Often slighted and stepped over in the commercial arena, Thanksgiving is one of the most beautiful holidays we celebrate. Regardless of religious backgrounds and beliefs, we gather together to give thanks—for one another, for our friends, our family and for the many blessings we have.
While our family is on the “every other year” rotation for hosting, I still enjoy decorating for fall and Thanksgiving. While sunny Southern California doesn’t offer the change of seasons like other areas in the country, I’m still able to find some beautiful colorful leaves on my walks in the neighborhood. I love collecting the leaves and bringing them into my home for fall holiday decor.
In the past I would replenish as the leaves would dry up, but this year I decided to have the colorful fall leaves be my focal point. To make this work, I needed to change my strategy so the leaves would last longer. Enter crafting with Mod Podge and my Leaf Tendrils were born.
For a step-by-step on how to make the Leaf Tendrils, click here.
Once I was confident everything on my leaf tendrils was dry and secure, it was time to complete the installation. With a step ladder (of course, I’m “fun-size”) I tied the nine varying-sized ribbons from the chandelier in my dining room. Then my wonderful hubbie pinned additional ribbons into the ceiling near the chandelier so the ribbons cascaded down as a focal point to the dining table. And voila! Inexpensive yet huge visual impact that anchored my Thanksgiving table
Time to set the table:
Linens:
To complete the fall leaf theme, I found a tablecloth at Home Goods that worked with my leaves’ colors (very similar to this one I found on Amazon).
Both Amazon and Home Goods have fantastic linens at very reasonable prices, particularly for seasonal items when you want something nice but don’t want to spend a fortune. The tablecloth I liked was the last one and a little small for my table, so I simply added my white full length tablecloth underneath and layered the new tablecloth over the top. No one was the wiser (well, until now…when I spilled the beans while writing this 😉) I found the linen napkins in the color: Redwood at World Market which is another spot to check out for ideas and deals. I do watch out for their pricing as sometimes I miss the days when they were Cost Plus and prices were lower…but they remain a solid option for linens, decor and seasonal items. (Napkins are similar to these on Amazon.)
Flowers:
For visual interest down the table, I put together two floral arrangements based on what Trader Joe’s had on hand in wooded vases I previously had. (To see my simple way of making market flowers into lovely floral arrangements, click here.) I also used eucalyptus greenery down the center of the table, jeuging it to lay amongst the other decor.
Additional Decor:
I added three glass fall pieces; two pumpkins and gourd I’d found 50% off at a local store—similar to these—along the eucalyptus down the center of the table. For pops of color, I added both small and mini pumpkins from Trader Joe’s. Some pine cones found nearby were also added as filler. (Free is for me!)
As a big believer of candlelight, I added two tapered candles (moss green in color) as well as lots of votive candles scattered about. For the final touch, I swooped up some more leaves from the neighborhood, and added the fresh leaves for more color and to pull together my Leaf Tendrils display with the table.
At each place setting, I used my china and for fun used a more casual brushed gold flatware, similar to these. For the final touch, I used a fresh leaf and a white mini pumpkin atop the napkins. I think the table really complimented the Leaf Tendrils and I was happy with the way it turned out.
Let me know what you think. I’d love to see your fabulous version! From our family to yours, wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday full of love and gratitude for all of life’s many blessings~
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