InspireMe Crafts

Creative Thanksgiving Crafts

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues" - Marcus Tullius Cicero

Since I didn't provide a plethora of Thanksgiving craft ideas I thought I'd at least point you in the right direction for some cute ideas that will keep your kids occupied (and maybe the hubby if he is better off out of the kitchen) while you create the feast of a lifetime. 

Past Ideas from InspireMe Crafts:

"Give Thanks" Banner
Thankful Tree
Thanksgiving Tablerunner
Thanksgiving Trivia and Fun Facts
Thanksgiving Quotes
Terra Cotta Pot Thanksgiving Turkey

Ideas from other creative websites:

Cardboard Tube Pilgrims
Family Handprint Turkey
Apple Thanksgiving Placecards
Terra Cotta Pot Pilgrim Centerpiece
Pilgrim Cap Place Cards
Pine Cone Turkey

Well those ideas should keep you, and hopefully your kids, busy!  I'm off to finally make my grocery list for the Thanksgiving meals, desserts, and all that yummy stuff in between.  I'm hoping it all turns out great...actually I'm just hoping it turns out.  I guess that's what I'm most thankful for this year, that my husband didn't marry me for my cooking skills and my son is too young to really remember if we end up ordering Chinese food because the turkey, mashed potatoes, and everything else just weren't up to par.  At least I know I can get the dessert right! 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Terra Cotta Pot Thanksgiving Turkey

"Gobble 'til you Wobble"

 

OK...don't laugh.  I decided to share because I still think my Terra Cotta Pot Thanksgiving Turkey is somewhat of a good idea even if the execution gets a B-.    If you take a closer look at my turkey head, you'll notice it doesn't look quite like a turkey :(.  At least I got the feathers right.  In fact, my son said it was a snake and when my husband saw it he didn't say anything.  Whether his silence was a sign of a long day or if he was just keeping the laughter from bursting out we'll really never know his true feelings, but the silence was enough to know that this little gift will stay put on our coffee table instead of someone else's. 

If you decide to give the Thanksgiving turkey a try and have some better artistic abilities than I do, I'd love to see pictures.  We decided to fill it with almonds, but you could do M&M's (his other favorite) or any other nut mixture you like.  Give it as a gift or make a larger one to hold some snacks prior to the big feast. 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun! 

Thanksgiving Quotes, Poems, & Sayings

I'm still in shock that Thanksgiving is only two weeks away and I blame it on the media and stores!  They make you forget about Thanksgiving because as soon as Halloween is over the Christmas stuff takes over all the stores and the Holday television advertisements now replace all the Election ads.  Ahhh!!  So I'm a little behind on ideas for Thanksgiving so I thought I'd start with some simple Thanksgiving quotes, poems, and sayings that you can use for your projects, cards, table settings, or just for a little inspiration!  Enjoy...

We are blessed.

Gobble til you wobble. 

Carving Memories

What a Bunch of Turkeys!

Count Your Blessings

Family Traditions

The Feast

Hearts full of Thanks

Having someone to love is family, having somewhere to go is home, having both is a blessing.

Thank you for the food before us, the friends beside us, and thelove between us.

There is always, always, something to be thankful for.

Everyday is a gift.

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.  ~E.P. Powell

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The thing I'm most thankful for right now is elastic waistbands.  ~Author Unknown

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
~Author Unknown

I love Thanksgiving turkey.  It's the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts.  ~Arnold Schwarzenegger

Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday.  People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year.  And then discover once a year is way too often.  ~Johnny Carson

Thanksgiving is Here!

"Family - Forever, for always, and no matter what!"

I hope you are able to gather with your family and friends and enjoy some good food and company!  Here are some Thankgiving did-you-knows that you can 'wow' them with, break the ice with, or create a fun game with! Enjoy....and I hope you are ready for Christmas!  Now that Thanksgiving is here, that is my go-ahead to start preparing and celebrating the Christmas season.   

DID YOU KNOW?!?!

1.  A scared turkey can run at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour.  They can also break into flight approaching speeds of 50-55 miles per hour in seconds

2.  The first Thanksgiving traces back to the fall of 1621.

3.  Turkeys can drown if they look up when its raining.

4.  The first Thanksgiving feast was held to thank the Lord for sparing the lives of the survivors of the Mayflower, who landed at Plymouth Rock on Dec 11, 1620. 

5.  The celebration in 1621 lasted for three days.

6.  Puritans of Mayflower used to drink beer.

7.  A magazine editor, Sarah Josepha Hale, campaigned to make Thanksgiving a National Holiday in 1827. 

8.  In 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D Roosevelt, seeking to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in Nov.  Controversy started, adn Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941 decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of Nov, where it remains.

Happy Thanksgiving and...

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Thanksgiving Tablerunner

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want but the realization of how much you already have"

It's wonderful to be back home.  There's nothing like coming home to where everything is familiar and yours.  We had a blast visiting family, but its nice to be back together again.  I had a wonderful Thanksgiving idea that would be great for making with the kids.  Unfortunately, with all the traveling I haven't had time to make one to share a picture so I will describe it the best I can.  Its pretty simple and could be a great Thanksgiving family tradition every year.  

 A Thanksgiving table runner made by your family would add that special touch to your table this year....and every year to come.  Find an inexpensive plain table runner (I'm sure the $1 Store would have one).  Then cut out leaves from felt or your favorite fabric.  Have each child write something they are thankful for on each leaf with a fabric pen.  Then attach it to the table runner.  Depending on how crafty you are you could use the good ole glue gun or the sewing machine to attach them.  It would be fun to use the same table runner every year and have your children and yourselves add something every year.  Imagine when they are older and look back at what they wrote when they were 4.  It could provide dinner amusement and great conversation starters!

I hope you have fun trying this one and I would love to see pictures to share with everyone if you decide to do it.  If so, please send them to inspiremecrafts@yahoo.com!

Be inspired, get creative and have fun!!!!

Gotta Make It…with the Kids: Thankful Tree

"Having someone to love is family, having somewhere to go is home, having both is a blessing"

This Thanksgiving family project is fun and easy and will help celebrate the holiday and give thanks.  I already had the vase and branches as decor in our house so I decided to make a Thankful tree from it.  You can find the branches at your craft store for around $5 and any vase will do.

During the month of November, make some tags to hang from your Thankful tree explaining what you are thankful for.  I used the same type of luggage tags as I did for the Thanksgiving Banner - they are just a smaller size.  On one side write "I'm thankful for...." and then on the other side your family can each write what they are thankful for on their own tag.  Mine are really simple here, but let them have fun and decorate theirs any way they want.  Run a ribbon through the hole and hang from your tree.

You can do this as often or as little as you like.  For example, you can sit down in one sitting and each do several tags or you can make it a Sunday project where every Sunday you each do one and add it to the tree.  Its your choice based on your family's schedule.  Then on Thanksgiving dinner you move the Thankful tree to your table and it can be your centerpiece.

Then when Thanksgiving is over add them to a scrapbook or special box.  When your kids are older they will have fun looking at what they wrote.  Since my son is too young to participate this year, I wrote his based on what he might say.  He loves his milk so I put "whole milk" for him.  He'll get a good laugh when he's older and it will spark my memory of this wonderful time.

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!!!!

Gotta Make It: Thanksgiving Banner

"We are so blessed"

This "Give Thanks" banner will spruce up any dull area for Thanksgiving!  I chose to put it on our fireplace mantle since as of now its just for show...no fires.  But if you use your fireplace I might not recommend putting it there. :)

I used large blank luggage tags that you can find in your card section of your local craft store.  They are around $2-$3 for a package of 10...so it was our lucky day when I did the math (my grade school teachers get an A) and realized "Give Thanks" is exactly 10.

I decorated each one to my heart's content with paper, ribbon, stickers, and embellishments.  So have fun and do what you want to do with it!  Couple of  tips (if you want them)....1) to make sure the letters stood out and looked somewhat uniformed, since they are different colors and styles, I made sure to use a brown square as the background on each one.  This ties it together and although each tag is extremely unique from the others...they still look cohesive.  My other tip is to "ink" the edges with an inkpad.  This is one of my favorite tricks.  Just take your favorite color inkpad and run it along the edges.  It gives it a softer look and finishes it off.  You can go with the same color tone or provide contrast with a darker or lighter one.

I know your next question....how do I make that adorable star?  Well, lucky you, because tomorrow I will show you.  See you then!

Be inspired, get creative and have fun!