Thanksgiving Project -- make a Thankful Garland

 It's Thursday and time for Mrs. Bliss Holiday Workshop! 

Have you checked out all of the great holiday-related posts?? This week there are ideas from creating the perfect outfit for those parties, to wrapping gifts, making a centerpiece and more!! The complete projects and links are at the bottom of the post. 

Today I'd like to share a project that can help bring the spirit of Thanksgiving into your home this November --  

A Thanksgiving Garland. 

 **Note -- this garland could be used on a fireplace, a shelf, across a window, over a door frame or swagged on a wall -- you do not need to have a mantle.

I love Thanksgiving and I think it really gets overlooked between Halloween and Christmas. I want my kids to think about all of the things they are thankful for during the month of November. The garland has leaves on it which can be used in different ways. Here are some ways I thought might be fun to use it:

• You can have everyone write something they are Thankful for on Thanksgiving Day and then share those things at your dinner. Then when everyone is done sharing their leaves, you can put them on the banner.

• Or, you could put the banner up November 1st and have a family time where everyone writes their blessings on the leaves and then clip them on the banner and keep it up all month.

• Or, you could have each of your kids put a blessing on the garland each day, or once a week - depending on how many leaves you want on your garland. Then the blessings are up where everyone can see them all month and that helps everyone keep the spirit of thankfulness all month. 

**If your kids are too small to read or spell, they can draw a picture 

of what they are thankful for. 

I love it because it helps my kids focus on what Thanksgiving is all about and helps them be grateful for all of the positive things

in their lives.

If you would like to make one, here's what I used: 

• A Grapevine Garland


• Package of Clothespins


• Glitter (I used three different colors)


• Mod Podge


• Scrapbook Paper (I used 5 different patterns)


• A few Fall Floral Picks from the Craft Store


• Ribbon (I used three different kinds)


• Gorilla Glue Tape (to hold the garland in place)


• Fabric Scraps (I used 6 different fabric patterns)

Here's what I did: 



1. I unrolled my grapevine garland. I cut the garland a little bit longer than my mantle.

2. I taped the garland on the wall of my craft room while I put the project together, using Gorilla Tape.

3. Take the Fall Floral Picks, cut the pieces apart and put the randomly throughout the grapevine garland. Hot glue them in place.

4. Take a piece of ribbon, wrap it around the garland. Hot glue in place on each end.

5. Make Fabric Rosettes. (Here is a tutorial on how to make Fabric Rosettes.) I made 12 rosettes using 6 different fabrics. Arrange the rosettes in groups. I used 4 groups of 3 rosettes and hot glued them onto the grapevine garland. You will need to press them in place until the glue cools.

6. Brush a layer of Mod Podge over one side of a clothespin. Then sprinkle the clothespin with glitter. Press down on the glitter to make sure it adheres. I had a special assistant help me with this! This is a project that is really fun to do with your kids!! And if they help make it, they will be more excited to make the Blessing Leaves with you later!!

7. Mod Podge and glitter all of your clothespins. I made 20, but you can make as many as you like.

8. Cut out your leaves. I created some leaves and cut them out with my Silhouette. If you don'y have a Silhouette, I created a template you can use. Just print it out and cut out the shapes with scissors. OR, go simpler and cut out a plain, oval leaf shape.

Maple Leaf. Oak Leaf.

9. Clip the leaves on the garland with the sparkly clothespins.

10. Cut out two sets of three different ribbons. Tie the ribbon together on each end of your garland. You can use the ribbon to secure the garland to whatever surface you are putting the garland on.

11. OR, you can use something like Gorilla Tape to secure the ends of the garland to your mantle, door frame or wall. Then cover up the tape with your ribbon on the ends. I also secured the garland to the mantle in a few different places on the mantle so the garland would lay flat. I put the tape underneath the rosettes or under something else that would camouflage the tape.

Now you have a pretty, Thankful Garland that is ready for people to write their blessings on!!

XOXO

The workshop continues at these lovely locations:

Mindy Lockard Getting your stationery wardrobe ready for the holidays + a giveaway

Pemberley Collections Creating a Fall Centrepiece

The Entertaining House  Cocktails to Kick off Your Holiday Season

Lily Lemon Tree In Vogue at the Tailgate Party: The Height of Chic on the Twenty Yard Line

Ab home Interiors The Colors you need now for instant holiday glamour.

Lucky Life Parties  Setting Up Bar and Food Stations

The Daily Basics  Creating Fun Holiday Traditions - Memories You'll Love

Housewife Bliss  The Art of Wrapping

PS --  The Weekend Wrap Up Post and winners will be announced tonight (Thursday)! 

And -- Great news!!  Barn Owl Primitives

just told me that if they reach 1,000 comments, they will give away another gift certificate - and this one will be for $50!! So - you have a chance at winning THREE gift certificates!!  Come over and enter :)

I am linking to: