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You are here: Home / Holidays & Seasonal / Bringing Natural Elements to Your Thanksgiving Table

Bringing Natural Elements to Your Thanksgiving Table

November 20, 2019 By Karen Cooper 6 Comments

I love the colors of fall – the reds, oranges, and yellows of the leaves, the deep greens and earth tones of pumpkins and gourds. Today’s post is about bringing those natural elements to your Thanksgiving table.

Bringing festive natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

Bringing natural elements to your table is as easy as a trip to your yard or to the grocery store! Here are some of my favorite ideas:

1. Natural Place Cards

Use natural elements to make place cards for your table. For example, my daughter and I collected pinecones when we were raking leaves the other day. I thought they’d make great place card holders.

Turn pinecones into place card holders to bring natural elements to Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

Before you put the pinecones on your table, you want to make sure there aren’t any, well, critters living in them.

To do that, line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil, put them on the sheet in a single layer, and then bake them in your oven at 200 degrees for about half an hour.

I used shipping tags (you can get these at any office-supply store) and a black paint pen to make the place cards. Once the pinecones have cooled, just wrap the wire of the shipping tag around it (be careful not to break pieces off the pinecone).

Pinecones make great place card holders to bring natural elements to Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

I love the little pumpkins you find at stores and markets this time of year. It’s so easy to turn these into place cards for your table:

Turn pumpkins into place card holders to bring natural elements to Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

To make these, I just took a black paint pen and put my guests’ first initial on the pumpkin. Easy breezy. This would be a great project to do with kids – they could add the initials to the pumpkins.

Or you could give your guests a flower to remember the holiday, setting their place with a bright, cheerful sunflower:

Sunflowers make festive, colorful place card holders to bring natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

Again, I just wrapped a shipping tag around a small bud vase with the sunflower in it. You could also use small jars or glasses for this project.

2. Festive Fruits

I remember, when I was in Brownie Scouts a few years ago (ahem), we made pomanders – oranges with cloves stuck in them.

Pomanders are a fragrant, pretty way to bring natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

Oranges add a pop of bright color to the table and the pomanders smell so warm and fall-ish. This is also a great project for kids.

Apples – the perfect fall fruit – also make festive table decorations.

Using colorful fall apples to bring natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

3. Pumpkins and Gourds and Leaves…Oh my!

This is the time of year for pumpkins and gourds. Use them to make a beautiful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table.

Pumpkins, gourds, and leaves in a toolbox make a centerpiece bringing natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

Or place different sized pumpkins on a cake plate:

Arranging pumpkins on a colorful cake plate is an easy way to bring natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

4. Natural, Fragrant Decor

Candles are often the focus of a tablescape. Use natural elements like coffee beans to hold the candles in a glass vase. They add a yummy fragrance when the candles are lit, too!

Use coffee beans for a fragrant fun candle holder to bring natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

You could also use fresh cranberries (not cooked!), corn kernels, or walnuts in the shell.

Bringing natural elements to your Thanksgiving table - thediybungalow.com

How do you decorate your Thanksgiving table? Share in the comments!

You might also like:

  • Easy Fall Centerpiece
    Easy Fall Centerpiece
  • Decorating for Fall
    Decorating for Fall
  • Five Ways to Get Ready for Fall
    Five Ways to Get Ready for Fall

Filed Under: Holidays & Seasonal 6 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Comments

  1. Shanna Gilbert says

    November 20, 2013 at 1:44 pm

    Your dining room looks beautiful and I am in love with that rug! I will definitely have to sign up!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 20, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      Thanks, Shanna! The rug is so soft and I love it.

      Reply
  2. Inspire Me Heather says

    November 22, 2013 at 6:40 am

    Your table looks so pretty, I like the natural elements too and that rug is really beautiful!!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 22, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      Thanks, Heather!

      Reply
  3. kristin says

    November 22, 2013 at 11:38 pm

    so pretty! I always love bringing nature indoors 🙂

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 23, 2013 at 9:11 pm

      Thanks, Kristin! We had fun finding the pine cones.

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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