Beautiful (DIY!) Tablescapes for Thanksgiving
Decorating your house is as much a part of the holidays as the turkey, yams, and pecan pie. It’s all about creating a festive mood, and a significant part of that is in the act of decorating itself — not just how the end product looks, when your house is all glowing and you’re waiting expectantly for guests to fill it.
If you can avoid going store-bought and try to make some of your decorations yourself, these will be fun projects to do together with your kids or siblings. Years later, one of your favorite holiday memories of Thanksgiving might be making the decorations, not just eating the food.
1. Magic Succulent Gardens
You’ll need: Pumpkins or decorative gourds, moss, succulent cuttings, spray glue, glue gun
How to make it: Spray the top of your pumpkin or gourd with glue and pat down the moss on top. Using your glue gun, attach colorful succulent pieces in generous clusters on top of the moss. Arrange your gourd “gardens” in clusters of different size gourds. Mist with water daily to keep these beautiful arrangements looking fresh. Once the pumpkins begin to rot, slice off the tops and bury them in pots — with time, you’ll have a magical succulent garden!
2. Wrapped in Twine
You’ll need: Glass jars, vases, or votives, glue gun, twine
How to make it: Secure a length of twine at the base of an attractive glass jar with a dab of glue. Wrap it around the jar in neat rows and secure with another dab of glue at the top. Fill your jars with candles or seasonal flowers.
3. A Golden Glow
You’ll need: Gold spray paint, old newspaper, pears (try and find some with flat bottoms), pinecones, selection of foliage — eucalyptus, branches and berries, ivy
How to make it: Spray pears gold over newspaper and leave to dry. You can make a vertical incision in the pears’ sides to hold place cards or stick little paper flags around the stems with guests’ names. Mist paint over the pinecones to give a gold dusting. Leave to dry and arrange together across your table with your selection of foliage.
4. Apple Candles
You’ll need: Apples (with flat bottoms), tea light candles, a cookie cutter the same size as your candles, small spoon, lemon juice
How to make it: Use the cookie cutter and a spoon to core your apple so a candle can fit inside. Dab the apple where you cut it with lemon juice to keep it fresh. Insert candle and light. Try a range of different colored apples for a stunning table.
5. Enchanting Evergreen
You’ll need: Pillar candles, large glass vases, candle adhesive wax buttons or glue (optional), selection of foliage — evergreen, eucalyptus, and similar
How to make it: Secure candles in vases with a dab of glue or adhesive wax buttons. Wrap fronds of foliage around the vases and surround with a nest of greenery.
Whenever you’re using candles, make sure they are placed on an even surface and out of reach of stray elbows. With your table aglow and your house feeling festive, you’ll be ready to welcome friends and family into your home for the holidays.
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