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DIY Thanksgiving Turkey Treats Tutorial

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Filled with candy, these Thanksgiving Turkey treats are perfect for classroom parties, the kids’ table, or as place holders at your Thanksgiving feast!

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving, aside from the food of course, is the crafts! This year I have lots of fun crafts and treats planned, the first of which I think you will love! Since my Halloween candy-filled ornaments were such a huge hit, I took inspiration from them to make this adorable DIY Thanksgiving Turkey treat!

Filled with candy, these Thanksgiving Turkey treats are perfect for classroom parties, the kids’ table, or you could even add a name card and use them as place holders at your Thanksgiving feast! #DIY #crafts #ThanksgivingCrafts #cricut

Filled with candy, these Thanksgiving Turkey treats are absolutely adorable. They are perfect for classroom parties, the kids’ table, or you could even add a name card and use them as place holders at your Thanksgiving feast!

Whatever you choose to do, I promise that these will be a huge hit with friends and family!

two finished DIY Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

How to Make Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

Like with my DIY Grinch Ornaments, I used my Cricut Explore Air™ to make these turkeys. However, if you don’t have a Cricut or other die-cutting machine, no problem! All you need is some cardstock and scissors, a feather template (or you can trace your kid’s hands!), and you are good to go!

If you DO have a Cricut, you can use my feather file HERE (UPDATED LINK 2023).

Update 2023: I just reshared this on Design Space to make it public, but for some reason, Cricut is charging people for the use of a file I designed. I believe this is because the beak and the snood came from a file that used to be free. It is either gone or is no longer free.

I have made the original project public once more by adding an image so hopefully you should be able to access the original project files. IF NOT, you should now be able to access my new feather file with no issues either at the link above or at: https://design.cricut.com/landing/project-detail/6554e329c213e82644a9efb8

For the Head, Beak, and Snood

The circle for the head is no longer in my new feather file. However, simply make a circle that measures 1.4 by 1.4 and add it to the design before you cut.

As for the beak and the snood: if I add the comma-shaped snood and the beak, it again tries to charge people for the entire design. So I would either make it myself or search in design space for a free turkey with a beak and snood you can use.

Here are some measurements if you decide to make them yourself:

  • The beak is simply a triangle that measures .39 by .25
  • The snood is around .33 by .72

Please leave me a comment if you have any issues accessing the feather file and I will do my best to fix it.

Some other ways to make turkey feathers: trace your hand or your child’s. Or you can find any image through a search and trace it to make a stencil using tracing paper, then put it on the construction paper.

supplies to make DIY Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

Supplies You Will Need to Make Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

(To purchase any of the necessary items, just click them in the above list. I have links embedded in each to make things easier on you! These are affiliate links so if you make a purchase using them, I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you).

close up of a finished Thanksgiving Turkey Treat

Directions to Make Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

Making this easy Thanksgiving craft takes very little time.

Step One: Clean Ornaments

Begin by washing the ornaments with hot soapy water first. Swirl it around inside, rinse and place upside down on a rack to dry.*

Step Two: Fill Ornaments

Now fill the ornament with Reese’s Pieces®, and replace the cap.

wash and then add candy to ornament for Thanksgiving Turkey Treat

Step Three: Cut Feathers

Using a cutting machine such as the Cricut or Silhouette (or even pre-made stencils), create the feathers from cardstock. If you have a Cricut machine, you can use this Thanksgiving Turkey Treats feathersfile. SEE UPDATE ABOVE

glue feathers together

Step Four: Assemble and Attach Feathers

Next, glue the feathers together like in the picture above. Then using hot glue, attach the feathers to the back of the ornament.

attach feathers to ornament

Step Five: Assemble and Attach Head

For the head, cut out a circle measuring 1.4 by 1.4 inches from brown cardstock. Then cut a triangular-shaped beak from orange cardstock and a snood (I used sort of an elongated teardrop design) from red cardstock.

cut out head, wattle and beak for Thanksgiving Turkey Treats from cardstock

Now glue the wiggly eyes, the beak, and the snood on to the circle you cut for the head. Then hot glue the head onto the front of the silver cap of the ornament.

glue head to front of ornament cap then add eyes, beak and snood to make face of the DIY Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

Step Six: Make and Attach the Legs

Now all that is left is to make the legs. You’ll need 6 (six-inch-long) pipe cleaners for each turkey, three per leg. Starting about one and a half inches up from the bottom end of the three pipe cleaners, begin twisting them together. Continue twisting until you reach the top.

Next, spread out the bottom part (the part that is not twisted together) of the pipe cleaners to form the toes, and then make a 90° bend so the feet are pointing upward.

make Thanksgiving Turkey Treats legs by twisting pipe cleaners together

Using hot glue, attach each leg to the bottom edge of the ornament, making sure that at least one-and-a-half inches of excess pipe cleaner is sticking out the backside. This is what will act as a stand to prop your turkey up. Attach the other leg the same way.

attach legs with hot glue

And there you have it. Thanksgiving Turkey treats that are sure to make them laugh with delight!

Thanksgiving Turkey Treats sitting up

*Many ornaments are marked not for use with food. These particular ones were not marked at all. Although I am not sure how much, if any, types of chemicals would leach into the candy, it is something you may want to consider. I have seen similar, food-safe ornaments on Amazon.

Did you make this craft? I'd love to see it!

Like It? Love It? Share It! And Show Me What You’ve Made

I hope you love this Thanksgiving Turkey treats as much as I enjoyed making them! Use the social sharing buttons below the post title to share with friends and family!

This Turkey Thanksgiving Craft tutorial is so simple and so much fun to make! If you do decide to give it a try, let me know! Nothing makes me happier than seeing your own take on my crafts and recipes!

Tag me at @bullocksbuzz (Instagram and Facebook) or @alainabullock (on Twitter). And be sure to use #BullocksBuzz so I can see your creation and share it!

Also, share it with friends and family by using the social share buttons right below the post title!

More DIY Thanksgiving Crafts And Recipes

Looking for more simple Thanksgiving and Fall crafts and recipes? Then look no further than below. I think you will love these!

carrot cake cupcake fall scarecrows main image Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

Fall Scarecrow Carrot Cake Cupcakes + Cupcake Wrapper Printable

pumpkin-gingerbread-with-spiced-glaze Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

Pumpkin Gingerbread with Spiced Glaze

NILLA, PB and Mallow Squares Thanksgiving dessert recipe sliced DIY centerpiece orange Thanksgiving Turkey Treats

Thanksgiving Entertaining: NILLA, PB and Mallow Squares Recipe

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving treat? I’d love to hear about it! In fact, I may even feature your treat in a blog post, with credit to you, of course! Share with us in the comments below.

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Linda C Siker

Tuesday 6th of November 2018

I still can not get the pattern for the feathers but get a request to sign on the Circut which I do not have. I read it was fixed so I must be doing something wrong. I can try to draw the feathers but it will not be nearly as cute. Thank you s much for your help.

Alaina Bullock

Tuesday 6th of November 2018

Hi Linda, Ah, I think I know the problem. The file is actually a Cricut cutting file, so I think that is why you cannot get it to open. Sorry! Do you have children? If so, try tracing their hands for the feathers, or you could Google 'feathers', print out an image of one and use it as a stencil.I don't know about you, but I can't draw a straight line to save my life, lol.

Kim West

Monday 20th of November 2017

How did you get the turkeys to stay upright with just the pipe cleaners? The bodies seem to be too heavy. Thanks!

Alaina Bullock

Monday 20th of November 2017

Hi Kim! I cut them a bit long so there was a fair amount sticking out from both the back and the front side. I also bent them a tad to balance it all equally. I really had to sit there and adjust until I got them just right, then glued them with hot glue. Also, remember, its 3 pipe cleaners twisted together into 1 per leg. I hope this helps!

Eli

Wednesday 1st of November 2017

Hi

I am trying to use your link for the feather file and it only redirects me to the Cricut Desing Space page and can't find the file. Am I doing something wrong. Please Help...

Alaina Bullock

Wednesday 1st of November 2017

Hi Eli, I've contacted Cricut to ask them. I can pull it up as can a few others I've checked with. However, a lady had the same issue the other day, and she sent me a new link to use, but it was the same that is in the post. I personally think it has something to do with the new Design Space, but as soon as I find out, I will reply here! Sorry! If you want to try it, this is the link the other lady gave me: https://design.cricut.com/#/design/48319683 Copy and paste that and pls let me know if it works. I'll be back as soon as I hear from Cricut - you're welcome to email me at alainabethb @ gmail if you'd like. :) SEE MY NEWEST REPLY I BELIEVE I FIXED IT - IT IS CORRECTED IN THE POST AS WELL :)

Eli

Wednesday 1st of November 2017

Hi Pam, Im trying to download the feathers however, in the link above takes me to the circuit website but it does not show the actual feathers. Is there something else that I need to do to get the image?

Alaina Bullock

Wednesday 1st of November 2017

Hi Eli, I double-checked the link and it is coming up for me. However, let me contact Cricut and see if perhaps it has something to do with the new version of Design Space as it came out after this post. I will come back here as soon as they reply, and let you know.

sararith

Tuesday 29th of November 2016

i really love how the carrot cupcakes look. It is very funny and beautiful. I would do the same for kids. hehe

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