If Halloween is known for candy and the winter holidays associated with gift-giving, then Thanksgiving is devoted to dining. Every year, on the third Thursday in November, families and friends across America gather around tables set with festive cornucopias, pumpkin-themed décor and harvest time centerpieces. But people don’t love Thanksgiving just for the festive furnishings; the heart of the holiday rests in the mealtime menu. Classic recipes, such as cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie are guaranteed crowd pleasers, and it can also be fun to spice up the dinner offerings. Turkey alternatives, unconventional sides and complementary beverages can make this year’s Thanksgiving meal even more memorable.

Not the Same Old Turkey

In recent years, cooks have become far more daring with the Thanksgiving turkey. In additional to the traditional oven roasted approach, it isn’t uncommon to see deep fried, Cajun spiced or barbequed birds. But if you want to break out of the turkey mold altogether, a variety of suitable substitutes are waiting in the wings.

Duck is another exceptional bird that works well on the Thanksgiving menu. You can decide which way to prepare the delectable meat, but the braised duckling with oranges from the Reader’s Digest looks especially appetizing, and the citrus twist also has the potential to complement a variety of sides. Grilled or roasted leg of lamb is an elegant cut of meat that can also satisfy main course needs.

Some people also prefer to serve seafood or no meat at all. Savory scallops and salmon are two excellent holiday seafood choices. Martha Stewart’s 15 non-turkey Thanksgiving suggestions are a great resource, with mouth-watering recipes including grilled scallops with risotto and vegetarian pumpkin thyme rigatoni. Seasonal squashes are also hearty meat alternatives, featured in rich dishes such as Chow’s roasted acorn squashed stuffed with wild rice and roasted delicata squash salad.

Time-Saving Sides

Once you’ve decided on main course, the next all-important question is which sides to prepare. A little pre-planning for side dishes can actually save a lot of time in the kitchen. Mark Bittman who writes The Minimalist food blog for the New York Times recommends preparing as many side dishes as possible before the big day arrives. To help cooks get a leg up, he offers 101 simple recipes for Thanksgiving-ready sauces, soups, veggies, grains and more than can stay fresh overnight.

Quick-cooking guru Rachel Ray also offers some ideas for unique, but simple dishes that might not have made a Thanksgiving debut before. For instance, all you need is extra virgin olive oil, spices and a head of cauliflower for her delicious roasted cauliflower. Her recipes for dark greens with cranberries would also be a flavorful complement to turkey.

Perfect Wine Pairings

To top things off, what better way to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal than with the perfect wine pairing? The Philadelphia Foodie blog has a helpful chart of wine suggestions for different Thanksgiving themes. If roasted turkey is the star, white wines are the traditional match, but it also recommends lighter reds, such as pinot noir and Beaujolais. For rich vegetarian meals, a Sauvignon Blanc is a fine selection.

Chow, on the other hand, advises using side dishes as your wine guide as their flavors will be more prominent. In that case, it suggests medium-bodied reds (pinot Meunier) and bright whites (pinot Gris). But whatever varietal you choose, remember that Thanksgiving meals are usually extended affairs, which means the wine should be light enough for guests to sip on for a while.

Amid the menu planning and cooking, if you feel yourself getting stressed out about preparing a sumptuous spread, just remember: the most important ingredient to the perfect Thanksgiving meal is fellowshipping with family and friends. Once the table is cleared and the dishes are cleaned, spending time with people on that special holiday will make all of the energy you put into the food even more worth it.

With your Thanksgiving guest arriving next week, why not dress up your front door to welcome them in for the get-together? We’ve got some easy ideas on how to create a welcoming path for your guests!

Wreaths

Hanging a pretty wreath on your front door is a great way to create a welcoming beacon to your home. You can always buy one, but it doesn’t take much longer just to make one!  Head on over to your local crafts store for inspiration, ideas and supplies.

A simple and inexpensive twig or grapevine leaf can be the form of your wreath.

Using the grapevine wreath as your basis, you can get really creative with the project. You can use faux–or real–fruits and leaves of the season on your wreath by merely hot gluing them onto the wreath in a pretty pattern. Oranges, cranberries, and holly are all good to use. Or, glue pieces of dried corn husks and wheat to the wreath.

A really unique, beautiful and functional idea is to create a birdseed wreath. You’ll only need a few materials, and it’s actually a quick and easy project.

Swags

An even easier way to dress up your door is to make a quick swag to hang on your front door. Items you might consider using include dried wheat and cornhusks. You can even add in some dried or faux sunflowers. Simple tie a pretty and festive ribbon around the bunch, tie to the door and Voila! You’re all done! What could be easier?

Cornucopias

You can make a simple cornucopia to hang on your front door by using a natural sap bucket, wicker cornucopia basket or cone shaped tin can. Use dried flowers, faux fruits, pinecones and grasses in your cornucopia.

Other Ways to Welcome Guests In

-Decorate your front steps with gourds and potted Autumn plants like Chrysanthemum
-Get your kids to help make simple pumpkin cutouts or turkey crafts to decorate windows with
-Use kids crafts like these garden turkeys in flower beds
-Fill wicker baskets with faux lowers, fruits and cornhusks, tie with a pretty bow and leave on your front steps or porch
-Make a scarecrow with old clothes, a pillow, a hat and straw
-Set out bales of hay with gourds on top and beside them

We hope we’ve provided you with some fun, festive, affordable ways to welcome your Thanksgiving guest in. Happy crafting!

There are different ways to pick out the perfect floral centerpiece, depending on the setting and occasion. An arrangement that sits on top of a fireplace mantle will be different from those ornamenting tables at a wedding reception, for instance.

But for all of the variations between size, types of flower and budgets, the color of an arrangement will always play an important role in the final decision.

For holiday get-togethers, the most show-stopping, festive centerpieces are showcased on the dining room table.  Usually, that festive feel is echoed in other centerpieces and arrangements throughout the living area. Smaller, simpler flower arrangements are typically used in the rest of the house—like guest rooms. For example, a cornucopia flower arrangement might be the table centerpiece while arrangements filled with flowers in Autumn hues might be scattered across the rest of the common areas.

Different flowers have different meanings, but the color also holds significance. Since centerpieces attract so much attention, they can literally set the tone for an entire room. Understanding that impact of color will help you find the right centerpiece for your desired effect.

Blue: This cool tone evokes calm and serenity. Paler shades can work especially well during the winter, although blue can subtly tie together a room year-round. Centerpiece flowers, often found in complimentary purple shades as well, include hydrangeas, irises and delphinium.

Pink: Cheerful pink flowers symbolize youth and innocence, with lighter tones adding a touch of grace. In addition to the rose, lilies, cold weather amaryllis and vivid peonies are all pretty in pink.

Purple: The color of royalty and luxury, purple is a bold shade to work with. If the jewel tone seems too distracting for a room, try out soft lavender instead. Purple mums, freesia and lavender will do for shorter table top arrangements, while striking irises and delphinium can provide height.

Red: Considering that the red rose is the ultimate symbol of passion, it’s hard to downplay the drama of a red centerpiece. However, for fall and winter décor, red can add a warm punch of color to any room or display. For more elegance, roses comes in a broad palette of ruby, scarlet and mauve, while gerbera daisies and carnations set a more casual and playful tone.

Yellow: Bright yellow flowers can bring the sunshine indoors. Perhaps the quintessential floral color of spring, yellow visibly signifies youth and energy. Options for this sunny shade abound, including brilliant sunflowers, tulips and daffodils. To heighten the drama, eye-grabbing lilies, orchids and roses are all dazzling in yellow.

White: Although white is always a complementary addition to a floral centerpiece, it can also serve as the focal point. Associated with purity and openness, white flowers can be an uplifting decorative accent. Among the variety of options, lilies, calia and orchid are some of the most attractive.

Orange: Nothing brings a burst of warmth and energy into a room like a tasteful orange centerpiece. These normally make their appearances in the fall with Halloween and Thanksgiving arrangements, but don’t let the holidays confine you. Springtime gerbera daisies are handsome in orange, and birds of paradise are an exotic choice.

Green: As the color of growth and renewal, green-themed arrangements stir up a sense of vitality. If you want to move away from florals and focus on ferns and plants, green is obviously the way to go. Sage cymbidium orchids and eucalyptus accents also pair well with similar warm tones.

As you pick out the perfect color for your centerpiece, don’t forget to pay attention to the vase as well. Even if the flowers pair together flawlessly, the wrong vase will ruin the overall presentation. Be sure that it enhances the bouquet but doesn’t distract. Its color and surface texture should also harmonize with the surrounding décor.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, if you are hosting a family get-together this year you might be starting to get your menu together.

While gathering recipes for the turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and Grandma’s apple pie, one important thing may be escaping your attention: the table.

If you don’t usually set the table with much other than silverware and napkins, you may want to read on for some cool ideas to try this year to make your table beautiful, festive and welcoming.

Also, stop back by for more decoration ideas and crafts–including mantel decorations and wreaths!

Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Although it’s easy to stick a storebought cardboard turkey in the middle of the table, why not spend just as much time and effort on featuring a more welcoming–and beautiful–Thanksgiving centerpiece on your table this year.

Thanksgiving centerpieces come in a wide variety of options. Thanksgiving flower centerpieces are a beautiful choice. Look for centerpieces featuring a variety of Autumn colors–like orange and yellow. Seasonal flowers like mums are common in these centerpieces. Many of these arrangements are displayed in festive vases or containers, like faux pumpkins, adding to the overall seasonal feel of the flowers.

You can also find Thanksgiving cornucopia centerpieces. These offer an even more festive feel to add to the table.

When choosing your centerpiece, keep in mind the size of your dining room table, the amount of dishes you are serving and the number of guests. This will help you pick the best size centerpiece for your get-together. If you are hosting a larger get-together, you most likely will want to feature more than one centerpiece.

Name Cards

Name cards make a practical–and elegant–addition to your holiday table. They make your guests feel special and add a festive touch to the table. Use festive fall colors–like yellows, oranges and browns–to construct these cards. Have fun making them, and possibly enlist the rest of the family to participate in this craft.

Name cards can be as simple as cutting shapes out of colored paper with the guest’s names on it, or a little more elaborate with designs, popout shapes and glitter. Use cardstock instead of flimsy construction paper to make the cards more durable.

Look for clip art, templates and stencils to use in this project. You can add a little sparkle to your cards with glitter.

Another cool place card idea is to use in-season fruit–like pears or apples–with a cute tag specifying the guest’s name as the card. Embellish the tag with glitter and a pretty font, and tie them to the fruit-stem with ribbon or more natural looking twine.

Thanksgiving Napkins

Instead of the usual white cloth napkins, consider using more seasonal linens. This can be as simple as finding napkins in colors such as beige and tan–or festive prints–or, you can make Thanksgiving napkins yourself by embellishing plain napkins with shapes such as leaves. Find a pattern or template, or draw free-hand, and use fabric paint to fashion leaf shapes on the napkins. You can use these linens year after year!

Use festive napkin rings or simply use natural raffia as napkin rings.

Thanksgiving Tablecloths

For Thanksgiving, you might want to use a more seasonal tablecloth than Grandma’s white lace tablecloth.

You can find ready made Thanksgiving tablecloths–or, you can make your own. Just use a plain tablecloth and draw or stencil shapes like leaves straight on the tablecloth using fabric markers or paint. You can create a simple look by doing this around the edge of the tablecloth, or you can mimic the look of falling leaves by making a random pattern of leaves on the tablecloth.

Thanksgiving Table Decorations

In addition to centerpieces and place cards, consider making your own small decorations to scatter on the table. This can be a family craft which is fun for kids.

Find a website with tabletop paper craft ideas, or get the kids to help you create simple bowl decorations with fruit, pinecones and gourds.

Use your imagination and have fun making these decorations.

Thanksgiving Placemats

For Thanksgiving placemats, you can buy placemats in festive colors or prints, or you can make your own.

Use craft paint and leaf stencils to embellish plain napkins, or use fall leaves sandwiched in between clear contact paper. You can get creative here.

Thanksgiving Candles

Another great idea is to integrate Thanksgiving-themed candles on your dining room table.

One option is to go ahead and choose a Thanksgiving flower centerpiece with candles.

You can also find candles with leaf designs already on them, or you can use plain candles in festive candle-holders.Here is a cool candle-holder craft using corn-husks.

Kids’ Tables

At the kids’ tables, you can really have fun getting the kids involved making decorations.

Let your kids get creative and make decorations like centerpieces, placemats, and place cards. Do some research on the web to find projects, or just let your kids use their own imaginations. Have them gather leaves, pinecones and acorns from the yard. Set out craft supplies like pipe cleaners, crayons, construction paper, ribbon, stamps, feathers, glue and crayons, and let them have fun creating decorations. Let them know that there are no rules–just have fun with it.

We hope we have given you some inspiration for beautifying your holiday table. Have fun creating festive touches to use year after year on your Thanksgiving table! Be sure to stop back by over the next few days and week to get more great Thanksgiving decoration ideas!

As the winter chill sets in, and colorful leaves of fall and give way to bare tree branches, it casts a more somber tone on the landscape. But just because the vivid oranges, golds and reds fade away outdoors, it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice color inside. In fact, the late fall and winter are perfect opportunities to get creative with seasonal décor.

For instance, rather than just relying on cold weather plants and blooms to liven up a room, why not add an extra point of interest with complementary fruits? Of course, pumpkins and gourds are the go-to option for early fall and Halloween, but don’t limit yourself to them. The chilly months offer a variety of vibrant options, including pears, cranberries, and pomegranates. Even a large bowl filled with a lively selection of fruits, intermingled with dried leaves or flowers, can have an attractive effect.

If you aren’t sure where to start, these ideas might offer some help:

• Kumquats: Don’t overlook the potential of these lovely, palm-sized citruses. Better Homes and Gardens suggests creating your own seasonal kumquat topiary using flower foam as the foundation. Simply the cut the foam to the desired shape and attach kumquats around the base with picks, topping it off with coordinating rose blooms.

• Cranberries: For a clever way to add an extra splash of color to a flower arrangement, fill the vase partially full with cranberries. Be sure to add enough of the tart fruits in the vase to prevent them from floating around in the water, and the stems will also nest securely in the bed of berries. To replicate this effect in a gift, send someone a seasonal flower arrangement filled with cranberries.

• Pears: Bring out the glitter and gold for the winter, and try your hand at gilding pears. Highlight the fruit’s delicate shape with easy-to-use gold, silver or copper leaf paper. Most craft stores sell gilding kits that should include everything you need. USA Pears recommends silver leaf on Gold Anjou pears and copper on Red Anjou.

• Pomegranates: These symbols of good luck also dry beautifully for long-lasting décor accents. According to eHow, the first step is selecting fresh, healthy pomegranates that are smooth and firm. Then, all you have to do is space them out on a wire rack and allow to air dry for at least three weeks. Take care to turn them every couple of days as well to preserve their shape. Once dried, integrate them into floral centerpieces, wreaths and garlands or display them on their own.

• Apples: The wonderful part about decorating with apples is their sheer variety. Bright green Granny Smiths, blushing Galas and sunny Golden Delicious are just a few of the options you can choose from. Martha Stewart suggests coring out apples, placing votive candles inside the spaces and floating them in water to cast a warm glow on an autumnal meal. Or showcase a harvest-themed centerpiece made up of chrysanthemums, roses, carnations and eucalyptus, interspersed with glossy apples.

As you start thinking about how to liven up your home for winter, consider bringing the fruit out of the kitchen and into dazzling displays. They can provide cheerful notes on the fireplace mantle, coffee table, dining room centerpiece or any entranceway. Just find a fruit you like and have fun with it.

When it comes to hanging on to the beauty of fresh flowers, you have several options. You can dry or press your flowers; both of these methods yield gorgeous results. Another way to preserve your flowers is to wax them. Wax flowers are beautiful and lend themselves to all sorts of crafts, decorations and projects. It is actually an easy process–read on for details!

What You’ll Need:
Double boiler
Fresh Flowers
Scissors
Spoon
Toothpick
Tweezers
Tray lined with parchment paper
Paraffin wax
Thermometer
Floral foam
Rubber bands
Small cup (optional)
Display dome (optional)
Candle pillar (optional)

1. Use fresh flowers that are completely opened. Flowers with firm petals are best—delicate petals disintegrate. Good choices include roses and lilies.

2. Melt a pound of paraffin wax in a double boiler. Keep in Mind: Never melt paraffin directly over a flame!

3. Temperature is key here. Heat wax to 130 to 150 degrees. Maintain the ideal temperature throughout process with a thermometer. Wax will not coat flowers effectively at a low temperature and a higher temperature will scorch them.

4. Cut all flower stems to at least 2 to 3 inches.

5. Take your fresh flowers, holding each flower by the stem end and dip the flower head completely into wax. When waxing them, you will want to use a slight angle instead of straight on, and be sure not to touch the sides of the double boiler. Immediately lift out, allowing excess wax to drip into pot. If you’re waxing a flower with many petals you might want to spoon wax into flower middle to fully cover. When waxing small blooms you can insert a toothpick into the center and dip into wax, or use tweezers.

6. Cool the flowers by placing each blossom’s stem in floral foam or on its side on a parchment-paper-lined tray. It will cool and harden completely in 5 minutes. Be sure to handle the flowers carefully!

7. Now it’s time to finish the process by waxing the stems. When the blooms have hardened, wax their stems by holding the bloom this time and dipping the stem in wax.

8. You have endless options when it comes to displaying these waxed flowers. You can showcase them on their own, make cards with them, display them in a centerpiece, use them when wrapping a gift, arrange around a candle…the sky is the limit! One way you can showcase them is to display them in a simple, small cup and put them under a glass display dome or bell jar. Just snip your flowers to a few different lengths and secure with a rubber band. Fill the small cup with floral foam and—using care—arrange the flowers in the cup. You can add decorations like ornaments if you wish.

Enjoy, and stop back by for more tips about how to showcase the beauty of flowers!

Life’s short–that’s why it is so important to let those around us know how we feel. It’s the little things we do that make a difference.

Why not let someone special in your life know how much you appreciate all they do? There’s nothing like a heartfelt surprise to add a little sunshine to any day. Read on for a few ideas about how to do just that!

1. Your Sweetheart

There’s no reason to wait until special occasions to let your true love how much you care. Why not surprise that special someone with a bouquet of beautiful flowers delivered right to their home or office for no other reason except to let them know how much you love them? Pretty multi-colored roses are a sweet choice; cheerful daisies are a sunny option, or choose Stargazer lilies for their sweet fragrance and beautiful pink blossoms.

2. Your Mom

She’s always there for you–why not show her your appreciation, gratitude, respect and love? Don’t just wait until Mother’s Day or her birthday! A great idea is to send her a flower arrangement that captures the feeling of the season. For example, this Rustic Autumn bouquet is a festive choice for the season.

3. Your Best Friend

Your friends are there for thick and thin, but it’s easy to take them for granted. Sending your BFF flowers out of the blue will definitely let him or her know just how much you appreciate their friendship! Take time to choose an arrangement that reflects their personality. This Go Green bouquet exudes modern style.

4. A Crush

Single? Have you had your eye on someone for a while and are too shy to make a move? Here’s an idea: send a pretty flower arrangement with a note asking for a little bit of her time. Be sure to choose something casual–don’t choose a huge arrangement of red roses! This sunny arrangements of bright sunflowers is a perfect choice.

We hope we’ve given you some ideas about how to surprise someone special in your life! So, get to it!