Wow. It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is still a week away. I’ve been so bombarded by Christmas already, in our store (we have to keep up…) and others, I feel like Thanksgiving should be well behind us by now.
Ok… focus, People! We still have one of our nation’s most beloved holidays on the horizon. Even as a retail business owner, I strongly disagree with people shopping on Thanksgiving for anything other than say, a carton of milk in a last minute rush to Stewarts. Black Friday is out of control. It should not leak into a holiday that is meant to be a day of family, friends, and reflection. Yeah, the parade, the football (or Westminster dog show, if you’re like me), the food- they’re all great too. And sometimes the whole day can seem a little anti- climatic after you are finished shoving several pounds of food in your face and the turkey- nap syndrome starts to overtake you. But can we not just enjoy one day without being a materialistic and consumption obsessed culture? For this Thanksgiving, let us enjoy the company of those we are with. Talk to each other. Put down the iPhones, the iPads… take a walk after dinner. Let it be a day where the only thing we consume is the food on our plates. And take the time to be thankful for it.
With that said, here are a few DIY ideas for making your Turkey day a very special (and pretty) one. Most of these ideas are SUPER easy (I am not, I repeat, NOT crafty) and calling them DIY is generous at best. It’s more like, “here’s a cute way to put some sticks in a vase that maybe you hadn’t thought of yet”. In any case, most of these use items you probably already have, so they are cheap and easy but with great visual impact!
See? Sticks in a vase. But super pretty! And you literally don’t even have to buy a thing, if you don’t want to. Mason jars, glass Saratoga water bottles… get creative with the vessel you use, because almost anything would look pretty with bright, fall leaves. [Source]
Just dip some of your Halloween gourds or apples in paint for a sophisticated (and so affordable) “up cycle”. [Source]
I don’t know about you, but I definitely have month-old pumpkins on my porch still.(Hey- they’re good through Thanksgiving!) Well, turn one or two into a festive ice bucket!
I’m obsessed with this image. Again, pumpkins are perfect nature- made vessels for flowers, ice, or food! (Great for dips, soups, or deserts… and since they come in all sizes, there are a zillion options!) [Source]
This obviously needs no explanation but how cute (and simple) is it? [Source]
Super cute center piece idea and again, so easy and affordable! Have a vase? Got some rocks in your back yard? Well, get some Indian corn at the grocery store and viola! A centerpiece is born in less than a minute. [Source]
You could do this one virtually for free, but it still has such great dramatic impact. The only issue with the ideas that use leaves is that you may want to gather them in October, when they are not so dead and crispy… that, or use faux ones (or make some out of paper with the kids, if you are of the more crafty ilk). Just hang them from fishing line and you get this cool, contemporary take on the centerpiece. (Bonus! It leaves you with more space for FOOD!)
– Chelsea