home decor

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.

About The Author

Candee Stark

Happy Thanksgiving! Please visit me at http://www.flowers-and-garden.com/ if you would like to see a picture of the cornucopia I created or you would like to read about other decorating or garden ideas.

http://www.flowers-and-garden.com/cornucopia-centerpiece.html

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Fall is harvest time so take advantage of the bounty of nature. It’s Thanksgiving time, so take advantage of the generosity of others. Some clever hunting and gathering can help you save time and money and still have a festively decorated home for the holidays.

1. Gather branches, leaves, seed pods, pine cones, acorns and anything else from your yard that fits with the fall color scheme.

Even without a glue gun you can arrange attractive centerpieces and mantel displays.

2. Visit the produce department of your grocery and pick vegetables that suit your color scheme.

Squashes come in all colors, shapes and sizes and last a long time unrefrigerated. Pumpkins may be reduced after Halloween and work well. Arrange them in groups, alone, or around the greenery.

3. Check out your garden for what’s in bloom.

Lucky you if you have chrysanthemums, but many other things will do if you’ll take a second look.

4. Cheap tip for a real glow? Buy a fair-sized mirror at the dollar store or thrift shop, place it on your dining room table, buffet or any low table (you have to be able to see the reflection) and cover it with tea lights or candles. Beautiful!

5. Get accent pieces from your local Goodwill store and thrift shops.
People donate the most amazing holiday decorations that can be yours for pennies. - hand towels, wreaths, pillows, dressed stuffed animals, wall pictures, bedspreads, water globes, statuettes and serving pieces. Drop by often until you find what you need.
6. Change out your lamp shades.

Check out the lamp shade selection at Goodwill and buy some to fit your color scheme, or simply in darker shades to cozy up the house. It only takes a minute to change them. Just make sure before you go to check how your lampshades attach and match them.

7. Don’t forget to check out the holiday picture frames at the resale shop or garage sales.

You could move a favorite photo to a holiday frame and place that somewhere prominent. Neat if you use photos from former holidays, like when the kids were little, or your grandparents were still alive. Also look over the prints at garage sales and bargain stores with an eye toward the frames. You can throw out the print!

8. If you have a neutral couch with pillows, shop the bargain stores for accent pillows in fall colors, or change them all to the thematic color. Slipcovers are also a possibility.

9. Let the children make some decorations.

Some suggestions: Painting Thanksgiving pictures you then frame and hang on the walls or use for placemats. Cutting out leaves in fall colors to place around the centerpiece, scatter across the front door step to welcome guests, or pin to curtains. Given them clay or play-doh and let them fashion pilgrims, turkeys, leaves, or fruits.
10. 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. (And the most beautiful hostess is the one who is rested and enjoying the event herself, so take care of yourself and use your EQ skills.)

©Susan Dunn, MA, EQ coaching, http://www.susandunn.cc , mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc . Individual coaching, business programs, EQ Alive! #1 rated program to increase your EQ - simple, no memorizing, it works. Email for information, and free ezine.

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Someone recently shared with me a great, easy idea for making a table centerpiece. All you need to get started is several pounds of Red Delicious apples. The apples you can make into candle holders! All you have to do is use a paring knife to cut a circle out of the top of the apple (removing the stem). Then use a spoon to scoop out enough apple to allow enough room for a votive candle. If you want to use a larger candle, you could scoop out more of the apple. The top of the candle should be flush with the top of the apple.

Stand the apple on the counter and see if it’s standing straight. If it’s a little lopsided, just slice a little off the bottom of the apple so it will sit nicely. There’s lots of ways you can decorate with your apple candle holders.

If you want to decorate your table, you can take a pretty bowl and fill it with apples. Place 2-3 apple candle holders in with the other apples and light the candles for an attractive centerpiece. You can also set several of the candle holders on the table and decorate with greenery from your yard, such as evergreen branches, leaves, berry sprigs, pine cones, etc. Use your imagination. At Thanksgiving we had several card tables set up and I set one apple candle holder and a few pieces of evergreen on each table since there wasn’t room for more decoration. You can also set the candle holders around a room, like in a bookcase, on the piano, on the china hutch. Just make sure to set something under it in case the wax spills over.

Some people think these candle holders look a little weird at first, because they’re not used to seeing apples used as candle holders, but they look really great and cost next to nothing if you have some apples and votive candles laying around. They will last 2-3 days until starting to spoil. They give a warm, natural feeling to a home and are very attractive and easy to make.

Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For easy do-it-yourself home decorating ideas, visit http://www.frugal-home-decor.com

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