Sometimes we wait until the last humanly-possible second until we figure out what type of decorations we want for a certain holiday. Well, by dinnertime tomorrow everyone in the home will be stuffing themselves with turkey and other Thanksgiving goodies (as if you needed any reminding). What do you do now that you’ve realized you’ve wasted all this time and your home isn’t decorated at all for Thanksgiving?

First things first–don’t panic. Follow some of these suggestions and your friends and guests won’t even know that you waited til the last minute to put these decorations up!

Get some fabric in fall colors (reds, browns, dark oranges, golds) and cut them according to the size of your throw pillows. Attach them to your throw pillows using safety pins (make sure the fabric is pinned at the back of the pillows). A huge color-coordinated ribbon tied around the throw pillows will add an instant facelift to your living room.

Get some of your glass balls for the Christmas tree and arrange them in a decorative bowl or basket together with pine cones, dried leaves, and berries. If you have Christmas balls that come in fall colors, that will do the trick too.

If you have any left over ribbons from the pillows, use them as napkin-holders or tie them around table utensils for a festive look. You can also purchase ribbon in a different but complementing shade to add variety to your decor.

Enjoy the holidays and have a happy Thanksgiving.

 

If your home has a second storey, you can use your stairway to create a dramatic holiday display.  All it needs is are a few garlands. swags, and lights, and you’ll have added some Christmas sparkle to your home.

You can buy artificial garlands from a store or make them yourself out of ivy, pine, and pine cones.  Secure the garlands to the staircase with thin wire and wrap Christmas lights around it before adding ornaments, ribbons, and other decorative items.  For more color to your decoration, create a ribbon garland by selecting three ribbons with different textures and finishes.  Attach them at various intervals to the railing then add a cluster of ornaments or a bow at each top point.

Place wreaths at intervals up the stairs and decorate these with ribbons that match your home’s color scheme.  For a more interesting look, get wreaths of different sizes.

If your stairway is wide enough for potted plants, place small pots of poinsettias and other greenery on the side of the stairs.  Tie matching bows around the pot for a more festive look.

Reds, golds, and yellows give a very warm and cozy touch to your home, and this is probably why so many people go all-out on their Thanksgiving decorations. You don’t need to spend so much money on an elaborate and elegant Thanksgiving mantle, though. Here are some simple mantle decoration ideas that you can enjoy even after your guests have left with full bellies.

All you need for a great Thanksgiving mantle are easily found materials and some imagination. Start by picking up pine cones, berries, leaves, and twigs from your yard or in the park. Wash them well and scatter them all over the mantle, or use them to embellish candles, dishes, and small vases. Add Indian corn, gourds, and mini-pumpkins in different shades of orange and yellow. For finishing touches, use wood or brass silver candle holders, or different-sized candles in fall colors. You can also include combinations of potted topiaries and beaded fruit.

Celebrate Thanksgiving in style by incorporating the beauty of fall into your Thanksgiving dinner. The trick to creating a gorgeous table setting is to make use of fall foliage, autumn colors, and fruits of the season. Using warm colors reflects the hospitality of the holiday season and will definitely make your guests feel comfortable and right at home.

For an autumn-themed centerpiece, use a traditional cornucopia or create a floral arrangement with fiery red and deep gold flowers. Instead of a vase you can use a hollowed-out pumpkin to hold your floral centerpiece. Keep your centerpiece at a height that will allow everyone in the dinner table an unobstructed view of everyone else. If your dinner table is small, keep your centerpiece small. Remember — you’ll need to have room for other dishes and condiments! For a finishing touch, scatter nuts, sprigs of wheat, berries, and dry leaves around the centerpiece and in strategic parts of the dinner table, but make sure that all foliage are clean before putting them on the table.

Set the table with a table cloth, runner, place mates, and napkins in autumn-themed prints and color-coordinated solids. Don’t use too much printed fabric so your table doesn’t look too “busy” and to draw attention to your centerpiece. Place accents onto your napkins by putting on napkin rings that reflect the season, such as wooden ones with hand-painted leaves. As for the dishes, use your fine china or dishes that match the colors of your whole table setting.

For a relaxed Thanksgiving day, make sure you plan your table setting and the evening’s menu ahead of time. Set the table a day before so that you can make some last-minute touches and additions.

 

If you want something a Christmas tree that’s different from the traditional one and resembles something more like a piece of art, you’ll see that there’s a fine line between just another Christmas tree and an original sculpture. Try out these decorating ideas for an offbeat, do-it-yourself Christmas tree.

PINE CONE TREE

To create a pine cone tree, all you need are pine cones of the same size. Arrange them in a conical shape and glue them together until it resembles a Christmas tree, then glue on holly berries and ribbons as Christmas decorations. If you think the pine cone tree looks too natural for you, you can spray the pine cones with metallic silver or gold paint before gluing them together.

THE CANDY CANE TREE

The idea behind the candy cane tree is to form a teepee frame made out of long candy canes. Create a frame with a conical armature, then get smaller candy canes and put them around the tree frame such that the hooks are upside-down and stick out like branches.

THE BEAD TREE

A bead tree is perhaps the simplest tree you can make. Essentially, this is a cone of paper wrapped with long strands of beads which are glued to it. The fun part about making this tree is that you can let your imagination run wild and use any materials you like, such as glass beads, pearls, and novelty beads. Add ribbons or fine-foil brain around the beads for that special holiday flair.