Easy do it yourself Decorating Projects for Thanksgiving
Instead of buying all your Thanksgiving decorations, it can be more fun and creative to make them yourself. If you have children, you’ll want to include them in the crafts so they can know that they’re contributing to making your home more beautiful for the holiday.
Here are some possibilities to consider. Click on the headings for links to more detailed instructions:
1.Cornucopia centerpiece
Start with a cornucopia-shaped basket you can buy at a craft store (unless you want to be even more creative and make your own). Pick up various harvest items to fill it, such as gourds, mini pumpkins, and Indian corn.
This part is fun to get your kids involved. Get some thick brown, orange, red, and yellow construction paper. Cut dozens of leaf shapes, of various kinds, at least 4 to 6 inches long, as you’ll want them big enough to write on.
Before you serve the meal, after your guests have arrived, give them each some of the paper leaves, and a variety of markers of colors that will show up on the colored paper. Have them write things they are thankful for this year, one per leaf. Then place all the leaves, including the leftover blank ones, in and around the cornucopia.
2.Door wreath
To decorate your front door for the holiday season, form a wreath out of grapevine. For a wreath that will last a significant amount of time, attach dried flowers, ribbons, and small gourds to the grapevine in a pleasing arrangement.
For a shorter lasting, more perishable wreath for Thanksgiving day itself, add an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables to your grapevine wreath, signifying harvest and abundance.
3.Fall leaf place mats
Start with several pieces of burlap and cut them into rectangles the size of place mats.
Gather together various items from a craft store you can use to decorate your place mats: Fall foliage, ribbon, feathers, little gold and silver balls, etc.
Go along the edges of the place mats and glue foliage in place as a border. Take the other decorative items and glue them along the foliage border in an attractive design.
4.Harvest centerpiece
Start with a platter or tray. Place a flowering mum in a small pot in one corner of the platter. (Of course the items you choose and their specific arrangement can vary. Just be creative and express yourself.) Place miniature pumpkins, small gourds, and red and green apples next to the mum and arrayed on the rest of the platter.
Spread greens, kale, autumn leaves, moss, parsley, etc. in between and around the larger items on the platter.
Experiment with different versions of these ideas, and use them to trigger additional ideas of your own. Creating attractive holiday crafts is fun once you get the hang of it, and will be much appreciated by your guests.
