Watch out! The Sneaky Pie Thief might want to sneak a taste of your Thanksgiving dessert!
Scott Bedford, author of “Made by Dad: 67 Blueprints for Making Cool Stuff,” knows how important crafts are not only for children’s development but also for keeping them occupied, especially at big family get-togethers.
Bedford suggests setting up some pre-Thanksgiving crafts that can be featured on the big day (like his Sneaky Cake Thief, which we are renaming as Sneaky Pie Thief to fit better with Thanksgiving).
“I’d suggest some pre-Thanksgiving crafts that can be featured on the big day, and then some strategic post-dinner crafts, for when the grown-ups want to relax and the kids are bored,” he notes.
Bedford loves the idea of doing crafts that end up on the Thanksgiving table, such as customized placecards. “But I like to put a smile on Granny’s face, so perhaps some mischievous ‘toilet roll’ turkeys roaming across the table and chairs,” he says. “And putting their beaks where they are not supposed to — like the cranberry sauce.”
Sneaky Pie Thief
Materials
• Craft knife and cutting mat
• Medium-sized corrugated cardboard box
• Drafting compass
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Paper glue
• Black lightweight cardstock
• Scissors
• Printer paper
• Black permanent marker
• 4 or 5 straws (optional)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks (optional)
1. Use the craft knife to cut a large panel from the cardboard box. Using a ruler and a compass, measure and mark the cutting plan, as shown. Cut out the shapes.
2. Fold the triangular pieces at the crease line, as shown. Overlap the square end of one piece with the square end of the other and glue. Arrange the pieces in a triangle that fits inside the cardboard circle, and glue it in place, as shown.
3. Flip the plate support over. Make two marks on the circle near the pointy end of the triangle, as shown. Measure and cut a strip of black cardstock, as shown. Draw a curved line across the strip.
4. Apply glue to the edge of the plate support and wrap the straight edge of the strip around it. Trim the cardstock, using the curved line as a guide, until the strip can sit flush on a flat surface.
5. Mark and cut a circle from cardstock, as shown. Glue the base onto the circle so that the shallow end is flush with one side of the circle.
6. Mark and cut a hand from cardstock. Glue it under the circular base so the hand reaches up.
7. Mark and cut two eyes from paper. Draw the pupils, as shown, and glue the eyes to the front of the support. Your cake thief is complete!
