Thanksgiving Weekend Events

valid on in-store visits only!

Gratitude and Creamed Spinach

I'm so grateful-

I personally love Thanksgiving. I like the cooking, I like the day off with the family. I like the fall colors and the easy way this holiday can expand or contract to be whatever you need. Gratitude can occur in many settings. For some, the expansive table must be perfectly set with crystal and china, placecards and an enormous bird. For others, the emphasis is different and the food is served up to just one or two diners, the day devoted to a movie marathon, or a run in the park, or a visit with a friend. No matter what you need or want to express your day of gratitude, Thanksgiving will accommodate it. Oyster stuffing? Yes. Tofurky? Sure. Hotdogs on a campfire? Yep. Thanksgiving can occur over any plate, with any filling.

Like sweet potato latkes. This year, we have Thankshanukkah, or Hanugiving. It's a rare occurrence when these two holidays, both with a focus on gratitude and wonder, are aligned. At our house, we are going to make our regular Thanksgiving items, but my girls both have heard about this alignment and so we may try to add a potato pancake or three. We don't usually celebrate Hanukkah (unless we are visiting friends) so this will be a new addition to our table. I think the discussion of the temple oil, and how fried foods are a treat in so many parts of the world, will be a nice addition to the conversation as we gather round the table.

I sort of think that's the point of Thanksgiving, adding and changing the items we expect on the table, being grateful for it all. When I married my husband, his family always had creamed spinach at Thanksgiving. I grew up in a family that only ate spinach raw, in salads, so that was very odd to me. It took me a few years, and a several attempts at trying it, to learn to love creamed spinach. Now I look forward to making it and I'm grateful for the addition to my palate.

Of course, Ornamentea will be closed on Thursday. Our staff and families will be home or with family, enjoying their day. We'll have lots of classes and four exciting Make-n-takes for you over the weekend, but on Thursday, we'll all be grateful for time with those we love. Shopping can wait.  One of the things I will be most grateful for on Thursday is you. Ornamentea is now going on our 14th year and we couldn't do it without the customer support we enjoy. I really do feel oh so grateful to our customers. 

Thank you-
Happy Thanksgiving!

Forced Crafting - Making your family craft when they least expect it

Ahh, that dinner was AMAZING!
I love your pie!
Thank you so much for cooking for us!

and after that, they scatter like marbles on a tile floor, don't they? Some might head to a movie, some go watch a game, maybe a few take a walk with the dog. Your aunt and her new boyfriend head to the porch to drink the rest of the wine and your teenager disappears into their bedroom to do whatever it is they do.

sigh

If you want to continue the fun of having everyone together for just a bit more, try making everyone craft after dinner.

No, I am not joking. I wasn't joking last year, either. I think that Thanksgiving Day is the perfect time to force everyone in your family (okay, as many as you can) to make something together. Yes, you know the joy of making things, but that new boyfriend? The last thing he made was a spread sheet. Your cousin? She only makes dinner reservations and annoying comments.

They need to make a CRAFT.

You are the person to show them how.

This Thanksgiving, make a craft with the family. It needs to be easy enough for everyone to do but have enough WOW factor that they'll all say 'that's pretty cool!' when they finish. I'm here to help.

Read my suggestions from previous years here.

Watch this space, my Forced Crafting Pinterest Page and our Ornamentea facebook page for more ideas all week.

Thanksgiving Day crafts for the whole family

I write about this every year. I can't help it. Somehow spending a whole day in the kitchen, drinking red wine and sprinkling sage on anything that doesn't move makes me want to be crafty. I take that feeling out on my dinner guests. I call it Forced Crafting.

Since they come back each year, I guess they like it, too.

If you are spending Thanksgiving with family and want to do something other than talk about politics or football or, heaven forbid, hit the 'early bird' sales, you need to craft. It's the best option. After the dinner is over just commandeer the dining table for an hour or two of MAKING THINGS. Your family and guests will thank you.

I promise.

 

Try making decopatched soap dispensers. Load up on some inexpensive pump-style soaps and get a mix of decopatch papers and glue. Cover the dining room table with an old shower curtain. Turn on some jazzy music. Get your uncle to do the paper-tearing, and let the kids cover the bottles in glue. Watch this video to prep for the experience. These make good teacher gifts, by the way!

Warning: this IS messy. Fun, but MESSY.

Create tiny snowman ornaments. This project is not messy. This project involves sticking a piece of wire through some felt balls. And using a permanent marker. These tiny snowmen are perfect for tying on gifts or just hanging around the house as snow-day good luck charms. See the tutorial for info. 

 Read a few more ideas here. 

Keep 'em busy! Family Crafts for Thanksgiving Day

Do you have family that you dearly love but would rather not spend too much time talking with? You know, the Aunty who likes to ask you if you have gained 12 or is it 15 pounds since she last saw you? That Uncle who always feels compelled to share the tale of the time when you were two years old and removed your pants during dinner and walked around with your napkin on your head? That second cousin who wants to get into some serious detail about her latest surgery DURING the meal? Of course you know these people, as a matter of fact, they are all having dinner with you this week.

After dinner is over you may want to hide under the coats on the guest bed, or veg in front of the t.v. and pretend to watch some football game while trying not to talk about politics. Don't. You rarely see these people. Torture them with forced crafting. If you were at my house and were one of my crazy relatives you would be forced to do something crafty. I do it every year and every year the reluctant "I can't do this!" family member ends up telling me that they had such a great time.

Here are this year's pics for sure-fire post-dinner crafts for Thanksgiving day:

Felty Pumpkins
This is a craft that almost anyone age 5+ can participate in. All you need are a few balls of wool roving, some felting needles and foam blocks. Lay out the roving, chat for a few minutes about safety with the needles (DON'T poke them in your brother, DO keep them on the table, DON'T poke them in your sister!) and let the family go at it. Choose roving in pumpkin shades or you can even branch out to apples or peaches if your family is super creative.

Get a free downloadable tutorial here and print it out for everyone.

Bonus: family members will channel aggression into the needle and won't remember to make snarky comments about your new gray hairs!

Stamped Name Pendants
Great for anyone old enough to spell, but the younger ones will enjoy just hitting the metal! You'll need a bench block, a set of letter punches, a hammer, a selection of metal discs (I like brass) and a metal hole punch. Spread everything out on the kitchen table or on the back porch and watch your roughest-toughest guys stamp out tags for their hunting dogs. I suggest having each person trace their disc and write out the name they want to punch before putting hammer to metal. That should help cut down on the folks who forget how to spell their own name.

Bonus: Even the most jaded teenager will put down the wii and come see what all the pounding is about. Take pictures!

Bottlecap Magnets
Powdered resins like Amazing Glaze are fun to use and non-toxic and who doesn't want a magnet with a picture of their own favorite Auntie? You can work ahead by printing out family photos, words or team logos and by drinking lots of beverages in capped bottles. Add some do-dads like buttons, glitter, tiny toys or rhinestones and your family members will keep making these until you beg them to stop. Oh, for the magnets you can hit your local hardware store. I love Seaboard Ace Hardware in Raleigh. Use E-6000 or 527 to glue the magnets to the bottle caps.

Bonus: You could make some for absent family members and mail them, nothing says 'we missed you' like commemorative handicrafts!

Get a free downloadable tutorial here and you'll have all the Amazing Glaze tips you could want.

So, have a happy Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful for the crazy, messy, crafty folks you are surrounded with. Send me pictures or let me know how your day went.

Getting Crafty with the Family

Are you hosting a whole crowd for Thanksgiving? Are you the out-of-town auntie who needs to arrive with magic tricks up your sleeves? Either way, I am a big fan of forced crafting. Seriously. While dinner is cooking or after the table has been cleared you can insist that everyone join you in making something. A few will complain, but if you are insistent you can get a good participation level. The memory of making something together will be with everyone for years; long after the memory of seeing Bolt at the multiplex fades.

What are some good crafts for the multitudes?

I like beaded snowflakes pictured above. Get out all the still-clean soup bowls from the china cabinet and fill them with 6-0 beads and other sparklies. Show Grandpa how to twist the wire on the ends to make a loop and let the kids make snowflakes nature never would. It's o.k. to make a mix of crazy colors. Hang these all in Aunt Edna's window when you take her back to the nursing home or send one home with each family to remind them how you are all alike, but different.

Try making some bottle cap magnets with a resin (Amazing Glaze or Diamond Glaze) and old magazine photos. Grab some buttons, bits of tinsel and other found objects to add the the fun, or let your family members cut up some dictionary pages to make magnets with a message. Glue a magnet on the back of the bottlecap after the resin is dry or cooled off.

Cover something with Decopatch paper...a chair or table, Uncle John's truck, whatever. This is a big project that all can help with...if you want to go the easy route try covering individual paper mache animals or buy a box of new pencils...voila! great stocking stuffers!


What are your favorite crafts for groups? Post them in the comments section..