Thanksgiving decorating day is a special time in our homes, when we all take a little time to appreciate the gifts and blessings in our lives. My number one blessing, as yours, is my family and friends! So let’s find some great DIY Thanksgiving decorations & ideas to make your home a warm, inviting place this Thanksgiving Day for all your loved ones, including you! Whether you are looking for centerpiece ideas, table decorations, or simply some charm and style for every area of your home, take the time to plan. We even have some ideas for Thanksgiving wreaths and door decorations you can DIY!
Natural DIY Thanksgiving Decorations & Ideas
This might seem like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people spend big bucks trying to glitz up this holiday. It’s about the harvest; being thankful for this beautiful earth we live on, and the wonderful food we are so blessed to be given, so let’s celebrate that! It also happens to be a great way to decorate on a small budget. So bring nature into your home, and to your Thanksgiving table, and be thankful! Photo by ‘Pottery Barn‘.
Most people just focus on the table for Thanksgiving decorations, and while that is indeed important, don’t forget to bring the beauty of autumn splendor into other areas of your home.
Collect leaves on your next walk in the neighborhood, and then press between paper towels and a book. Because they were already drying outdoors and were low on moisture, this will only take a few days! Now use your leaves to sprinkle over the hearth, the countertops, under candle displays, under glass top tables, tuck into picture frame edges, make them a picture in a frame…you get the idea. (Also check out our post on DIY Fall Leaf Crafts!)
Go check out a dozen leaf crafts over at ‘Martha Stewart’ including this candle holder! This would make a great Thanksgiving decor idea all around the house, or grouped as a centerpiece.
Decorating with Pumpkins and Gourds
Gourds anyone? These are wonderful traditional DIY Thanksgiving decorations, but here’s a little money saving tip. If you have produce stands near your home, these are much cheaper than the grocery stores for gourds, squashes, and pumpkins. Don’t limit your self to the little mini ones, pile full size versions next to your front door, line a windowsill, fill baskets or fill the planter boxes or a wheelbarrow on the porch with great harvest vegetables! (Also check out our post on Decorating with Pumpkins & Gourds!:))
Easy Thanksgiving Decorations
- Consider setting out simple ceramic or wooden bowls lined with a pretty cloth napkin or scrap fabric, and fill with some treasures from your next nature walk . Texture abounds with natural elements, and will warm up a tablescape, a coffee table, and a fireplace hearth. Super cheap DIY Thanksgiving decorations!
- Try getting out the hot glue gun and affixing your items to the candles you packed away at the first sign of summer.
- Small glass jars make great votive holders when dressed up with a few pressed leaves and acorns.
- Fill a bowl or plate with goodies around large pillar candles and use as a centerpiece.
- If you can’t find enough natural material near your home, check out the bulk grain section at your supermarket. Fall is about harvest, so any grain can be used to add that element to your home. Even cracked corn meant for the bird feeder can look great in a jar as a base for a candle.
Thanksgiving Table Decorating Ideas
Now, we aren’t going to forget the Thanksgiving table! This is your opportunity to show your loved ones how important it is to you that they are sharing your table this year.
- If you don’t have tablecloths, pick up a couple of green or gold sheets from Wal-Mart or a discount store for less than $3. You can even layer a couple of them if you wish. Don’t feel shy about pressing coffee tables or card tables into service if you need more room, just use those cheap sheets!
- If you run out of chairs, push a table up to a couch on one long side, and you will only need chairs for the other side.
- Set your table with all your dishware…it doesn’t matter if it all doesn’t match, or you had to borrow salad plates from a neighbor! Just keep the arrangement of each place setting the same, and it will tie it all together. For instance…dinner plate, salad plate, soup bowl, repeat with next place setting.
- Distribute the different styles of dishware evenly throughout the tables, much the same as you would do with accent colors in a room!
Photo by ‘Martha Stewart‘.
Love this napkin folding tutorial from ‘Clean and Scentsible‘! This simple Thanksgiving decoration idea just takes 10 minutes and some paper napkins. This leaf napkin fold could be used the whole season too. Look for colored or printed napkins that will give you that fall “leaf” effect.
DIY Thanksgiving Centerpieces
The highlight of the event? Your centerpiece of course! This is where your creativity comes most into play.
- Keep the centerpiece low so that guests can easily converse. I know many designers make beautiful tablescapes on lifts, and talk about height in an arrangement, but isn’t the people what it’s all about?
- Use your nature theme and gather up some pretty dishes and pitchers. Now, just pick some fall flowers or grasses from the yard. Pile up gourds on platters, fill bowls with nuts and insert a pillar candle, add pretty dried grasses to a wonderful vase, use bowls of apples, lemons, or limes.
- Take small bunches of flowers, wrap a wet paper towel and some plastic wrap around the stems, and insert randomly into the bowls of produce.
- Float some mum flower heads in a clear bowl of water, or add some greenery between the other items on the table.
Modern Floral Thanksgiving Centerpiece DIY
Jump on over to ‘HGTV’ and find out step by step how to create this pretty floral centerpiece. Literally, they have photos of every step on how to lay out the flowers and greenery and all the tools and supplies you will need. This is super easy, but looks like an expensive arrangement you paid for, when it’s all DIY!
Orange Table Tower
Want something “fall like” for the Thanksgiving centerpiece, but also fresh and fun? Check out this mandarin orange arrangement by ‘A Beautiful Mess’. This is so stupid simple. Styrofoam cones, and little kale for background and toothpicks. Oh yeah, and the oranges. These are just those cute little bagged oranges we buy for the kids to snack on. Thats it! Step by step instructions for the centerpiece, and cute ideas for the rest of the table too. We like how they use one little orange and some greenery at the place settings as well, to pull in the theme. Also, the white tablecloth makes the orange really pop.
Edible Thanksgiving Centerpiece DIY
The best idea of all? Make it something everyone can enjoy, and eat! This Thanksgiving cornucopia looks complicated, but the experts over at ‘HGTV’ shows you how super easy it really is. They form a cone out of heavy duty foil, then show you the exact bread dough to use to form around your “cone”. (Spoiler : No kneading, mixing or rising! It’s from the grocery store!) Once the bread is baked and cooled, place it on a tray and fill with fruits, nuts, cheeses… this can be both a centerpiece and an appetizer station!
Thanksgiving Wreaths and Door Decor
Want to welcome your Thanksgiving guests the warmest way possible? Start with door decor and wreaths! All of these are so easy and inexpensive to make.
Mini Corn Thanksgiving Wreath DIY
Over the years we’ve shared a lot of the projects from Yvonne over at ‘Stone Gable Blog’, because she has such great style. This mini dried corn wreath is simple and fast to make, and makes such an impression. She used a straw wreath, mini corn and a hot glue gun. That’s it! She has tons of great tricks on how to make this wreath in less than 30 minutes. And, you can make it smaller if you need to, or make multiples and continue the look throughout the home. Plus, you can store these and use them year after year.
Corn Husk Wreath DIY
If you want to make an even cheaper version of that last wreath, try the corn husk wreath DIY from ‘Design Improvised’. She used the type of corn husks you buy in the Mexican food aisle of the supermarket to make tamales, a straw wreath and a hot glue gun. Once again, tons of tips on how to make this quick DIY Thanksgiving wreath for your front door.
Easy DIY Thanksgiving Door Decor
Want some autumn festive door decor that isn’t a wreath? Check out these Thanksgiving decorations from ‘HGTV’ that fit that bill exactly! Brown paper and faux fall leaves from the dollar store and you have an original holiday greeting for your guests. Make sure this decoration will be protected from rain and wind.
Experiment with what you have available, what is affordable in your area, and what creates warmth in your heart. Try things several different ways, until you find a combination you like. Happy Thanksgiving from TBD!
If you want more from TBD on DIY Thanksgiving decorations & ideas, try High Style, Low Budget Thanksgiving Tables! Or Elegant Thanksgiving Table Decor over at OhMeOhMy…Or visit our post on Fall Decorating : 10 Ways to Make Your Home Fall Cozy! Are you ready to move on to DIY Christmas Decorating? Start with our most popular holiday post, our DIY Mason Jar Christmas Luminary! Then move outdoors and check out DIY Outdoor Christmas Decorations over at TGG!