How to Make A Thanksgiving Wreath

By Amanda Marks

Fall is my favorite time of year, I love the leaves changing colors, the coolness at nights and the start of the holidays.  Last year I made a holiday trivet with my kids hand prints as turkeys this year I decided to make a wreath with the same idea.  My problem was how and the world can I make the turkeys?  Answer Creative Paperclay.


Materials:
Hand-print Templates (hand-prints traced and cut out onto paper)
Creative Paperclay
Pipe Installation (from Home Depot) or a Wreath
Duct Tape
Ribbon
Leaves (can be fake or real - I used real leaves that I painted with Metallic paints)
Hot Glue Gun and Sticks
Scissors
Fondant Roller (rolling pin)
Exacto Knife
Paint
Googly Eyes (optional)
Feathers (optional)
Pop Top or Wire (for hanging)

Amazing Mold Putty
Delight Paperclay
Acorn

1.  Take your pipe installation and duct tape it together to form a circle.  If you have a wreath you can skip this step.

2.  Take your ribbon ad wrap the wreath or the pipe installation with the ribbon.  You will need to secure the ribbon with hot glue at the beginning and at the end.

 3.  Trace the hands of the child or children onto paper and cut out.  Take your Paperclay and roll out a uniformed thickness, place template on the clay and cut out the template with an Exacto Knife.  Allow to flat dry for 24 hours - to avoid warping flip half way through the drying process.  TIP: If your piece does warp - get a piece of wax paper, spray both sides of the Paperclay piece with water.  Sandwich the Paperclay piece between the wax paper and place under a heavy book for about two hours.  Your piece will be dry and flat.

4.  Paint and decorate your Paperclay "turkeys" - I let my children do this part.

5.  Assemble the wreath.  I placed the leaves on the background towards the top and added acorns.  I then added my turkeys to the bottom of the wreath.

6.  I decided my wreath needed something else so I wanted acorns.  I decided to take my lonely acorn I found on my walk and decided to make a mold.  The video is a short video of me making the mold.

My acorn un-molded and trimmed.

Since I seem to have a squirrel infestation (i.e. Booga) I had to repair my acorns with the Delight.

7.  Instead of wire I hot glued a Pop Top (beer tab, etc.) to the back of the wreath for hanging.

8.  Hang up outside so the local wildlife can enjoy it - they frog really wanted his picture taken.