How to Make a Turkey Out of a Gourd

Turn one of these Thanksgiving veggies into a table decoration.

Cornucopias are standard fare to decorate your Thanksgiving dining table, but why not mix it up this year,and make the gourds inside that cornucopia into something else? With a little creativity and a few additional items, you can make some decorative squashes into a fancy Thanksgiving turkey table decorations!

Things You'll Need

• Gourd
• Toothpicks
• Pumpkin
• Red gloves
• Paint
• Corn husks
• Red chili pepper

Instructions

1. Insert several toothpicks into the fatter side of the gourd (so the neck of the gourd is pointing down). Insert the other end of those toothpicks into the pumpkin, so the gourd sits like a turkey's head against the pumpkin, which will be the body of the turkey. Stick another half toothpick into the side of the gourd and stick the protruding end into a chili pepper. This will make the pepper look like the wattle for the turkey.

2. Decide where you want the turkey's eyes to be. Once you have an idea, you can use the paints to paint the turkey's eyes on the gourd. Paint the corn husks (if they are not already colored) using the paints, and allow the husks to dry before proceeding on to step 3.

3. Hold the corn husks up to the back of the pumpkin and run a toothpick through the corn husk and into the pumpkin to secure it. These corn husks will look like the tail feathers of the turkey. You may add as many or as few "corn husk feathers" to the gourd turkey as you wish.

4. Sit the red gloves on the table where you wish to position the turkey. Sit the pumpkin and gourd turkey on top of the gloves, so the fingers poke out toward the front of the turkey and look like the turkey's feet. Since the gourd turkey will be sitting on the table, there is no need to attach the gloves to the turkey with toothpicks.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure the gourd you use for the turkey's head isn't too big for the size of the pumpkin. If the gourd is too large, you risk making the head fall off.

• Use dried corn husks as they are prettier, and are less likely to wilt than fresh corn husks.

• Be careful not to rub your eyes after handling the chili pepper as this may cause burning of the eyes. Always wash your hands after handling peppers.