My mantel is all decorated to celebrate Thanksgiving this month. My kids and I made these cheap pumpkins from recycled paper lunch bags to make our Fall display more colorful and full.

How To | Paper Lunch Bag Pumpkins

Supplies:

• Paper Lunch Bags
• Orange acrylic paint
• Green acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Magazine to recycle
• Green ribbon
• Scissors

How To:

1. Paint the lower portion of the lunch bag orange. (Another option is to color the bags with markers, you can see a picture of colored lunch bag pumpkins below.) Make sure to open up the bag and paint all the sides. I found it easiest to open the bag and hold my hand inside while I painted.
2. Paint a wide strip of green above the orange painted section. Let dry.
3. Rip out and crumble up magazine pages. Fill the painted lunch bag up with crumpled magazine pages until the pumpkin is at desired fullness.
4. Tie a piece of green ribbon around the lunch bag, pull it tight and tie it. Curl the ends of the ribbon.
5. Use a scissors and cut off any extra height from the lunch bag.
6. Set on dinner table or mantel to create a beautiful fall display!

Lorelei painting her paper lunch bag.

Another option is to color your bag with markers instead of using paint.

The post How To | Paper Bag Pumpkins appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

We all know Thanksgiving is a day to think about all the things we are thankful for in our lives. I am really in the thankful mode now that I am nearing the end of my pregnancy. I am so thankful that my pregnancy has been healthy and uneventful (and that I am heading down the final stretch). I am thankful that we are having a girl, my daughter can hardly stand the wait for her new sister to arrive.

For the month of November we are talking every night at dinner about what we are thankful for that day. I have been writing each family members comment down on a card that I will be saving for future reference. (Don’t your kids say some of the funniest things?)

I would like to share the thankful cards I designed with you. They are simple, but get the job done. When the month is finished I will be putting them away until next year, when we can look back and remember what changes the past year has brought us.

You may want to use these at your Thanksgiving get together. Each person can write what they are thankful for and then everyone can go around the table and read them aloud.

* Free Download: ThankfulCards    (Now updated with 2011 at the bottom!)

Thankful Cards All Designs

I also found a great coloring placemat for kids about being thankful. It will be perfect for our extended family Thanksgiving dinner. You can find the Thanksgiving Placemat Checklist here at Family Fun.

I hope you enjoy using these cards and I would love to hear comments about different ways you used them in your Thanksgiving celebration!

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The post How To | Thankful Cards Download appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.