I don't think I have ever had an original thought in my head. This little project is no exception. I saw it on Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving Special and modified it a bit to fit my needs.
I thought I would pretend like I am some sort of crafting celebrity and give you all a tutorial
We spend every Thanksgiving with Gary's family in St. Petersburg, Florida. And every year I annoy everybody by taking their picture and insisting they write down what they are thankful for (they continue to amaze me that it is so hard for them to come up with things they are thankful for, but that is between them and their psychiatrists). Afterward I make some kind of mini album.
This year I'll be doing it again. New for this year: we will all have our own turkey blessing books that will also serve as place cards. Like this:
Super easy. After Thanksgiving, when these little turkeys are overflowing with gratitude, I will add photos from the day to their front and backs. Then I will hang them all from a large loose leaf ring (inserted through the eyelet that serves as their eye - kind of morbid, yes?). 2008 Thanksgiving mini album - done!
First of all, go
here and download Martha's free turkey silhouette. Now if you have a
Xyron Wishblade or other type of personal cutting machine, this next part is SO much easier. If not, get those hands ready, you're going to be cutting a lot of turkeys.
Trace and cut two turkeys on brown cardstock and three turkeys on regular white printer paper. The brown cardstock turkeys are the front and back covers. The white turkeys are the pages.
Next, cut the legs off of the white turkeys. I know it sounds cruel, but you can do it. You birthed babies! You are the strongest of the strong.
I did it and actually found it kind of fun.
Next, apply glue stick to all of the edges and the middle of one side of a white turkey. Align a white turkey with a brown cardstock turkey and stick them together. Use a brayer or the back of a spoon to smooth the paper. Now, do the same thing to another white turkey and the other brown cardstock turkey.
Be careful here! Make sure you have the glue stick on the right side of the turkeys or you'll be getting those scissors out and cutting another one. You know you don't want that to happen. By now, you are so sick of cutting turkeys you don't remember why you started this project in the first place. Or maybe that was just me.
Now, take your third white turkey and apply glue stick to its head, neck and chest. Stop your glue stick at about where the legs started.
Align and stick the half glued turkey to one of the brown and white glued together turkeys (white sides together). Smooth it with a brayer or spoon. Now apply glue stick to the head, neck and chest (like you did before) to the other side of the half glued turkey. Attach the other brown and white glued together turkey. Now you have a little turkey book.
Here is another view to show you what I mean.
Fold the little turkey feet up at the ankles at the same place on each side. This lets them stand on their own. Fold each feather side back to the glue line. This helps the turkey balance.
Use a gel or paint pen to put a name on one side of the turkey. Insert an eyelet for the eye.
Make one for each person at your Thanksgiving feast and it can serve as their place card, too. Make sure to put a pen beside each one.
Pester every guest until they have written in their Turkey Blessing Book.
Take their picture while they complain. Use heavy handed guilt inducing tactics like pointing out how long it took you to cut each and every one of those turkeys. Or "kids are starving in Africa and even in our great United States of America and you can't even think of ten things you are grateful for." Try this one too, "We are teaching our children to be thankful for the small things and you are setting a very bad example." Can you tell I have had some practice with this?
Have too much time on your hands? Here are some extra ideas.
1. Have kids decorate their turkeys with beads, feathers, paint, glitter, gravy, whatever.
2. Before gluing turkeys together, stitch around the brown cardstock turkeys with embroidery floss.
3. Add more pages to your books by cutting more white turkeys and gluing them in like you did the half glued turkey page.
4. Think of something even better and post it in my comments section.
I hope you all have a blessed, safe and warm Thanksgiving.