Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to remember all the blessings in your life. Today, I’m going to show you:
How to make your own Thanksgiving Tree!
I love the idea behind a Thanksgiving Tree! It’s a fun project that the whole family can get in on.
First things first, you need to collect some sticks, twigs, and branches.
They don’t have to be from the same tree, because we’re going to paint them in the end! What you want to look for is branches that have a lot of offshoots, because that will give you more places to hang your leaves.
I wanted mine to look more like a miniature tree, and less like a bunch of branches, so I used some floral tape to create the shape I wanted. That is the start of the tree trunk.
I taped smaller twigs to the larger branches to achieve the look I wanted. I also taped some of the more delicate twigs at the joints so that pieces wouldn’t break off if handled by children. (Nothing has broken yet! And we’ve had dolls “climbing” in the tree all day!)
As you can see, I combined the branches that would work best for the overall shape. Then I brought them down together, and combined them into one trunk. So far so good!
The next step is PAINT! I went with a very pale gray, because that’s what I had on hand. Make sure you cover all the branches completely!
I think it looks great as is! (And I’m already thinking of what I’m going to hang on it every season…. hearts, easter eggs, spiders!)
Make sure you let the paint dry according to manufacturer’s instructions. Then I surrounded the base of my thanksgiving tree with moss. (You can pick up moss at your local dollar store!)
Now it’s time for my favorite part! Write down what you’re most thankful for on leaves that will hang on your tree! It IS a Thanksgiving tree.
(Taylor is VERY thankful for candy.)
To hang the leaves on the tree, I took a needle and threaded it through the top of each leaf. You could punch a hole and use ribbon, or you could even use paperclips!
I love seeing what everyone is thankful for!
How cute is this? Every night, we pick a leaf and discuss WHY we’re thankful for that blessing. It’s a great dinner time conversation starter!
The finished product!
It cost me a grand total of $0.00 because I already had everything on hand. If you don’t have floral tape, you can pick it up at your local crafting store for under $3. Or you could just try and find the perfect branch.
It also makes a great centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dinner!
This project was so fun and easy, and it is a really great way to get your kids thinking about the things they are truly thankful for.
To get your hands on the cute leaf template that I used here (and to pick up that oh so cute “be thankful” banner you see in the background) visit Leelou Blogs! And get your FREE Thanksgiving milk carton printable at MMB! (example below. Yes, I made those too. Cuteness, I know!)
Link to Milk Carton download. Link to Leelou Thanksgiving printables.
