How to Decorate Your Thanksgiving Table Using Dog Paw Print Art

One of my favorite Thanksgiving activities (besides stuffing a ton of turkey and gravy in my mouth) is to decorate the Thanksgiving table. This year I wanted to add a special touch to my table by incorporating dog paw prints in the table decorations. I have seen dog paw print art throughout Pinterest, but I have never actually tried to create any myself. So, I decided to give it a whirl and create dog paw print turkeys for my name place cards.

Here is how I did it:

Decorating your Thanksgiving Table on a Budget: Dog Paw Print Art Supplies

One of the best things about this project is that it requires a few, inexpensive materials and is great when you are looking for an easy Thanksgiving kid-friendly activity. Here are the materials that I used:

1. A stamp pad - I selected an orange "kid friendly" non-toxic stamp pad;

2. Color pencils - For my project I used red, orange, yellow, and brown;

3. Sharpie Pen - I selected fine point black and brown pens;

4. 8 1/2 x 11 heavy card stock paper for the place cards; and

5. Your dog's paw!

How to Make Dog Paw Print Turkey Place Cards

Step 1: Create Your Place Card Template.

For my project I kept the place cards large so I had ample space to work with, but you can choose any size for your cards so long as the card is not smaller than your dog's paw. I folded each paper in half width-wise and cut on the folded lines. I then folded each in half width-wise again to create a card stock tent that would stand on its on.

Step 2: Obtain Your Dog's Paw Print Impression

Using a non-toxic stamp ink pad (look for "kid friendly" ink pads), take your dog's paw and firmly place it on the pad to ensure you get ink on each digit. Then, place your dog's paw in the center of your name place card to transfer the impression.

(Once down, be sure to have a wet cloth or grooming wipe nearby to remove any remaining ink from your dog's paw. Do not let your dog lick the ink off of his paws.)

Step 3: Draw out the Turkey Head and Legs

I used a brown fine point Sharpie pen to draw out a turkey head, eyes, beak, and legs as shown below.