A Colorful Thanksgiving Tablescape

AHA! I tricked you! You thought I was going to jump right into Christmas posts and skip Thanksgiving entirely! Well you thought wrong my friend! I like to mix things up. 😉 Today I’m pumped to share with you all a colorful Thanksgiving tablescape I put together as part of a thanksgiving tablescape blog hop hosted by Jenn of My Fabuless Life and Kelly from Live, Laugh, Rowe. Myself and 9 other bloggers will be sharing some beautiful ideas to make your Turkey day beautiful, fun, and memorable! Well, actually the people who you spend it with will make all those things happen, but a beautifully set table doesn’t hurt! 😉

This table was inspired by a tradition my grandma used to have, where everyone got their own pie on thanksgiving. A whole pie– any flavor we wanted! It was a labor of love, but she was famous for it. So I sort of became obsessed with each place setting having their own adorable pie with a pretty crust, and the rest of the table sort of evolved from there. I used mostly things I had on hand but picked up a few key things that I think made a big difference on how the whole thing came together.

The first thing was the pumpkin floral centerpiece. I took a pumpkin/gourd from my front porch, cut a hole in the center, and stuffed in an autumn bouquet from Trader Joe’s plus a few Eucalyptus stems and I also added a few little bunches of cabbage I cut from my front porch pots. I made sure the floral stems were all cut short, so the shape was still sorta squatty.

I really love these rich colors for Thanksgiving. It is so festive!

Next, I bought this blue and tan plaid runner which is not really a runner– it is a CURTAIN PANEL from Lowe’s! I saw it hanging there and thought, “dang that is the perfect colors and pattern for a runner!” And ta-da! It is the perfect length too! I just laid it on the table, letting it fold and overlap on itself. That folding and overlapping really adds some interesting texture to the table too, so I liked that. Then I put on top some things I already had– candlesticks, stacked navy books, antlers, and eucalyptus stems (leftover from my Trader Joe’s run).

For each place setting I laid out my wood chargers from All Modern, vintage blue and white dishes, vintage gold flatware, and some rusty colored linen napkins from World Market that I tied in a knot.

Then each place got a cute little apple pie with a braided crust. I will be honest, the braided crust took forever for 4 little pies. Whew. Glad that is over with. I imagine on Thanksgiving day not everyone will want an apple pie, so I might get lucky and not have to do so many braided crusts again.

Lastly, I was feeling like each person needed a name tag of sorts, since Thanksgiving often has extra people visiting and we might want to assign seats. So I was looking online and just was so smitten with the typical ‘bride and groom’ name signs on chairs at weddings, that I figured I could come up with something similar (but reusable) for Thanksgiving!

Then, lo, these were born:

They cost about $5 each (with coupons at Joann’s) and I think that is a pretty good deal considering you can use them again and again. I didn’t stain or paint mine, but you totally could if you wanted to customize it further! This is a SUPER EASY DIY!

Here are the supplies you need: A 4×6 chalkboard, a 4×6 laser cut wood frame, a drill with like a 3/16″ drill bit, DAP RapidFuse glue (or any kind of super glue that is strong), and some ribbon to hang it.

Step 1: Place the laser cut wood frame on top of the chalkboard and mark where the holes will need to be drilled. They should be close to the corners.

Step 2: Drill holes in the marked spots.

Step 3: Place glue on inside edge of laser cut wood frame.

Step 4: Flip over the laser cut frame and place it over the chalkboard frame, making sure it is even on all 4 sides. Press into place and hold firm for 30 seconds.

Step 5: String ribbon through the holes and hang the sign on the chair-back.

These will definitely be making an appearance again soon! 😉

I added some sparkling pomegranate juice from TJ’s because I don’t drink wine, but I really wanted something that sorta looked like wine with that gorgeous deep burgundy-type color, but that I would actually drink! 😉

So that is basically it! I can’t wait for Thanksgiving– it is one of my most favorite holidays because I love food, family, shopping, and decorating for Christmas– all things that there is always plenty of on that long weekend.

Don’t forget to check out these other gorgeous tablescapes below!!

Live Laugh Rowe | My Fabuless Life | Nina Hendrick | So Much Better With Age | Shades of Blue Interiors

Anderson + Grant | Cherished Bliss | Design Dining & Diapers | Little Glass Jar | Twelve On Main

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If you liked this tablescape, check out my Thanksgiving Tablescapes from previous years by clicking the photos below: