Thanksgiving News

Lucky you if you live in the north (of the US). Lucky all of us that nature is plentiful in providing free supplies for decorating our homes for Thanksgiving no matter where we live.

Even in South Texas at this time of year I can wander outside and clip off some branches from my yellow-berried pyracantha (I planted some with yellow berries as well as red just for this occasion), and grab a handful of at least brown leaves. If you live in the north and can garner pine cones, seed pods, pine branches and fallen leaves in all their glorious colors, use these as the basis for your color scheme.

I m also lucky to have a garden full of chrysanthemums in bloom ready to be put around in vases in the house. Since they re perennials (down here), I can always count on having them come back this time of year. Check your yard and garden for blooms in keeping with your color scheme (and next year, consider planting accordingly).

You also have an array of decorating materials available in the produce department of your grocery. All those squashes lend themselves beautifully to the fall color scheme. It s nature s way. Go for it! Arrange some greenery branches across the mantle and place fruits and vegetables around and there you have it. We re celebrating the harvest, after all.

Now here s the trick. We have two major celebrations coming up: Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Here at my house I need to make a quick transition and I m short on time, like everyone else. I m having guests for Thanksgiving, but then my grandchildren will be coming here the Friday after. I m giving a Christmas Cookie Baking Party for Kids on Friday, and will need to switch rapidly from Thanksgiving to Christmas, so I ve planned my decorating accordingly.

I ll be using only greens, yellows, golds and whites for Thanksgiving. Then, for instance, I can remove the white, green and yellow gourds and squashes from the greenery on the mantle, add some white lights and gold stars, gold jingle bells, and gold ornaments and I m set to go.

The white, yellow and gold candles and tealights for Thanksgiving can remain. See how easy it can be!
Cheap tip for a real glow? Buy a fair-sized mirror, place it on your dining room table, buffet or mantel and cover it with tea lights. Beautiful!

You could achieve this same easy transition keeping green and brown for basic background and using accents of burgundy and rust. This is a more subtle look for Christmas than the bright primary red, but it works just as well.

Also make some trips to your local Goodwill and Thrift Stores and visit some garage sales. People give away the most amazing holiday decorations that can be yours for pennies. I ve found everything hand towels, wreaths, pillows, stuffed animals, wall pictures, water globes and statuettes. Since they re used only for a short time, you hate to spend too much on them.
And here s a neat tip. My Goodwill store has a selection of lamp shades and I have the lamps, don t you? You can change out your lampshades to fit your decorating scheme. Did you ever think of that? It only takes a minute. Just make sure before you go that you know which kind of lampshades you have, and match them.

Oh and don t forget to check out the picture frames at the resale shop. You could move a favorite photo to a holiday frame and place that up on the mantel as well. In fact if you don t already have some great holiday photos, take some this year. I have a great photo of my grand-daughter sitting with a pumpkin I move to a central location at Thanksgiving, and then a collage of my own children at former Christmases I bring out in December. I bought an ugly print at a garage sale that had a beautiful forest green frame, threw away the print and substituted with the collage. It s such a dear reminder.

And while you re decorating, don t forget yourself! Most thrift stores set up displays of holiday apparel you ll want to take advantage of for you and the kids.

Some planning ahead can help you save time and money and still allow for a festively decorated home for the holidays.

Susan Dunn, MA, Personal Life & EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Offering coaching, Internet courses and ebooks for your personal and professional development. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine. I train and certify EQ coaches. Email me for information on this fast, affordable, comprehensive, no-residency program.

Source: www.isnare.com

Decorating for Thanksgiving on a tight budget can be simple when using elements found around your home or apartment. Here are a few tips for adding that special Thanksgiving flavor to your decor for little or no money.

THINK FALL COLORS. Thanksgiving decorating requires a harvest color scheme of warm yellows, golds, burnt reds, browns and greens. Think in terms of these colors when selecting ribbons and fabrics to be used with your projects.

START GATHERING. Go outdoors and start gathering colorful fallen leaves, acorns, pinecones, sticks, twigs and large branches. Use the large branches to anchor a display on or inside shelves, counter tops or bookcases. Fill the display with the items you gathered until you have a collage of color. Also consider stacking logs on your porch or inside your space…even if you don’t have a fireplace!

CREATING A CENTERPIECE All you need to create this budget piece are your outdoor supplies and a hot glue gun. Using a large attractively shaped branch, start gluing your leaves and branches in a natural pattern in and around the branch. You can buy attractive Indian corn and gourds at your local grocery store to place next this centerpiece to complete your Thanksgiving table. Use your harvest colored ribbons as accents.

REUSE PUMPKINS. Don’t think that pumpkins are only for Halloween. Some vendors largely discount pumpkins after October 31st. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. Decorate with pumpkins of all sizes by adding them to your porch or indoor displays. Just before your Thanksgiving dinner use them to create homemade pumpkin soup or pie. No waste here!

ILLUMINATION. Candles are the obvious choice for bringing warmth to your Thanksgiving festivities. Select a variety of sizes and shapes to add contrast. A good rule of thumb when on a budget is to think multiple uses. White candles can be used for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Tea candles work well when displayed in glasses and are also a little more budget friendly. The least expensive illumination tips are to use your old white Christmas tree lights on top of bookcases or draped around your room. Get a jumpstart on Christmas.

You can create an atmosphere that exudes the warmth and welcome you feel for your guest by adding special touches to your decor. Just by using what you have, a little elbow grease and some imagination you can create a holiday atmosphere…for little to or money!

Years of having to make do have turned me into a “There must be someway I can do this cheaper type person.”

My old new house needs total make over. We are thinking about moving into my MIL’s house. So I am walking around looking and thinking, my goodness, this will be way too much to do and then the old, “There must be someway I can do this cheaper type person” kicks in and I think, yah, there must. Copyright Caroline Shaw

First curtains need to be put up on the windows. I will check all of Grandma’s fabric and she has tons, and see if some of it can be salvaged for window treatments. Gee, today all you really need is a nice wooden Venetian blind and a swag or scarf.

I am thinking about sticking with the umbers I see outside this time of year (November). I already bought my border for the kitchen at a B&B we went to a couple of weeks ago, and it kind of has a sultry tone to it. You can do the same thing with fabric. Just take a quick trip to Wal-mart’s fabric Dept. They are always getting rid of material at bargain prices. If you are doing a dining room for Thanksgiving, do swags/scarf for the windows and a table cloth, placemats and napkins.

It really wouldn’t take as long as you think. Put up some lace curtains and make a scarf from the fabric you use for your table cloth..or maybe you have a plain white table cloth already available. Just make a runner that matches your window scarves,napkins and placemats.

Now what about the centerpiece? I like this idea on about.com (http://interiordec.about.com/cs/fallindex/l/blfallpr011.htm) Just has some greens and Fall leaves, candles well, take a look: The Centerpiece, It’s one where you can just remove the fall leaves and replace with berries for Christmas. Saving time is what it’s all about. Put up some wreaths on the doors and over the mantle. A simple grape vine with dried flowers in fall tones is nice. Use some wire ribbon to make a bow.

Put up plain candlesticks with fall colored candles and don’t forget the whole theme of Thanksgiving is giving thanks for our bounty. Use displays of fruit and gourds, pumpkins and mums. Get out an old watering can and fill it with leaves to place on the porch, any old galvanized buckets? Put wheat or tall dried grass display in your bucket. Don’t forget the grapes. Take a nice glass pedestal compote and cascade different varieties.

If you have a garden, pile the day’s garden harvest into a wheel barrow at the back door.

Just remember you don’t have to use all these ideas. You don’t want to have to take all this down to prepare for Christmas that’s just around the corner.

Complete Thanksgiving Menu and recipes by Lorrie Ann Danner

http://amomslove.com/hg-recipes-thanksgiving.html

As we enter into the month of November my thoughts turn towards Thanksgiving and everything that this wonderful holiday has to offer.

It is a time for spending time with family and friends and for counting the many blessings the past year has brought to us. Like most people I like to decorate for the holidays, and Thanksgiving is no exception.

Indian corn, pumpkins, gourds, wheat, fruits, nuts, and anything that symbolizes a bountiful harvest are at the top of the list for things I like to include in my decorating scheme. The best way to incorporate all of these items it to design a cornucopia centerpiece for Thanksgiving Day.

What is a cornucopia?

Cornucopia is a Latin term derived from two words, cornu meaning horn and copia meaning plenty. The horn of plenty, as it is also known, is shaped like a horn or cone. It is usually shown overflowing with nuts and fruit.

(Freeman, Morton, S. The Story behind the Words. Philadelphia: Isis Press, 1985)

This everlasting symbol of abundance is easy to create and will become another important tradition you will want to share with your family each year.

Cornucopia Centerpiece:

Materials:

• cone-shaped, store bought cornucopia basket
  
• assortment of fall fruits and vegetables (small pumpkins, apples, gourds, Indian corn, nuts, and berries)
  
• dried leaves, wheat, and other natural fillers
  
• newspaper
  
• raffia
  
• thin sheet of plastic or plastic tray (to protect table)
  

1. Stuff newspaper into cornucopia basket (less harvest items will be needed with the appearance of more!)

2. Cover newspaper with a thin layer of raffia or other natural fillers.

3. Place basket on plastic

4. Place larger fruits and vegetables in basket.

5. Continue adding smaller itemsallow them to spill out on the plastic (Remember, bountiful harvest!)

6. Fill in small places with berries and nuts.

7. Use leaves and other natural items to fill in the spaces; make sure protective plastic is totally covered.