Turkey Place Markers

Total Time Needed:: 2-3 Hours

What better way to welcome your guests to the table than with a flock of these big-footed fowls! They are easy for kids to put together and make great holiday favors, perfect for holding notes, recipe cards, or a favorite photo.

Materials

Tan polymer clay, approximately 1 ounce per foot base (we used Premo by Sculpey in ecru)
Butter knife
Cloth-covered floral wire, 20-gauge
Wire cutters
Mini clothespins
Scissors or pinking shears

Card stock in 6 colors, including light brown, tan, white, and red
Double-sided tape
Tacky glue
Black marker
Colored marker or crayon (for writing name cards)

Instructions

For each turkey, mold 1 ounce of polymer clay into a 1/2-inch-thick fan shape, as shown, then use a butter knife to cut V shapes for toes. Make a small hole in the middle of the foot base by pushing floral wire halfway through. Be sure not to press the wire all the way through. Remove the wire and bake the base according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, push one end of a 6-inch piece of floral wire through the metal spring of a mini clothespin (the beak), bend it around the pin, and twist it back around the wire. Next, use scissors or pinking shears to cut out 3 semicircles in graduated sizes from different colors of card stock. Cut a small light-brown oval for the head, a tan beak, and a red wattle. You can download templates here.
Stick together all the pieces with double-sided tape to make a turkey and glue it to a clothespin.
When the foot base is cool, insert the wire into the hole. If it fits loosely, add a dab of tacky glue to the end of the wire, push it into the hole, and allow it to dry.
Finally, make a name card for each guest and clip it in the turkey's beak.