Enjoying autumn is easy when you learn how to make great Thanksgiving decorations yourself. There are so many options – the main key is to incorporate the season’s colors and harvest.
One easy craft you can make is to make a pumpkin vase, which can be put outside on the porch or used as a pretty Thanksgiving centerpiece. This can be done with a medium-size pumpkin or smaller. You can do any size you like, but it’s best to not to use one too big for this craft because the pumpkin will overwhelm the flowers you put in it. The first step in making the pumpkin vase is to hollow it out like you would a jack-o-lantern. Cut one to three small holes on the very bottom of the pumpkin, depending on the size of the pumpkin. These holes will be for drainage when you water the flowers. To finish, place a pot of flowers inside the pumpkin. This pumpkin vase looks especially nice when filled with red, orange, or yellow chrysanthemums.
A great way to greet guests into your home is make a beautiful wreath to hang on your door. This can be made simply with a plain, grapevine wreath and by attaching various seasonal decorations with a hot glue gun. Some decorations for your wreath could include mini pumpkins or gourds, fall foliage, berries, a miniature cornucopia, or some Indian corn. You could also wrap some orange or Thanksgiving-themed ribbon around the wreath or make a bow to attach at the bottom. You may want to use some floral wire (which can be found at almost any craft store) to keep things in place better as you attach them. Wreaths are a great decoration to make because they are relatively easy to put together and can be completely unique.
Decorative napkin rings are a nice touch to any Thanksgiving dinner table. There are many different ways to be creative and make a napkin ring that fits your style. One easy way to make napkin rings is to cut a piece of colored cardstock in a strip that’s about two to three inches wide and five to six inches long. Roll the strip so that it forms a ring and then staple it together. It’s a good idea to wrap the cardstock ring around the napkins you intend to use before stapling, so that you don’t make a bunch of rings that are too small or too big. Next, use a hot glue gun to attach some fake autumn leaves or any other Thanksgiving embellishment you come across.
A classic and beautiful Thanksgiving decoration that can be easily made is a horn of plenty, or a cornucopia. To make this you can either start with a cornucopia already made or with a cone-shaped basket (to bend the end, steam it so it’s pliable and turn the end just a little). Depending on how long you want your decoration out or if you want it to be portable, you may want to put it on tray or some other flat, portable surface. Put a bunch of autumn leaves on the tray – you can either use ones collected from your yard, a nearby park, or from the mountains or you can use artificial leaves from a craft store. Either works just fine. Once you’ve covered the surface with leaves, stuff the cornucopia with raffia or straw about halfway. Put the cornucopia on the tray and begin to fill with fruits and vegetables, starting with the larger vegetable in back. Some fruits and vegetables you could use are small pumpkins, gourds, acorn squash, Indian corn, or apples. Have the vegetables and fruit overflow out of the cornucopia and onto the leaves. As a finishing touch, fill in some of the spaces in the cornucopia and around the fruit and vegetables with leaves. You can also scatter some cranberries or acorns around the display. The display should last about a week or two, depending on what kind of produce you use.
In addition to the crafts mentioned above, you can decorate your home easily with just small pumpkins and gourds placed around the house, or with a group of candles over some autumn leaves. With these few ideas you can make great Thanksgiving decorations yourself and make your house look warm and welcoming for the autumn and Thanksgiving season.