Candle crafts are great Thanksgiving projects for families to work on together. The finished crafts can be used to decorate any room in the house for Thanksgiving or displayed proudly on the family dinner table.
Paper Handprint Turkey Candle Project
Crafters of any age can make these easy paper handprint turkey candle crafts.
Materials
- Small glass container, such as an empty yeast jar or a baby food jar
- Colored tissue paper
- Scissors
- Red, yellow, and orange colored construction paper
- Pencil
- Craft glue
- Foam paint brush
- Wiggle eyes
- Flameless candle
Instructions
- Tear or cut the tissue paper into small squares.
- Cover a glass jar with a thin coating of glue, then cover the glue with tissue paper squares. You can place the tissue in a pattern, or scatter it randomly. Overlapping is fine.
- Carefully apply another thin coating of glue over the tissue paper and allow the jar to dry. Repeat this process of layering glue and tissue until you get the overall look you like.
- When the glue has dried, use the construction paper to transform the jar into a turkey. Trace a child's hands for the feathers. You'll want to create two handprints to overlap: one red and one orange.
- Use glue to attach the handprint feathers to the back of the jar.
- Add wiggle eyes.
- Add a yellow triangle of craft foam for the turkey's beak.
- Add your flameless candle to the inside of the jar.
Craft Foam Thanksgiving Turkey Craft
Craft foam sheets are easy to cut and very sturdy, which makes them a wonderful choice for holiday craft projects. Look for foam sheets at your local dollar or discount store.
Materials
- Small red, brown, or tan votive candle in a glass jar
- Red, orange, and yellow craft foam
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
- Eye and mouth stickers
Instructions
- Cut feather shapes from the craft foam. You'll want two feathers of each color.
- Use your hot glue gun to attach the feathers to the jar. Alternate the colors for a pretty seasonal effect.
- Add the stickers to create a face for your turkey. The stickers used in this example are part of Yoobi's sticker and stencil set.
Note that lighting the candle could be a fire hazard with the foam, so do this project with votive candles that are not meant to be lit -- the color will help represent the turkey's body.
Wine Glass Turkey Candle Holder
A simple wine glass can be turned into festive Thanksgiving day décor using colorful washi tape. Since the tape removes with no adhesive residue, you can easily disassemble this project after enjoying your holiday meal.
Materials
- Clear wine glass
- Red, orange, and gold washi tape
- Scissors
- Wiggle eyes
- Yellow craft foam
- Hot glue gun
- Votive candle in holder
Instructions
- Place your wine glass upside down in front of you. Apply strips of red and orange washi tape to make the turkey feathers. Layer strips of gold tape to make the turkey body.
- Add wiggle eyes.
- Add a nose by cutting a triangle from craft foam and adhering with your hot glue gun.
- Place a votive candle on top of the wine glass.
More Candle Craft Ideas
There are lots of other Thanksgiving turkey candle crafts that you can make at home, using a variety of methods and materials. Some fun suggestions include:
- Pumpkin turkey candelabra - This comical turkey made from a pumpkin holds several taper candles which act as tail feathers. Keep an eye on it as the candles burn, and make sure you keep it away from active children and pets.
- Simple wrapped candle - Use this basic method to create a Thanksgiving candle with a turkey motif. All you need is some scrapbook paper or card stock with a turkey pattern instead of the pattern shown. Instead of the cut-out heart in this project, use a cut-out turkey.
- Minimalist turkey candle - This project uses popsicle sticks and a tea light candle to create the turkey. If desired, you could paint the sticks with acrylic craft paint for added color.
Displaying Your Thanksgiving Candle Crafts
Give yourself enough time to make lots of these fun candle crafts so that you can display them proudly! They can be set up in almost any room, especially if you choose to use battery operated candles. Surprise guests by placing a couple of these whimsical candle crafts in your bathroom, as well as on side tables, buffet tables, and of course, as part of your Thanksgiving centerpiece.
