Inspired by vintage Easter egg dioramas, I thought it was high time Thanksgiving got its own version. Little vintage turkeys and bright orange-feathered birds nestle into a little straw bed in these paper mache eggs. A tag affixed at the top serves as a name tag for a place card. After Thanksgiving, save it for the Christmas tree and it will serve as a reminder of that pants-bursting November meal.

Materials needed: paper-mache diorama shapes (cracked front or round), hot glue gun, fake straw grass, miniature turkey or birds (I found some at Michael’s Craft Store and on etsy), miniature mushrooms, paint, paintbrushes, gold or silver pipe cleaners, paper, scissors, double stick tape.

Step 1: Paint eggs. Let dry. A lighter color on the inside helps highlight the “scene” inside.
Step 2: Using hot glue, attach metallic pipe cleaner to the front edge of the opening (optional).
Step 3: Gather a little vignette of small objects and fill the egg.Use a few dabs of hot glue to keep the straw/miniatures in place where needed.
Step 4: Print out of write out the names of your guests. If you print them out, place them on the right side of the paper, so you can wrap the names around the string.
Step 5: Cut out individual strips with names, fold in half, and notch the end.
Step 6: Using a dab of glue or a tiny bit of double stick tape, affix the name tag to the gold hanging string.

Photography by Tim Gibson