I have this handprint cutout on my fridge ever since Thanksgiving, when I visited my brother Walt, and his six kids. We all made these handprint cutouts for a little “Thanksgiving Tree”. This is a very simple and scrappy idea for any family gathering or holiday. On each finger of the handprint, we were told to write something we were thankful for. Here are the five things I wrote:
1. Trees
2. Family
3. Creative mind
4. Arts and Crafts
5. Music
Yes those are the five things I felt grateful for this year. I know it is weird to hear of someone grateful for trees … I was thinking that I don’t have childtren and have been single most of my life, so trees have been like my family, all my life. They are my good old friends. I like walking out in nature, admiring trees in all seasons. Sometimes I’ll go out to think, cry or to pray under them. They often frame the sky and let my mind climb up their branches…
My thankfulness for my family goes without saying. While I do not have any children of my own, I have a wonderful sister and three charming little brothers, a few nieces, and plenty of nephews. We are a kind and loving family. There is lots of laughing, and hugging (if you can just never mind the noise).
The other three items, creativity, arts & crafts, and music.. well those are the things that make the world a beautiful and exciting place, and can not be praised enough!
While doing my handprint, I got into designing a jewelry idea .. see how I was just dreaming away with the pink dots…
Later, I had to get all artistic and I used Photoshop to super-impose my handprint on my recent photo of a beach sunset in Mazatlan, and on a tree I once painted … Woudn’t it cool if we could actually touch the sun and sky, this way?
How to Make a Thanksgiving Tree:
Making a little branch or tree for you house, with handprints (or other symbols of the holiday) is an easy way to decorate: Just get a nice tree branch, and some scrapbook paper or construction paper. Then have everyone trace one of their own hands, cut them out, and draw on them. On each of the five fingers write something you are thankful for. Then hang them on your “Thanksgiving Tree.” This project is from my sister-in-law Kris, the owner of Affaire’s Extraordinaire and this is hers:
