Let’s get this straight. I am not a crafty person, and I don’t particularly enjoy craft projects. Performing art is my thang, not creating it with my hands, okay? Okay. That information is relevant to this post to show that even a non-crafty gal like myself is fully capable of creating a Thankful Tree. I wanted to try this out (thanks for the idea, Pinterest) because I absolutely love Thanksgiving. I also believe that not only speaking of gratitude, but genuinely feeling it every day, is one of the most positive and healthy things one can do.
I only spent $13 on supplies for this project. I bought the paper, the fake tree thing (what are those called, anyway?), double-sided tape and ribbon. I already had a brown marker, a hole punch, a vase and vase beads to use. It took me about an hour and a half to complete the tree. I did it on my own of course because, after all, my child is 2 and this cute little tree certainly didn’t hold his attention for more than 15 seconds at a time. I made two leaf patterns, one larger than the other. I made the glitter leaves larger and the plain, tan ones smaller. I taped them together (you could glue them if you’d prefer), wrote down something that we’re thankful for, punched a hole in it and tied it on the tree with the ribbon. There are plenty of ways to customize your tree. You could use different colored paper than I did, you could do a more elaborate leaf pattern or you could do multiple leaf sizes. Because I prefer less frills I kept my tree minimal and simple, but you could always use a curvier vase or even tie a great, big bow around it. Whatever floats your boat.
I now realize the overall value of a project like this if you have a child at least 3 years old that wants to make it with you. For about $13 you get a couple hours worth of activity together, and you get a pretty Thankful Tree to display in your home for the entire month of November. Plus, you’re reminding your kiddo how incredibly important it is to be thankful for specific things in life.
P.S. To be even more unique and save a few bucks, use real sticks and twigs from your yard instead of fake ones.
Kind Kiddo 