I really should have posted this before Thanksgiving, but I let life get in the way and I’m finally getting around to it. This year we hosted our very first Thanksgiving dinner the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Everyone brought a dish and we took care of the turkey, rolls, and a dessert. I also wanted to dress up the house a little, so I made a Thankful Tree and napkin rings both of which were made from nature’s bounty.
The Thankful Tree came from an idea off Pinterest. We have a wooded area a block away, so the little guy and I went searching for branches. We also collected pinecones and evergreen tips from the trees in our backyard. Before using the pinecones I baked them at 200F for 20 minutes to kill any creepy crawlers that made the pinecones their home. After 20 minutes I turned off the oven and left them in there for about an hour to cool (you can take them out right away, I was just busy with other preparations). I put the branches in a tall vase and then filled it with the pinecones, evergreen tips, and some cranberries.
I made tags from white pieces of paper and punched holes in the corner. Our guests wrote down what they were thankful for and hung them on the tree. Most of the tags hung with just the hole, but some people used the string I provided to tie theirs on.
I made napkin rings with extra evergreen tips, pinecones and cranberries. I hot glued the tips together then hot glued the pinecones and three cranberries on. I wrapped them around the napkins and that was it. So pretty and festive!
I also made a flower arrangement with a $10 bouquet from Walmart and this pretty white vase.
Sometimes it is just the little extra touches that set the tone. I never got around to taking pictures of the whole set up, but it was so nice to get together with my family and enjoying a great dinner and company.
