When I was a young girl, it was my job to make the place cards for holiday dinners. I felt so important as I wrote each name and decorated each tiny card. The festive way they made the table look made me want to use place cards for every meal.
I still feel that way!
In the fall, my favorite chocolate shop has chocolate turkeys to put at each place setting for Thanksgiving. As soon as I saw them I wanted them desperately for my own table. Sadly, at six dollars a pop, I couldn’t rationalize spending that much money. That didn’t stop me from eying them jealously every year.
Well, finally I found a much cheaper alternative. Plus, it’s a fun craft to do with your kids.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ferrero Rocher Chocolates
- Gold pipe cleaners plus two red ones
- Chocolate coins or another flat wrapped candy
- Hot glue gun and scissors
Instructions:
1. Carefully fold back the paper wrappers on the candy to form a tail. If you keep your thumb in the center of the paper liners, they won’t detach from the candies. Peel off the little sticker on the other side of the Ferrero Rocher.
2. Cut each gold pipe cleaner in half and curl it up like a fiddle fern (about halfway). Pinch the front of the coil into the shape of a beak. Cut a small piece of red pipe cleaner and feed it through the bottom to be a “wattle”. Curve the bottom into a neck shape.
3. Using a glue gun, put a dab of glue on a gold coin and place the Ferrero Rocher on top. Put glue on your pipe cleaner turkey neck and press it onto the turkey body (if your neck is too long, simply snip a bit off the bottom). By putting the glue on the pipe cleaner instead of the candy, you won’t melt the chocolate.
4. If you want to get fancy, you could add wings and eyes to your turkeys. I rather like this simple version. You could also use a thick craft glue, but you’d have to wait for it to dry. Moms will probably want to be the ones using a glue gun and remember to always have a bowl of ice water on hand in case of burns.
I made 12 turkeys for the price of one at the chocolatiers! Plus, they were fun to make. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
