From thrift store castoffs to junk turkey assemblage

Say hello to my latest DIY junk turkey assemblage.

As you’ve probably guessed, he started out as a bunch of thrifted kitchenware.

From trash to turkey

Turning a pile of junk into a turkey is one of my latest obsessions — and it’s really not that hard to do. Here’s what I used to make this guy:

• Seven flaps from a vegetable steamer
• Two leveling feet
• Mini Jell-O mold
• Cookie press disc
• Food processor blade
• Small funnel with handle
• Various nuts, bolts and washers

Start with the tail feathers

I wanted my turkey to have five tail feathers sticking up in the back, so the first thing I did was drill five small holes into the edge of the food processor blade.

Then I attached five vegetable steamer flaps to the blade by running bolts through the holes I had just drilled and securing them with nuts.

I made sure the flat ends of the bolts were facing the back of the turkey …

… and the ends with the nut attached were facing toward the front, where they would later be covered by the Jell-O mold body.

Attaching legs and wings

Next, I drilled a couple of larger holes into the bottom of the Jell-O mold, where the turkey’s legs would go.

Then I drilled a hole into the center of the Jell-O mold.

This hole would eventually have a bolt running through it that would connect the turkey’s body to his head and neck in front and his food processor blade tail in the back.

But first, I screwed the leveler feet into the holes at the bottom of the Jell-O mold.

And drilled two smaller holes onto each side of the turkey’s body …

… where I attached the two remaining vegetable steamer flaps.

Then I bent the flaps around the Jell-O mold so they looked like wings.

Building the junk turkey assemblage

From here, I basically built a junk turkey assemblage sandwich, starting in the back with the tail feathers layer.

I laid the Jell-O mold body on top of the tail feathers and the cookie press disc on top of that.

With the pieces in place, I ran a bolt through the handle of the funnel and through a hole I had drilled in the cookie press disc.

I attached the two pieces with a nut. Then I ran the bolt through the holes in the Jell-O mold and the food processor blade …

… and secured all of the pieces together with a nut on the back side.

Making a face

To fill in the hole in the center of the funnel, I found an acorn nut that fit — and that resembled a beak.

The nut is held in place by a short bolt in the back.

I found a couple of different sized washers to use for eyes and painted them black and white so they’d stand out against the turkey’s silver face.

Then I attached the washers to the head with super glue.

The completed junk turkey assemblage

Unfortunately, I drilled the leg holes a little too far apart for my turkey to stand on both feet at the same time. But I think he’s kind of cute standing on just one leg and leaning a bit. I adjusted his head and neck to lean in the same direction.

He looks like a curious little bird this way, doesn’t he? Like he’s got his head cocked because he’s watching something intently. That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

What do you think? Should I try to redrill the holes closer together so he can stand flat footed? I have other mini Jell-O molds in my stash of turkey parts, so I could start fresh with a new piece for his body. Or I could leave him leaning. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

— Lisa

P.S. If you liked this post, check out the rest of my junk assemblages here.