Growing up, Thanksgiving dinner was a grand affair. There were nearly 40 people for dinner at my parents' house—aunts, uncles and cousins all arrived for the big day, bearing casseroles, desserts and more. However, my mother, as the hostess, often prepared the turkey, ham, dessert and side dishes of her own for the meal. It was a chaotic day of cleaning, cooking and preparing to host the festivities. My first Thanksgiving as a married grown-up, I decided to cook the complete dinner for my family. It was a chaotic day of cleaning, cooking and preparing to host a much smaller feast. The next time around, I was a lot better prepared. My mom actually thanked me for creating the most relaxing Thanksgiving she'd ever experienced. I have continued to use the plans and timeline year after year, … [Read more...]
Cereal Box Cut-Out Crafts Thanksgiving turkeys
Get those cereal boxes out of the recycling bin, grab your scissors and some glue and delight your family with colorful Thanksgiving table decorations. With minimal effort and materials, you can transform used food packaging into cheerful holiday decor. To make these fun cereal box turkeys, you need simply: cereal boxes or other cardboard food packaging glue stick or craft glue scissors optional: popsicle sticks, clothespins, cardboard roll, cardboard or foam core board scraps preferably, but not necessarily: circle cutter Read the directions here for assembling your cereal box turkeys. Use popsicle sticks for standing your turkeys (or, rather, poking them into something). Kids can also use them as paper puppets too. To use your cereal box turkey as part of your … [Read more...]
Creative Thanksgiving Table Ideas
Picture from A Stirring Life Decorating your Thanksgiving table can be a fun way to show off your personality and personal style. Spice it up with a fun centerpiece, place cards, napkin holders, and even display the menu for the day. Here are several more pictures of different table settings you can draw inspiration from. Do something different this year with your Thanksgiving centerpiece. I found this beautiful creation over at It's A Wonderful Life. It can be done with 3 plates some clear glasses, Jelly Beans or Fruit, and leaves, pine cones, etc. It's such a beautiful and unique centerpiece! Place card tutorial by Kari Place cards aren't only to decorate your table and make it look fabulous. Use them strategically to encourage great conversation and on the flip … [Read more...]
Turkey Art for Little Turkeys
My son had a friend over today and we decided to make Turkeys out of coffee filters. This project has been around for a while, but it's always a fun one! Here is what you need: coffee filters paper towels water-based markers (such as Crayola) a squirt bottle with water glue stick scrap paper in brown, red and yellow INSTRUCTIONS: Color the coffee filters in any way you like. Use lots of colors or just a few. I like to use at least two filters layered together. The color soaks through and you have two turkeys with just coloring one. After the coloring is done, spray the coffee filter with the squirt bottle, holding the filter over the sink. Hold it vertical and turn it around when you are done spraying. This will allow the colors to blend and run to make a neat … [Read more...]
