named Robin. Robin was hilarious, flamboyant, and fun. One day, about a month before Thanksgiving, Robin came in on a Monday morning wearing a turkey pin she’d picked up at a craft fair. I thought it was cute but some of our co-workers thought it was hideous. Robin named him Freddie and proceeded to wear him every day, making sure to flaunt Freddie in all his tacky, crafty glory. World War III ensued. A co-worker stole Freddie from Robin’s desk one day while she was out visiting a client, leaving a ransom note demanding doughnuts on Friday or Freddie would pay the price. The kidnappers sent photos of Freddie, perilously perched in the microwave, surrounded by ketchup “blood”. Several of us, myself included, got crafty and made our own pins in a show of solidarity. Freddie was eventually returned to his owner unscathed. I’ve worn my turkey pin at Thanksgiving every year since and made several for friends and family members over the years. Reactions are always mixed, but how fun is a polarizing Thanksgiving craft? If you want to make your own Thanksgiving craft to delight and/or enrage, here’s what you’ll need:

IMG_3437 Supplies

  • 2-inch miniature straw hats (I found them on Amazon)
  • orange foam sheet
  • red and green pipe cleaner
  • fake flowers in assorted colors
  • pin back (I used 3/4″ size)
  • pom poms in neutral colors
  • jute twine
  • googly eyes
  • scissors & hot glue gun (not pictured)

flowers

Instructions

First, remove the flower stems and discard. Separate the flower petals. Depending on the size of your flowers, you probably won’t need the smallest or largest petals, just the medium-sized ones. Cut them in half.

 

 

 

IMG_3441Using the hot glue gun, glue three halves of the flower petals, in varying colors, to one side of the straw hat.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_3442Cut a piece of green pipe cleaner to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long and glue at the base of the flower petals. Glue a pom pom to the crown of the hat.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_3445 Finish the turkey’s face by cutting a small triangle of the orange foam sheet for the nose. Glue the nose and eyes to the front of the pom pom. Cut a piece of red pipe cleaner to about 1/2 inch long. Dab a bit of hot glue on one end and shove into the underside of the pom pom to create the turkey’s wattle.

 

 

 

 

IMG_3446 Cut a length of the jute twine about 4 – 5 inches long and tie into a bow. Glue to the brim of the hat underneath the wattle. Trim the ends of the bow as needed.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_3448 Flip the turkey over and glue the pin back to the back of the turkey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2341He’s ready to wear! This little craft took just a few minutes and you’ll probably wind up with enough supplies to make several. Make some for your family members, friends, and kid’s teachers! I hope they’re in the camp that thinks this Thanksgiving craft is cute and fun and you don’t wind up paying a doughnut ransom.

 

 

Note: this craft would be great for older kids as long as a parent is supervising the hot glue gun but I made mine while my three-year-old was at preschool. Sometimes he likes to “help” just a little too much.

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Janet Berry
Janet and her husband Brian have been married since May of 2011. Their son, Cohen, was born just 10 months later. She’s a CPA specializing in federal and state income taxes for individuals and small businesses at Henry & Horne LLP, the largest locally owned CPA firm in Arizona. She moved from Reno, Nevada to Arizona in April of 2013. While she misses weekends at Lake Tahoe, she’s learning to love barefoot backyard barbequing in January. Outside of work and family time, she loves cooking, reading historical fiction, and has a not-so-secret addiction to Real Housewives and Downton Abbey.