Home for the Holidays Part 1

Last night my church hosted an event called "Home for the Holidays" to begin to prepare our hearts and our homes for the holiday season. It was a chance for our church ladies to show off their crazy decorating skills!  And I've got pics to back it up!  There were so many wonderul Thanksgiving and Christmas tablescapes, in fact, that I've decided to break it down into multiple posts. 

We'll start with a few posts dedicated to Thanksgiving tablescapes.  Here you'll find many unique and cost conscious ideas on how to decorate your Thanksgiving table!

In addition to some beautiful tables, we also had guest speakers Millie Fernald of Cobblestone Gifts & Interiors in Bethany, OK and Cyndi Schatzman, author and speaker (our own hometown celebrity!).  What wonderful ideas and inspiration they offered!

This cute kids table was done by my sweet friend, Mitzi A.

How great are these candy corn trees?  Find out how to make them here.

This Little People Thanksgiving is so cute!  Check out the Mayflower in the background.

These adorable turkey hats were made with scrapbook paper.

Mitzi made these precious footprint plates at a local ceramic store.

Gift idea for Grandma?

  

This was Mitzi A's other Thanksgiving table.  It's like a miniature pumpkin patch!

So simple and beautiful it's crazy!

This tablescape could be used for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I love how it incorporates family pictures.  Christin A and her sweet baby...aaahhh.

See the cute bird's nest in the upper left?

You could put this idea to use on a sideboard all year round!

The use of real apples as votive holders and pine cones speak of the season.

My friend and fellow craft-junkie, Melissa B showed us another way to incorporate family into the decor.

What a lovely way to remember those no longer with us.

I love the mix and match frames.  I think it makes it feel "homier" than having all the frames match.

I'm lovin' the transferware plates!

I thought this was a cute way to display these small metal signs.  Beautiful!

There were so many interesting things to see on this table it took several pictures to try and capture it all.

Here's Melissa B's table in candle light.

And how fun and creative is this Thanksgiving table?!  L-O-V-E it!!  You could even change the paint colors to match your Christmas decor and get a little extra mileage out of those Halloween pumpkins!

I love the funky patterns on the pumpkins!  I want to put these all over my house!  Thanks for the ideas, Angela T!

This napkin ring is simply grosgrain ribbon with a button sewn on!  How cute is that?

There's no doubt what holiday we're celebrating here!  I love all the natural elements:  Indian corn, pumpkins, gourds, leaves and berries.  There's nothing more "Fall" than that!

These candle rings look to be made from beaded garland.  You could make these in colors that match your home decor and  use them all year.  I love the way they drape.

I thought this was a cute and simple way to decorate a plain stackable chair without the expense of a full slip cover.  You could even tuck a floral pick into the bow if you wanted!

So that's the first six Thanksgiving tables!

A lot of the supplies used to decorate these tables can be found at your local arts & crafts store.  One of my favorites is Hobby Lobby.  I think every thing in that store goes on sale for half price at some time or another!  Plus they will often have a 40% off coupon you can use.  I asked last time I was in there if I needed to have a printed copy of the coupon or if I could just show it to the cashier on my smart phone (believe it or not Melissa B, I actually know how to do this!).  She said the "smart phone coupon" was fine and that all Hobby Lobbys will accept that.  Good to know!

Well, I did my best to credit the designers of these beautiful and creative tables.  If I missed someone, please tell me in the comments section.  I want to make sure everyone gets the credit they deserve!