Julie Finn
Thanksgiving tends to be an overlooked holiday, in my opinion, treated as nothing more than a stopover between Halloween and Christmas. I mean, there’s a parade on TV, there’s a feast that’s exactly the same as the feast that you’re going to have again in a month, and there’s football.
Oh, and the next day’s abject consumerism. Can’t forget that!
But the truth is that this overlooked holiday can be a much-needed stopover. Halloween is wild, Christmas can be stressful, but Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is when you stop and take a deep breath. Thanksgiving is when you relax. Thanksgiving is when you appreciate what you have, and try to remember that you don’t need to go out the next day and buy a bunch more of it.
And that’s why the best Thanksgiving crafts are simple. They’re homemade. They’re made by kids, perhaps. They’re made from natural materials. And here, below, they’re made from recycled materials.
Find something that you love from the following list of Thanksgiving crafts from recycled materials. Find something simple, that you can make from stuff you already have around the house. Find something that you can make with a kid. Find something that helps you remember to appreciate what you already have, and remember that you don’t need to buy anything else to be happy.
1. cereal box table decor. Who knew that you could make table decorations from cereal boxes?!?
2. coffee can turkey. Kids will love this classic Thanksgiving craft transformed into an upcycling project.
3. egg carton turkey. Looking for the perfect preschool craft? Here it is!
4. “Give thanks” plaque. Here’s a simple decorative piece for your Thanksgiving table.
5. Gourdo Greenface. Gather lots of fun recycled bits and bobs for this project, which lets kids create their own Mr. Potato Head-style pumpkin.
6. gratitude place cards. Add a pencil to each setting, and let people write what they’re thankful for on their place card.
7. napkin rings. Upcycled components make these napkin rings unique and interesting.
8. painted bottles. Upcycle all kinds of weird old bottles into beautiful Thanksgiving decor.
9. reverse applique handprint turkey shirts. This is one of my all-time favorite holiday crafts. Start with a shirt that has a stain or a logo, and end up with the most adorable, wearable keepsake shirt that you’ve ever seen.
10. toilet paper tube turkey. I do NOT want you to use paint chips for this turkey, okay? I really, really, really need you to use interesting upcycled papers, instead–glossy magazine pages, newspaper painted with watercolors, unwanted kids’ art projects, etc.
11. upcycled building blocks. These blocks are reversible, so you can make the same decoration work for Thanksgiving AND Christmas.
Do you have more ideas for Thanksgiving crafts from recycled materials? Share them with me in the Comments below!
