Turkey Cookies

 I have wanted to make this set of cookies for several years. It sat in my pins, and I was always going to make these for my table for Thanksgiving, but the people attending Thanksgiving this year would not appreciate the effort (minus about three), so....when I was assigned a task for a faux Thanksgiving table for a meeting at work-I signed on for cookies, and these were so easy, I might even make a set for people who don't appreciate the small details quite like me (they won't be offended by the comments).

 I used this recipe.  The cookies hold their shape, and the icing doesn't get as smooth as Royal, but it's so delicious.  I used a letter set of cookie cutters from the craft store I already had.  Next, I  dyed my icing brown, then got some heart and eye ball sprinkles from Wilton.  I was also feeling lazy and just bought some orange decorators icing (which I do a lot for reds and blacks if I don't need a lot of the color, b/c it can be a hassle to get the right color). I squeezed it from the tube and added about a teaspoon of Clear Karo Syrup to the 1/4 c. of icing.

 I piped the brown, then added the eyes and heart, and piped on the nose.  I let the icing harden over night and bagged them up.

There is about to be a lot more baking going down at my house this week b/c there are about 9 meals I'm attending in the next 7 days.  I have to bring a dish to most, and like any good blogger, I'm trying out things for the first time and making other people eat them.  Forget Grandma's Recipe.  I'm saving those for Thanksgiving for the fuddy duddies, who also won't be eating Turkey Cookies, but they will eat Grandmother's dressing.  And....so will I.  

Turkey Fan Blade

 Last spring I replaced one of my fans.  When I say I-I mean, my brother.  I mostly watched and held screws. I'm pretty sure Frankenstein wired my house, so even if I had the arm strength to hold the fan up long enough to get it screwed in, the wiring doesn't exactly follow normal package instructions.  All this to say, I'm grateful my house hasn't burnt down b/c 'we' did something wrong, and...I pulled the old fan blades off of my old fan before tossing it.  The saddest part is...I only have six and I can't quit painting them.

I've already shared a pumpkin, and I have another one I'm about to post, but now...my turkey-by far the easiest.  You can use the round foam brushes to make eyes, but I wanted mine larger than the brushes I had.  I used the bottom of a coke can to make the circle and then painted the inside.  I free handed the nose etc...nothing too fancy and then flicked a bunch of black and white paint across the whole thing with a toothbrush.  I added a bunch of colorful ribbon for the 'tail' and some wire through the holes the manufacturer drilled into this blade years ago.  In other news-this is where hoarders learn to justify their keepings.

Turkey: Finger Puppets for Thanksgiving

 I was trying to find something easy (and affordable) to mail this year to the kiddos in my life for Thanksgiving, and then I saw the idea for Thanksgiving finger puppets the Idea Room.  I cut out my pieces, and normally I would have used fabric glue...but my fabric glue was old, and so I sewed all the pieces together instead b/c it was too late to go to the craft store, and it was on my to do list to finish these...and the to do list wins out on any battle.  I'm pretty sure these will be well loved....though I'd like to see how things play out in the finger puppet world on Thanksgiving when it's time for the felt friends to serve up a meal...I may have to send along some cash for future therapy bills for some of the younger siblings receiving these puppets.

Turkey: Table Entertainment

I made this little coloring book this year.  Here is a free printable.  I saw the idea for filling a little cup with crayons for the kids at the table and decided to add a little something TO color.  I even typed out the abbreviated version of the Thanksgiving story...there is an educator in me that couldn't skip the opportunity.  I doodled some pictures to go along.  You can print, fold in half (hamburger fold) and then fold again and ta da-a book.  I added a little face to a cup and the crayons are the feathers.  I saw the idea for the cup at howdoesshe.  I'm always looking for easy table entertainment....I spent a lot of time wishing to be anywhere but the children's table at holidays...I think crayons to distract me would have either eliminated a few therapy sessions...or it would have at least saved a few of my Mom's china dishes.

Turkey Veggie Cup

Here's an easy little idea for the kid's table this Thanksgiving....and turkey favors that just so happened to be veggie sticks are so much cooler than veggies that are healthy.  You can fill the bottom with ranch...or not, then just pile some celery/carrots and whatever else (bell pepper strips?) into a cup, then attach a turkey face.  Here is a free printable if you want to use this one, or get our your scissors and make your own.  The good thing about raw celery is it taste really good with ranch.  The bad thing about raw celery for me...is it takes ranch to make it taste good.  Or peanut butter.

Gingerbread Turkey Cookies

Last year I found these gingerbread turkey cookies and I used them as my Thanksgiving place settings.  How easy and cute are these?  Here is a recipe for a great, soft gingerbread cookie.  Use a turkey cookie cutter, ice and enjoy.  Gobble 'em up. 

Turkey Toes

 I'm always trying to think of things you can mail that would be fun to find in your box.  Last year I mailed out these little bottles of candycorns turkey toes.  Pretty much candy corn=anything but it's original name in the fall. 

 I added the address on side two, and the mailing label along the side.  I taped up the top (bought this bottle at the craft store in the soap/sand section).  No actual turkeys were harmed in the making of this fun mailer. 

No Sew Turkey Shirt

It's hard work finding an appropriate gift to send to a nine month old for each holiday.  Someday, she will appreciate sugar and plush items, but for now, it's pretty much about pleasing my goddaughter's mama and I.  I'm sending along a little turkey shirt for her to wear this year now that she's worn her Halloween outfit-it's time to look forward.  I found a brown shirt for two bucks at the craft store, and I used scrap fabrics to cut out the turkey body and feathers (here is a free template for the turkey body). 

I used light weight steam a seam, which requires zero sewing.  Here are the steps for using this stuff, but it really just requires an iron, and this makes fabric stick to fabric.  If you wash and the edges lift off a bit, just iron it down again and it's good as new and requires no sewing machines.  If you can cut, you can cute-se-fy anything. 

I ironed down my feathers, then added the turkey.  You could also use fat ribbon scraps-the steam a seam works on ribbon too. 

See, peeling off that steam a seam and it sticks. 
I did add some button eyes, but you could color these on with permanant markers, use black fabric and more steam a seam, glue these on, or get mad, call me a liar and refuse to visit my blog ever again.  Ever.  Because I did say there was no sewing, and here I snuck a little in, but the black button eyes were worth it.