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11 Magnolia Lane

Sharing our easy DIYs, decorating, entertaining and more!

Thanksgiving Tablescape (s)

November 23, 2014 By Amy No Comments

This Post Contains Affiliate Links

46 shares

Hi, Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! I have two very easy, natural thanksgiving tablescape ideas for you today.

 

Thanksgiving Collage Marked

 

tablescape header

 

I have to confess, Thanksgiving might very well be my favorite holiday. Of course, there are other holidays with gifts or other attractions that might run a close second, but Thanksgiving is all about food and that always wins in my book.

We’re getting ready to host a special Thanksgiving at our home this year. We are hosting my parents and brother’s family, including my niece and my TWIN three-year-old nephews,  a true family celebration. It promises to be an exciting day and we’ve been looking forward to it for weeks.

I know from past experience that it is easy to get overwhelmed by Thanksgiving–with all the planning, decorating, shopping and cooking–it is a ton of work just one meal. These days I keep my Thanksgiving menu fairly simple and traditional and try to do the same with the decor as well.

The Table Graphic1

For some people,  Thanksgiving means pulling out your finest china and spending hours polishing silver to set the perfect table.  I find myself more interested in making simple yet delicious food and creating a comfortable place for our guests to enjoy the meal and the company without all that formality.

Here are some ways to keep your table simple, your decorations easy and still feel festive:

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Use Natural “Fall” Decor--leaves, grapevine, pumpkins, dried flowers, or feathers, which are all readily available at craft stores if nature doesn’t provide them for you. Mix them with fancier accessories for a “special” occasion feel–you can add some “bling” to plain candle holders, use a fancy vase for the dried flowers, or create a centerpiece using a serving tray.

 

centerpiece2

 

Use or repurpose casual fabrics to cover your table–that way if a glass of red wine is overturned, nobody is worried about ruining an heirloom tablecloth. I just used a burlap remnant across the center of the table. It is easy to remove if there is a spill, it was super-inexpensive, and the best part is it won’t need a trip to the drycleaner when the meal is over.

Use Paper placemats–These are a wonderful new entertaining essential. They are fun, inexpensive and they fit right in the neutral decor, plus you just throw them away, how easy is that?

 

thanksgiving place setting

 

Mix up your china patterns–I still like to use my formal wedding china for Thanksgiving since it is a “special” occasion {otherwise I’ll never use it!}, but for fun I mixed it in with a more casual china pattern.

Use placecards–It’s an unexpected and personal touch, and one that is nice when you are serving a sit-down meal. I printed mine on simple cardstock using a fancy font, but you can hand-letter them too.

 

plate-thanksgiving

 

Add a garland or banner with the Holiday “theme”–it’s nice to have a reminder for everyone about why they are gathered together. I printed this one HERE, strung it with tiny clothespins (so much easier than weaving in the ribbon) and attached it to brown grosgrain ribbon to hang alongside the table.

 

thanksgiving-banner-printable

Frame a printable–printables are a quick and easy way to decorate for a special occasion. I found the “gather” printable HERE.

 

thanksgiving tablescape-2

kids table banner2

Create a place for the younger ones–since we have some special little people joining us I went ahead and created a table for the children, this way the adults can enjoy some calm in the dining room, and the kids can be kids in a space designed with them in mind.

 

banner-tablescape-kids

Keep the “kids” table simple and child-friendly-– I made sure to add crayons along with some special activities to do while they waited for the adults to finish eating.

Have them make a a keepsake item–I created this “I am grateful for printable” where they can write {or dictate to an adult} what they are thankful for this year, you can download it HERE.  It will be nice to look back on these when they are older.

Let the kids create some family traditions–Our second craft is a family tradition my son made up. He has each person trace their hands on a blank piece of paper then decorate them like a turkey and cut them out. Once the meal is over, the kids get to hide them for each other to find. For some reason, our kids love this game and it keeps them busy while the adults finish dessert and coffee.

 

placesetting-pumpkin

 

 

kids-tablescape-thanksgiving-printable

 

Keep the table simple-– I set this table with a heavy pottery plates and more paper placemats {something else that they can color on!}; it is all very informal and kid-friendly.

 

table-kids3

Serve the kids special things too–I used little milk jars to hold their drinks. My kids love anything with a paper straw so we’ll fill them with something festive and sparkly for Thanksgiving as a treat.

kids-thanksgiving-tablescape

 

Remind them why they are there–I created a banner for the kids too, after all the day is about being Thankful, no matter how young or old you are!

 

kids-table-thanksgiving

 

If you are looking for a complete Thanksgiving menu, just click HERE.

Also, for the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail, our apple cider martini fits the bill perfectly!

 

I hope these tips are helpful as you prepare for your Thanksgiving, and most importantly that you have a wonderful holiday!

And…It’s the most wonderful time of the year–Our Holiday Open House starts December 4th!

 

11 ML button Holiday Home Tour

Click here for our holiday open house tour!

 

XO,
NEWAmy-New-Headshot-2014-Small

icon-facebook-1icon-instagram-1icon-mail-1icon-pinterest-1icon-twitter-1NEW Google+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XO,

 

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Filed Under: Fall/Thanksgiving Tagged With: Fall, kids' table, Mohawk, tablescape, Thanksgiving

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  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
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    • ROOM BY ROOM
      • BATHROOMS
      • BEDROOMS
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      • DINING ROOMS
      • KIDS’ ROOMS
      • KITCHENS
      • LAUNDRY ROOMS
      • LIVING + GREAT ROOMS
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46 shares