Samantha Nurse, Web and Social Media Coordinator

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this is a great time to get creative and make a nature-themed fall craft. Here are 3 easy crafts to get you in the holiday spirit:

Autumn placemats
The vibrant reds, oranges and yellows of fall foliage make a great decoration for the holiday season. You can make a placemat for your Thanksgiving feast by following these few simple steps:

1. Head out for a walk around your neighborhood or your favourite park and gather a collection of leaves. Try to collect as many colours and shapes as you can.
2. Cut two pieces of clear contact paper about two feet long and remove the backing from the first piece. Arrange the leaves on the sticky side and seal the mat by placing the second piece on top. If you’d like to add more colour, place a piece of construction paper behind the leaves before sealing the mat. Just give the edges a trim and you’re all done!

Apple stamps
Apples aren’t just for eating! They can also be a fun way to decorate almost any surface. Lucky for us, creating an apple stamp is easy.

Apple Stamp photo by Wikiphoto (CC BY 3.0)

1. Enjoy a day of apple picking and crisp fall air at a local orchard. Save the good apples for eating and reserve the bruised ones for your craft.
2. Choose the surface you’d like to decorate. It can be a canvas bag, a notebook, a tablecloth or even a t-shirt. You’ll also need to choose some paint. Make sure to choose a type of paint that can sustain the wear and tear that your finished product will endure.
3. Cut the apple in half from top to bottom and absorb any excess moisture by pressing the cut side against a paper towel. Use a paintbrush to coat the cut side of the apple in the colour of your choice and stamp away. Be sure to hold the apple down firmly and apply equal pressure to the top and sides.
4. Once the image has dried, use a marker to put the finishing touches on your creation by drawing a stem or leaf on your print.

Squash bowling
Are you up for a craft that is a bit more adventurous? How about making some bowling pins out of squash? A game of bowling is a great way to pass the time while you wait for Thanksgiving dinner to cook. Here’s how you get started:

1. Head out to your local farmer’s market and purchase 10 butternut squashes. You’ll also need a round gourd to act as your bowling ball.
2. Number each squash from 1 to 10 using vinyl sticker numbers. Cut two pieces of painter’s tape long enough to go around the squash and place one above and another below the number. This should mark a stripe around the squash.
3. Colour in the stripe with a marker or acrylic craft paint. After your “pin” is dry, carefully peel off the stickers and tape.
4. Create a bowling lane in your backyard, set up the pins and have fun!

Let us know how these crafts turn out for you or tell us of some of the crafts you and your family do on Thanksgiving!

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