Here's some easy, creative ways to set your Thanksgiving dinner table, making full use of things you already have on hand, plus one inexpensive roll of festive ribbon.
You may also wish to enlist the kid's help - ask them to create one or more Turkey Crafts to use as a centerpiece or to welcome guests at your door.
7 Ways to Decorate A Thanksgiving Table on a Budget!
By Kathy Wilson
Thanksgiving is traditionally a day when we invite our loved ones into
our home and give thanks for all we have. But with Christmas and other
holidays looming just around the corner, it sometimes can be tough on
the budget to put out a beautifully decorated table. No problem, The
Budget Decorator is here to help you create a tablescape for your home
that represents your creativity, and gives you yet another thing to be
thankful for....money saved!
1.Develop a theme. A natural for this time of year, is,
well...natural! Use the beauty of nature and the harvest as even our
ancestors did to provide a beautiful and delicious theme for your
Thanksgiving feast.
2.Provide a backdrop to your table setting. You don't need fancy
tablecloths for this day. Layer simply flat sheets, old bedspreads or
quilts, and pretty fabric placemats all on the same table. Keep a
solid color between each pattern, and it will shine!
3.Go all out setting your table! I DON'T mean run to your nearest
department store and buy the best china. Nonsense. This day is about
simpler things than that. I do mean use what you have, all of it, even
if it doesn't match. Set out plates and salad dishes and soup bowls.
Use all your glassware. Bring out separate forks for salad and main
dish. Fold pretty fabric or paper napkins and place at each setting.
Go to a craft site and find a little place card you can make out of
materials on hand. Here's a secret: The more generous you are with
your table settings, no matter what the nature of the plates and cups
and silverware, the more festive and lavish the room appears!
4.Create a shimmering centerpiece out of natural materials! Gather two
or three ceramic bowls, and fill them with nature finds...pine cones,
acorns, nuts or seeds, even old potpourri! Nestle a pillar candle in
each bowl, and set in the center of the table. Add a few pressed or
silk fall leaves to the table around the bowls, and viola! Simple,
elegant, and except for the candles(which you may have in your
cupboard already) free! Never leave the candles unattended, and always
make sure they will not burn down to or be blown into anything flammable.
5.Use a small pitcher from your cupboard to bring fresh flowers or
branches of fall leaves to the table. Use in the center of your candle
arrangement for height and interest.
6.Display pumpkins and gourds in the corners of the room, piled as
they would in a barn. Add a few baskets to hold apples and pears, or
smaller gourds and corn.
7.Invest in one roll of fall hue ribbon for your tablescape. Tie a bow
to the back of each chair, wind ribbon over the table through the
centerpieces. Even use it as tiebacks for the curtains!
Use what you have, bring in the bounty of harvest, and enjoy your
loved ones without stealing from that holiday fund!
Kathy Wilson is an author, columnist, and editor of The Budget
Decorator. For hundreds of free budget decorating ideas and to sign up
for her free newsletter and ebook, visit her at TheBudgetDecorator.com or DecoratingYourSmallSpace.com
5.Use a small pitcher from your cupboard to bring fresh flowers or
branches of fall leaves to the table. Use in the center of your candle
arrangement for height and interest.