Can It Really Be Fall? How About Some Decorating Ideas?

Main Posts Background Image

Main Posts Background Image

28.10.11

Can It Really Be Fall? How About Some Decorating Ideas?

Decorating for the holidays has never been my 'forte', so when my friend, Laurie, assigned the ladies at church to bring ideas for creative centerpieces and table settings for the holidays, my mind drew a complete blank!

Yes, the ever creative me..was at a total loss. It was unsettling, to say the least. Ask me to organize your files..and I'm fine..but decorating? Yipes!


Thank goodness, the internet is awash with lovely ideas for holiday decorating, crafts, and recipes. So even the most creatively challenged gal can come up with something a little unique and festive this year. 

Though I'm not that good at decorating...I'm a sucker for any DIY craft. These are just some of the fun ideas I scrounged up on my scavenger hunt last weekend.


 Photos for Inspiration

Natasha, of 5 minutes just for me, has been peaking my interest in a great way to share photos called 'Pinterest'.  This week, I finally decided to satisfy my curiosity and see what the big deal was. The big deal was gorgeous photos!  So today, I'm sharing some great photos of some of the ideas that popped in my head or stumbled across my path.  (Funny..they have a waiting list. Sure hope they don't keep me waiting too long Lol!)






Style
For starters, we ladies at Grace Community, were trying to come up with creative centerpieces for the table. The big question was were we aiming for cute or elegant? Our team voted for elegant.  These certainly are elegant table settings aren't they? I've been doing the same thing for 24 years. I don't know what Hubby and the kids will say if I do something really lavish. But won't it be fun?


Wreath for the Door
One of my readers (and good bloggy friend), Claudia of Casa de Berry, has gotten a head start on the holidays by making this lovely Fall wreath for her front door. She put the the first letter of her family name on it. Isn't that so creative? You can read about it at her blog right here.





Lighting
I have to say that cinammon sticks tied around a hurricane candle holder seemed so simple to me. The smell would be just perfect! I don't think it would be too difficult to tie them with  raffia or twine (love the earthy feel). There were so many great ideas for candle light. I think using gourds with tea candles is a super idea too!  I did my gourds with taper candles and fall decor. I'll share that later this week, I hope!
 



DIYTin Punched Lanterns  
While Hubby and I were at the convention center, I became obsessed with the recessed lights that lined the halls. They all have metal covers that are tin punched with cattle brands. So awesome! Robin, boss's wife, said it's so easy to tin punch cans to make candle holders.  Here's a link to a tutorial on how to make your own. ( I could see this becoming quite addictive!Aren't they quaint?)


 




The Mantle 
We've always hung a 'Happy Thanksgiving' sign over the mantle or on the wall near the dining room table. But this year, I've decided to try something new. Isn't this a great idea? Except that instead of 'Harvest', I'd write 'Give Thanks'. If I get that far..I'll post a picture. :o)


Centerpieces- Craft Ideas
So what will we use as decor for these 'creative' centerpieces? Well, I can't bear to miss an opportunity for a craft and when I saw these clay pumpkins I thought I'd just die. Aren't they cute? Here's a tutorial for clay pumpkins.  You could also spray paint them, I would think.


Can you believe that I 'just happen' to have 25 pounds of real clay on hand (long story--my dad was a sculptor--it was a birthday present. :o)  When the clay dries it's quite whitish gray which makes our pumpkins look a bit more elegant, don't you think?.

It would be fun to have a girly day making clay pumpkins wouldn't it? I'll bring the clay..you provide the tea. :o) 




Fall Leaves on Jars
I'm CRAZY about fall leaves and can't wait to try my hand at one of these. I've got TONS of jars, (Thank you Anita M.), and I think these would make love gifts for friends. But some--I'm KEEPING, for a change. :o)  (Now if only our leaves will turn in time for Christmas...this is the 'big' question here in Houston.)  Here's the post from Gingerbread Snowflakes.










Color Scheme
Another question, though I've never thought about it before, is what color scheme do you want. I've ALWAYS used orange..pumpkin orange, but after some research, I just might change my mind this year.
Both the black and white motif and the earth tones are capitivating and give an elegant feel for sure.  And who would have thought of using turquoise?





Napkin Folding-  Turkey or French Pleat
My best thought though was to add the idea of a beautiful napkin fold. Rebekah researched and she
found out how to fold these. It's so simple and elegant!  Can you believe that napkin folding is quite an art to itself? What a great way to surprise the family!

Here is a link to a Turkey Napkin fold and the French Pleat napkin fold.  I even found a Christmas tree fold. Now that would be a fun thing to share with your daughters..'how to fold napkins'.  I can make turkey napkin folds in seconds. It really is very easy and so pretty!




Horderves 
Once you've set the pretty table, arranged your centerpiece, and folded your napkins, there's still the quesiton of food. No doubt, you'll be concocting a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner but chances are it will be quite traditional.  One place you can add some variety is with horderves and snacks.  Here are some that I'd like to try this year. One is a caramel pumpkin cake pop.



Desserts
You just have to admit that pumpkin cake is amazing! OK, I know..it's a bit 'over kill' but I'm a cake nut so I'm gonna HAVE to try these...if my daughter doesn't beat me to it. I found the cake pan mold online..just $3.99 on ETSY. This is just such a gorgeous idea--extra special!


Memories 
For some reason, Thanksgiving gets a quick once over every year and that really bothers me. Thanking the Lord for his blessings ought to be instinctive!  I love these ideas for helping us get focused on the real meaning of Thanksgiving. A Thanksgiving tree..or memory chain seems like the perfect craft. What a lovely tradition!


If you are tired of the same O-same O decor for the holidays, perhaps some of these ideas will get the creative juices flowing. I've decided to give it a 'go' myself and do something special.


Can't wait to get started on those clay pumpkins!!  What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate Thanksgiving?




11 comments

Natasha in Oz said...

I love this post Donna! I'm so glad you found such wonderful inspiration at Pinterest! Let me send you an invite and see if that speeds up the process to get you pinning on your own boards!

I love your gorgeous ideas and will be re-pinning one of those Tablescapes to my Thanksgiving board!

Have a great weekend!

Best wishes,
Natasha.
xo

Rae said...

This is my favorite time of the year! Lovely pretties on this post!
Just stopping by to say HI!!

Donna said...

Thanks Rayanne and Natasha. :o) It's nice to hear from you all. It's been so hot--until today actually--that I began to think Fall would never come!

xo
Donna

claudia b said...

Aw, thank you Donna! I'm getting my boys to work on a Thanksgiving garland and I love the ones you posted!

CraveCute said...

Lovely pins! Great inspiration for the fall and for Thanksgiving!

GlorV1 said...

Great ideas and looks great too. I don't decorate the way I used to anymore. I don't know why, I just lost my zest for it and just brighten it up a little but that's it. It's strange how so many changes in ones life affect the rest of life. I think I'm getting moody. Sorry. Great post, you have a wonderful weekend.

Snap said...

Beautiful post, Donna. Pinterest is just full of wonderful ideas. Happy Pinning and nice to meet you.

Needled Mom said...

I feel like fall can come now after looking at these gorgeous decorating ideas. It is wonderful inspiration!!!

Donna said...

I'm so glad you enjoyed my ideas and the photos. By the way, I wrote this over a month ago and I think I meant to do individual photo credits and then didn't. I've never used Pinterest before and thought maybe they were embedded links.

At any rate, I will be hunting down the photographers who took these to give proper credit before the day is over. I sure want to give credit where credit is due!

xo

paperbutterfly said...

Great ideas and simple enough that us less crafty types will enjoy doing.

Blessings, Pam

Victoria Mische said...

Oh I really love your ideas. Its really amazing you did those wonderful pumpkin cake! Wonderful creation! I also learned quickly how to fold a Turkey Napkin - such an amazing experience. Thanks!

Anyway, just to share one of the budget friendly e-shopping store on the net that I encountered is the yourchaircovers.com. I also bookmarked this site co'z I think this would help me if I will be holding any special occasions.I found this site to offers fabulous and amazing chair covers, tablecloths and other luxurious items you might need on a party. It's a great discounted store with lots of amazing items!

“There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.” ~ Margaret Sangster

Friends of Comin' Home

Thanks for visiting!

Search This Blog

Followers

Copyright Comin'Home 2020. Powered by Blogger.

Error 404

The page you were looking for, could not be found. You may have typed the address incorrectly or you may have used an outdated link.

Go to Homepage