Turn An Egg Carton Into Cute DIY Turkey Place Card Holders For The Thanksgiving Table

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When Thanksgiving dinner is at your house, the whirlwind of planning and prepping your home for hosting can be a tad overwhelming. On the big day, the guest list may be set or could change in an instant, but you still want to elevate your Thanksgiving table decor as you gather to share meals and memories. It's a nice touch to have place cards –– even better if there's a way to quickly add the name of an unexpected guest. Place cards not only eliminate any confusion about where everyone should sit, but they also send a gracious message of a personalized welcome. Everyone likes to see their name in print, especially when it signals the impending arrival of a delicious and bountiful meal.

There's a simple way to pull this off by turning an egg carton into a flock of really cute DIY turkey place card holders. Count how many guests you have and maybe make a few extras. This is also a great craft for children to help with –– they can paint the completed birds and make name cards. All you need is a cardboard egg carton and some basic craft supplies, including a craft knife, hot glue, card stock, scissors, and paint. Gather these and you're ready to get started with personalizing each guest's place setting.

There are a lot of expenses associated with hosting a holiday meal, but these little gobblers are a budget-friendly way to decorate for Thanksgiving celebrations. Many egg carton projects are based on the wells of the tray, but in this case, you'll use the craft knife to cut around the base of the raised core that separates the wells; it will become the body of your turkey. Trim the base as evenly as you can and then you'll use the wells to create other features of your bird. Use your scissors to cut two teardrop shapes from the curved wells for small wings on either side of the body. Then cut a small triangle for the beak and a strip of the carton to drape over the beak for a snood.

Next, use hot glue to attach the wings, beak, and snood, then trace a half circle with a scolloped edge that will become the tail feathers. If you're making quite a few, use the first tail feather cut-out as a template so they're all uniform in size. Hot glue it to the back of the body and then use the craft knife to cut a vertical slit in the center of the head — this is where you'll tuck in the name card.

Now, it's time to paint! For traditional turkey colors, paint the body light brown and use a darker brown to simulate breast feathers. Paint the beak orange, the snood red, and add white dots over black for eyes. Finally, color the tail feathers a rainbow of brown, yellow, orange, and red.

With a few more craft supplies and ingenuity, you can really customize these little egg carton turkeys to complement your other festive decor, or to work as buffet helpers. Go unconventional and give your Thanksgiving decor an extra pop with some off-beat colors or use your paints to match the turkeys to your guests personalities — try using their team, school, or favorite colors. Or create a monogram with your guest's initials on the turkey's breast –– you could even do it "Superman-style" on a little paper shield. Further, it'll add dimension to dress the birds with 3D elements like Flying Feathers Colors Craft Feathers, googly eyes or gem stickers for some bling.

You can also use extra card stock to cut out turkey feet or bow ties. If you're not planning to insert a card, make a jaunty top hat from black card stock instead. Extra turkeys, with "Happy Thanksgiving!" written on the card insert, are a fun decoration for the center of the table; just intersperse them with fall leaves and mini pumpkins. On the buffet, let the turkeys do the talking! Create small cards with information about each dish you're serving. This is especially helpful in a potluck situation or to alert guests with allergies. Wherever you use them, these Toms will put a smile on everyone's face.