you turkey lurkey.

with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought I'd share a holiday-inspired craft with you today.  oh my!  and now she even crafts!  well, actually I have to give credit to my aunt for this one-- this was the project she brought for the kids to work on while Gary and I were busting our behinds hiking the Grand Canyon.

I thought it was a really fun and cute idea!  plus it's inexpensive!  and easy enough for even the littlest ones!  and not too messy!  and no I'm not geting paid to talk this up!

so, if you're going to have a lot of kidlets at your Thanksgiving get-together, this might be the perfect little craft to keep them entertained.  because, as we all know, there's nothing more annoying than stepping on little toes and shooing away hungry, whiny kids while you're bustling in the kitchen doing those last minute preparations.  is it time to eat yet?  I'm staaarving.  no, and if I hear those words one more time, you're getting an extra helping of sweet potatoes.  you know, that orange mushy stuff that us old people like?  yeah, so vamoose!     

supplies you will need:

• pipe cleaner; an assortment of colors
• googly eyes
• pinecones (we have an over-abundance of these in our backyard so feel free to come grab a few)
• stiffened felt
• glue

1. cut the pipe cleaners into thirds.  form each third into a loop and twist the ends together.

2. place the twisted pipe cleaners into the fat end of the pinecone (note: I didn't use any glue for this part, they seemed to stay pretty well put on their own)

3. attach two googly eyes (I used a glue gun so it might be a good idea to have the older kids help the younger ones with this step)

4. make a beak using yellow pipe cleaner and attach to the pinecone with glue.

5. make a gobble gobble (?) using red pipe cleaner and attach with glue.

6. cut a square of stiffened felt and glue the pinecone to it. (this helps it to stay upright)

see?  how easy is that?

it might be a good idea to set up a separate folding table for the kids to work at.

and if you have a lot of kids like me, you'll end up with an army of turkeys.  one for every family member, but that's okay!  whatever it takes to keep them occupied and out of your hair for a time, right?        

you guys I just thought of this; they could also double as a centerpiece for the kids' table!  or a place card holder!  hey ohhhh!  how cute would that be?

have fun crafting!

-jessica