Craft your own turkey out of papier-mâch for your next Thanksgiving dinner.
Papier-mâch is French for chewed paper and is a useful technique for creating inexpensive sculptures. Form a papier-mâch turkey using supplies you have at home. Add sparkly glitter or rhinestones to embellish the feathers for a glamorous turkey. Paint your turkey in the colors of your favorite sports team or choose a color pallete that showcases the colors of your home. You can make your papier-mâch turkey as large or small as you want, depending on the size of balloons used for the base.
Instructions
Papier-Mâch Turkey Body
1. Mix flour and 1 cup lukewarm water in the plastic bowl using the wooden spoon. Stir until the papier-mâch paste is smooth and free of clumps. Tear the sheets of newspaper into 2-inch strips that range in length from 4 to 6 inches.
2. Blow up the balloons so that one is larger for the turkey body and one is small enough for the turkey head, and tie both to secure. Stick the smaller balloon into the end of the toilet paper tube, which is the turkey neck, and affix with cyanoacrylate glue around the seam. Use the cyanoacrylate glue to attach the open end of the toilet paper tube over the knotted end of the larger balloon.
3. Dip an entire strip of newspaper into the paste, removing excess paste with your fingers. Start with the larger balloon and lay the wet paper on the balloon, smoothing the paper down with the old paintbrush. Continue laying strips dipped in paste on the entire surface of both balloons and the toilet paper tube, overlapping the edges of the paper.
4. Complete the first layer of papier-mâch and let dry. Layer three additional layers over the surface, letting dry between layers. Add extra layers along the seams connecting the balloons and toilet paper tubing.
5. Set the completed turkey in a breezy room to let dry completely before decorating. Check for a dry turkey by feeling for wet or soft spots.
Decorate Papier-Mâch Turkey
6. Paint the entire surface in white. Let dry completely and then paint over the white with brown. Let dry before adding embellishments.
7. Cut out 20 4-inch long feathers that resemble long ovals from the crepe paper or paper streamers. Set the turkey upright so the small balloon is facing away from you on the top end of the turkey. Fan four sets of five feathers out to resemble an open hand, and paste these with white or hot glue to the bottom backside of the turkey with the points facing downward.
8. Cut out 12 12-inch long feathers in the same shape as before using the construction paper. Make one large fan using all 12 feathers so the bottom tips are stacked on top of each other but the top ends are equally distanced apart. Attach to the center of the backside of the turkey using hot glue or white glue so the feathers are visible from the front of the turkey.
9. Cut out 10 2-inch long feathers from the crepe paper or paper streamers. Attach five of these feathers to each side of the turkey body by pasting one end of the feathers while the free ends point toward the backside. Make a cone shape out of yellow construction paper for the turkey's beak, and paste it to the front of the turkey's head.
10. Draw two eyes and a mouth on the turkey's face with the permanent markers. Lay a short piece of pipe cleaner across a long piece of pipe cleaner at the bottom 2 inches and twist so you have three short pieces for the turkey foot. Make a second turkey foot and attach these to the base of the turkey using cyanoacrylate glue.
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