Iron Craft Challenge #45 – Minimalist Turkey Candle

This week’s theme for Iron Craft is fall, which here in the States makes a lot of us think of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for most of us means turkey. I’ve had this idea for a minimalist turkey candle bouncing around in my head for awhile. I just couldn’t figure out what to make the head and tail out of that I could cut and shape easily. Then it hit me, popsicle sticks! They are soft enough to cut with a utility knife and already have the rounded shape I need for the tops.

This is a super quick project that you can do in about an hour including drying time for the glue. You don’t have to leave it as minimal as I have. Get the kids involved and have them color the turkey with markers before you glue it together. You could paint the turkey to match your table setting or stain it a darker wood color. (I almost stained mine red mahogany, because I had a small can of stain, but decided I liked the light color especially with the light brown candle.)

I think I bunch of these as a part of a Thanksgiving centerpiece would be so striking.

Wooden Turkey Candle

Supplies:

• 3 popsicle sticks
• utility knife
• fine sandpaper
• wood glue (optional)
• glass or hard plastic tea light holder (you could use a larger candleholder, but you will have to adjust the size of your tail feathers and head as well.)
• tacky glue

Assembly:

Cut 5 tail feather, 2″ long from the ends of the popsicle sticks using the utility knife. Score the line you want to cut and then press hard down with the knife until it cuts through. Sand the rough edges.

Cut the head from the remaining popsicle stick end by cutting a piece 1 1/4″ long. Then cut an angle for the neck as shown below.

Make the tail by glueing the tail feather together.

Lay two feathers at a slight angle from each other. Put a little glue (tacky or wood) on the end of a third feather and place in the middel of the first two.

Let dry and turn over. Glue on the remaining two feathers as shown below.

Using the tacky glue, put a small bead of tacky glue on the bottom half of the straight side of the head. Glue to the candle holder.

Glue the tail to the opposite side of the candle.

Since you are dealing with wood and flame, do not burn this candle unattended.