Turkey Trot! Trot! Trot!

I love the month of November. There's a chill in the air and much to be thankful for! I get to celebrate my Birthday, my Wedding Anniversary and Thanksgiving!  After all that celebrating it will be time for a diet, but I won't bore with those details! Even though I am up to my ears in fabric and holiday orders, I wanted to share some projects with you that you can create yourself!  Maybe I will inspire you to get the paints, glue and flour out!
First, I love turkeys.  So that will be our theme. I have this fond memory of by little brother's kindergarten Thanksgiving performance...he stood on stage with a turkey mask and sang: 

Turkey trot, trot, trot. 

Across the lot, lot, lot. 

Feeling fine, fine, fine 

Until Thanksgiving time!

We still sing this every year and laugh about it.  Chris is now an Olympian and world class ski cross racer, so the fact that we still get such a good belly laugh out of that one silly song, warms my heart! 


I sent my little one off to school today for her Thanksgiving Feast and have been DYING to have her wear this dress. I have a lovely woman who is kind enough to make all the custom things I dream up. I got smart this time around and had her make this dress reversible. Halloween witch boots on one side and yes, you guessed it, a turkey on the other! I could have sold a dozen of these today, which got me thinking about needing to take sewing lessons!

My Little Miss in her Turkey Trot! Trot! Trot! Dress

Here is what I am whipping up using the turkey as my theme:
CRAFT

• Turkey Handprint Aprons
• Gather your girlfriends and their kiddos for a Pre-Turkey-Day Play Date.  Ask everyone to bring the following items:
• 1 bottle fabric paint
• 1 bottle puffy paint
• Aprons (light colored fabric works best>

(All the items can be purchased at your local craft store. I like to do an apron for me (the chef), one for Sophia (the sous chef) and our guests who will be joining us for Thanksgiving Dinner.  These also make fabulous hostess gifts if you heading out to give thanks.)

As you can see from the picture, you paint the hand and thumb brown and each finger a different color for the feathers and then place it on the apron. 
Next paint the legs, a beak and a wattle (aka the 'gobbler' in my house) onto the apron.  I am going one step further this year and hot-gluing a plastic eye on, but you can paint one on just as well. Be sure to paint names, the year and a fun saying.
Set everything aside to dry, let the kids play and enjoy the treats below!


TREATS
I have so many turkey treats to share, I had a hard time nailing down just two! 


Cookie Treats
These cookies are perfect to go along with your Turkey Apron Play Date. 

First, whip up your favorite sugar cookies (if you need a no fail, d-lish, A+ cookie recipe, send me a note and I will email you mine). Next, you will need chocolate icing for glue, candy corn (I have a ton leftover from Halloween), small candies for eyes and some tubes of colored icing. You can just follow the picture below and voila! Darling, yummy cookies!


Candy Treats
This idea came to me from one of my craftiest pals from college. Megsy, I love you and all your craftiness! These gobblers are super cute and you can eat them! I am using them as place cards this year since I have a table full of kiddos arriving for Thanksgiving dinner.


You will need:

• cherry cordials or truffles for bodies
• striped cookies for feathers
• oreos for stands
• candy corn for beaks
• chocolate chips for legs
• chocolate icing for glue

Just assemble them and giggle in delight like I did! So cute! So fun! So unexpected! 


TABLESCAPE
A friend came over last week and was floored that I had most of my table set for Thanksgiving. I find myself setting tables at odd hours when I have 10 minutes of silence and the whole house is still.  My entire dining room set has been passed down to me and belonged to my late grandparents. I like to spend time listening to my memories of great meals we shared together at that table.  I also like to imagine all the characters that have sat in those chairs.

Anyway, I think a lot of people are afraid to tackle a nice tablescape. Maybe your budget doesn't allow for extravagance.  Maybe you are pressed for time. Maybe you are not creative. I tried to come up with something using what I had instead of rushing out to buy more stuff. (insert happy husband here...he was thrilled to see this table knowing he didn't have to haul more boxes of new stuff (or crap) up to the attic come November 26)
I started with a vintage tablecloth from my grandmother.  I love her old things from Europe and try to use them all the time.  I added our HBDesigns Turkey Trot place mats.  I love these! One side mat (think charger for the toddler-aged), one side chalk board.  The kids can doodle while they wait for dinner to be served.  Heck, my husband will be doodling too! It's a win-win!

(shown fabric side up)

(shown chalk board side up)

You can see I tied a couple pieces of chalk up for each guest and I took time to write a little something on each mat to get the ideas flowing.
I added some pumpkins, candles and set everyone's place with china, silver, crystal and linen napkins. You're in a state of shock.  I know! I know! I am a little nuts! Yes, children will be sitting at this table! I use the 'good stuff' all the time.  Why should it sit in the china closet? Everything can be replaced and I feel like I am teaching my daughter how to respect and use nice things.  Finally, each guest gets a turkey gobbler which serves a tasty treat and a place card (with the addition of a Kit-Kat candy piece for the name). 

So there you have it.  I know we are all so busy, but some times you just have to take the time to sit and make things by hand.  If you can gather your friends and make things together, you'll be even more thankful you took the time.  I hope I inspired you to get creative!