Inspiration

Ah, another Thanksgiving has arrived! I do hope that whoever is reading this is having a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends (or, if you are reading this on a day not coinciding with Thanksgiving, which is the more likely possibility, then have a wonderful day regardless!).

Going to medical school in New York, I am rather far from home (Wisconsin), though the past few years I have been immensely grateful for the support of my good friends at school. Therefore, I wanted to showcase a couple of Friendsgivings that we have hosted together in years’ past, along with some of the crafts I have contributed. Enjoy!

2020: A Snoopy Thanksgiving

Craft Project

For last year’s Thanksgiving, I decided to make Charlie Brown-themed coasters for my friends. I found designs in SVG format on Etsy – I can’t seem to find the link to the originals – and churned them out on the CNC router. For the most part, the designs did not need any touchup, so the process went fairly quickly. 

In terms of materials, I admit that I used leftover pine siding from an old wine crate that I found on the side of street… hey, it’s eco-friendly to recycle! For the host, JC, I made a separate plaque with a Thanksgiving-themed poem that I found online. I decided to add in color to this design, which involved first using black acrylic paint to fill in the text and outlines before using a sander to remove any black paint that got on the plaque surface itself. I then painted the remaining colors. 

Foodstuff

We didn’t make any turkey, though instead I oven-roasted two tasty chickens! I really should have added a juice sluice to the cutting board, but the setup did make for some pretty photos. The food images are from two Friendsgivings, but the more the merrier!

2021: A Flower-Pressing Thanksgiving

Craft Project

I purchased a flower-pressing kit and several canvasses using funding for the Crafts Club I run in school, and the week prior to our Friendsgiving, I walked around Central Park and picked up flowers and leaves. There is a much larger variety of flowers in the park than one might think, and I was able to find an assortment of colors and shapes! I was also graciously given a bouquet of baby breath flowers – thanks MY – that I dried for the project as well!

After dinner, I gathered the supplies and all the guests and I put on our creative helmets and went about arranging the foliage. And what a splendid displays we made! A generous coating of Mod Podge was used to adhere the designs to the canvasses.

Foodstuff

You know, this year I didn’t actually bring any food to the Friendsgiving… but everything sure was tasty regardless!

Reflection

I’ll leave you with the words from that lovely little poem:  

The year has turned its circle,

The seasons come and go.

The harvest all is gathered in

And chilly north winds blow.

 

Orchards have shared their treasures,

The fields, their yellow grain,

So open wide the doorway –

Thanksgiving come again!

So thankful for family, friends, and surprise bouquets! 🙂