The Thanksgiving Table

With holiday season right around the corner, and Thanksgiving less than a week away, you can almost feel the excitement in the air. Some are still in the full swing of Fall with pumpkins, scarecrows and Indian corn, while others are outside hanging Christmas lights and picking out trees. I, for one, am a firm believer that Christmas decorating should wait until after Thanksgiving. Let's show some respect for those Pilgrims and Indians people!

This year for Thanksgiving, I kept it pretty simple, and stuck to a fabulous homemade dining table centerpiece. My inspiration came from some great ideas I'd stumbled upon via a Pinterest link and decorating magazines. The first task was to find a long wood box that would work as the base of my centerpiece. I knew I wanted something rustic that would flow seamlessly with my other decor, and I knew the perfect place to find it. Enter: my brothers. Lucky for me, they have been majorly into woodworking lately, and my tiny little project of hammering together and staining a couple pieces of wood would be no trouble for them at all. 

After getting the box plan squared away, I set out on a search for supplies. I was reminded of all of the ridiculously TACKY faux leaf garlands and wreaths on the market. NOTE: Unless you can afford the expensive versions that come from a floral designer, don't waste your money. Period. 

That being said, using small, simple picks is a great way to escape the doom of your decorations coming off as tacky, and is usually a more economical option as well. Depending on what I am decorating, I usually keep to the more natural looking picks (AKA no faux leaves), and choose a select few that have some *sparkle* to add some interest.

Lesson: everything in moderation can go a long way when it comes to fake decorations.

The Autumn inspired items I used were a mix of real and faux pieces. The mini gourds and pumpkins are real, and came from the produce section at Walmart. Most craft stores have similar looking faux gourds and pumpkins if you're unable to find the real thing. 

The decorative picks, greenery and dried pinecones came from Hobby Lobby. After spending many minutes perusing the greenery aisle, I decided on boxwood. Live boxwood is naturally waxy looking to begin with, so using a fake version doesn't look too out of place.

To get the look I wanted, it was important to me to create depth and dimension in my centerpiece. I accomplished this by using candles in different heights and styles to create the look. 

Now all I need is I to find someone to cook me a Thanksgiving meal!