A Girl named Kent

Thanksgiving crafts!

Hope you all had a good thanksgiving. So I was running around yesterday not doing last minute grocery shopping but last minute craft shopping! I leave the cooking to my husband. Each year I try to come up with some type of craft for the kids and my sister in laws to do. This year I did a Thanksgiving tree and a turkey votive holder.

The turkey votive holder link is here. But I have to warn you - either use battery operated tea lights or use the bowl instead for candy or as a decoration. I can just see the tissue paper feathers go up in flame if you tried to light a real candle!

This Thanksgiving tree was inspired by this craft! But I came up with the tree all on my own!

This is how I did it:

Supplies:

heavy gauge florist wire (or coat hanger)

florist oasis (green bricks)

base

colorful shredded paper

wire cutter

hot glue gun

2 sheets of brown scrapbook paper

4 sheets of fall colored scrapbook paper

ribbon

hole punch

1. Take your base - mine was an aluminum pail I had laying around. Insert florist oasis to help anchor your wire.

2.Take heavy gauge florist wire (or you could use a straightened out coat hanger cut to size) and insert into oasis. Wrap additional peices of wire around the "trunk" and anchor the joints with hot glue. Cover florist oasis with shredded paper.

3. Use your spray bottle and spray your brown scrapbook paper lightly on both sides. Wad up the paper and spread out flat. Cut paper into strips depending on length of branches you are covering. Twist paper aroung wire. Adhere loose edges into place with hot glue.

4. Trim any excess wire that may be showing.

5. Create leaves from sheets of fall colored scrapbook paper (see link listed above) and have each guest write out what they are thankful for. Punch a hole in the stem and hang onto tree with ribbon.

This was so much fun to make and the scrapbook paper gives the leaves and tree great texture! I think this type of paper hold up better and almost becomes a fabric like texture when you mist it with water and wad it up.