Celebrate Thanksgiving by placing this colorful display of ingredients from your kitchen. It is simple and easy to make and its best if you can use your imagination and creativity to your creation. This harvest decoration jar suits perfectly as your decoration for the Thanksgiving table. It is inexpensive and is great way to recycle because you can use empty bottles or jars that you get from your home. You can ask your children and family members to help you on this craft. They will love for the fun from this craft.

Materials and tools you need:

Tissue paper/ crepe paper, glass jar, ribbon, beans, rice, tea leaves, lentils, scissors

How to make:

First, take your clean empty bottle. You can use any shape and size of clear bottles and jar whether it’s plastic or glass. Make sure it’s dry and clean before layering the ingredients inside the bottle.

Then, fill your bottle layer by layer. You can use a small scoop or spoon to insert the ingredients inside the bottle or put a paper that has been rolled up to into the lid to prevent the ingredients to spill out while layering. You have to be careful not to shake it too much and mix up all the layers. For the less dense layer, leave it on top.

You can coat your different ingredients according to your creativity; any other ingredients can also be used such as spices, mini candies, pumpkin seeds, dried corns and many more. Try to use dried ingredients that you can find in your cabinet of your kitchen. Even small stones and extra colorful plastics from your aquarium tank are suitable for the layering. It’s better to make sure that all the ingredients are clean and dry. The reason for this is to prevent any mold growth to the ingredients inside.

Next, cut a square of tissue paper with scissors and place it on top of the bottle. You can use any color that you like. Other than tissue paper, you can also use crepe paper or any previous holiday papers that you keep.

Then, secure the tissue paper by wrapping a ribbon to hold it in place. You can also use matching color of pipe cleaner and twine for the wrapping.

Finally, adjust the folds of the paper and cut and excess paper if needed using scissors.

Additional reading:
http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/kidscraftsactivitiesblog/2009/11/thanksgiving-harvest-celebration-glass-jars-craft-idea-for-kids/

Image source:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mote/144634037/

Making a Thanksgiving’s harvest jar is a post from: DIY Guides

Decorating your own Thanksgiving table arrangement will definitely take a lot of your time and it’s even worse when you do not have any idea on what items to use for the decorations. A simple design with an attractive centrepiece will surely bring along the Thanksgiving atmosphere to the people who are seated at your dining table and at the same time enjoying the dishes prepared by your family. Example given below is a decoration for the Thanksgiving’s table arrangement designed with an autumn-themed to spruce up the environment during Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family members or invited guests.

What you need:

1. Autumn-themed flowers
2. Hollowed-out pumpkin
3. Autumn-coloured candles
4. Wooden or rustic metal candleholders
5. Autumn-themed tablecloth, table runner, and place mats
6. Napkin rings
7. Your best collection of China or tableware
8. Clean autumn leaves as place cards

   

Method:

1. First of all, you need to decorate or buy an appropriate autumn-themed or create a Thanksgiving centerpiece to be placed on your dining table or even use a traditional cornucopia centerpiece or design an autumn floral arrangement of your own. Then, scatter some fall leaves and nuts around the centerpiece.
2. You can also use a large hollowed-out pumpkin instead of a normal vase to display the fall floral centrepiece.
3. Other than that, you can use an autumn-coloured candles placed in wooden or rustic metal candleholders for your centrepiece table.
4. Decorate your table with a tablecloth, table runner, place mats and napkins that comes with autumn-themed prints and use the selection of designs sparingly to avoid a “busy” look to the table and to keep attention focused on your centrepiece.
5. Choose a napkin rings that covers the theme of the season as well or you can hand-paint leaves onto plain wooden napkin rings or use purchased napkin rings that comes with a similar motif.
6. Choose good china or tableware that comes with autumn motifs and/or colours that coordinate with the colours used in other elements of your table’s decoration.
7. Look for a clean autumn leaves as place cards, then rinse leaves and pat them until it is really dry. After that, write on the autumn leaves nicely the name of each family members or guest’s name on the autumn leaf with a black or gold felt-tip pen. Place the leaf in the centre of each plate set at the dinner table giving a nice look when people see their names on the dinner table.
   

With just a few imaginative ideas, you have already decorated a very nice look and attractive Thanksgiving dinner table with a centerpiece that is simple but has an elegant look. You can also add some more scent candles around the room that provides some relaxing mood and feel while you entertain your family members or invited guests. Let’s not forget, it boosts one’s appetite.

Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_9020_decorate-thanksgiving-table.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7252488@N07/2057772510/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17282237@N03/4141792945/
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1342/3165015435_3de5f50928.jpg

Decorating a Thanksgiving Table is a post from: DIY Guides

Imagine the mayhem when fall season starts and you just don’t know what and where to start on your house decorations. Although, it sounds easy when you can go to any craft stores or decoration department to amp up the house but think again about the money that you can save by doing your decorations yourself. Forget about having the same mass production decors when you can create your decoration with your touches without ripping your wallet off. Find the materials in craft store or thrift store to minimize your budget. You can ask your other family members to help you because it is easy and fun to make. So here are three great decorations ideas using pinecones to make your fall and holiday season gleaming with joy and glee.

• Evergreen ball decoration

What you need:

• Ribbon
  
• T pins
  
• Evergreen ball (15 inch size)
• Hot glue gun
  

How to do:

1. First, you need to fold five 50 inch ribbons in half.
2. Then, pin the ribbons at the bottom of the evergreen ball which is along the creases.
3. Next, cover the loop of hanging wire by running a ribbon along it.
   
4. After that, secure the ribbon by pinning them to the ball on each side of the wire.
5. Finally, decorate it with pinecones all around by using hot glue gun.

• Holiday season ornaments.

What you need:

1. Pinecones
2. Evergreen sprigs
3. Floral wire
4. Screw eyes
5. Tiny glass beads (your choice)
6. Ornaments ribbons

How to make:

1. First to make the hanging, place a screw eye into each pinecone by twisting it through the pinecones.
2. Then, wire sprigs of evergreen onto each eye. To decorate the pinecones ornaments, string a few beads of your choice or small ornaments onto a length of ribbon.
3. Next, run the ribbon through the screw eye. You can hang them in a tree or along the window.

• Pinecone garland

What you need:

1. Dried pinecones
2. White pine garland
3. Floral wire

How to make:

1. First, wrap the wire around the end of each pinecone twice.
2. Let the space between each pinecone be 7 to 8 inches apart.
   
3. You can place 13 to 15 pinecones ever 10 feet of garland.
   
4. However, the amount of the pinecones depends on you, on how much density you want your pinecone garland to look like.
5. Then, decorate the pine garland with the pinecone garland by wrapping along it.
6. Finally, wrap the wire around the ends. You can add extra ribbon bow to your garland for more beautiful touch.

Additional Reading:

http://www.marthasteward.com

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendypiersall/3151686603/

Great ideas for fall and holiday seasons decorations is a post from: DIY Guides

Instead of having just pumpkins decorations for your holiday season especially for the fall and thanksgiving holidays, jazz up your house with this addition of decorated dried gourds. Gourds are another family of pumpkins but what are different about them is the elongated shape and the taste. You can find them in grocery or green market with so many varieties, sizes and shape. Try to select as many shapes and sizes as you can. Turn these gorgeous dried gourds into another level by painting them with colors, so they turn into marvelous sculptural-like. This craft is simple and easy to make. You can find the other materials and tools in any craft store and hardware store. They will look marvelous place as displays on your coffee table, dinner table or around the house. Let your imagination and creativity lead you.

Materials and tools you need:

• Dried gourds
• Fine sandpaper
• Kraft paper
• White primer
• Spray enamel or glossy spray
• Paintbrush
• Newspaper

How to:
To start this craft, place your work surface with newspaper to cover your table from the paints. Since this have to deal with spraying the dried gourds with paint, you can make this when the children is not around or make it outside the house.

1. First, clean the dried gourd with a cloth which was been damped with a bit of water. Let it dry for awhile. Then, sand off any imperfections on the dried gourd by using fine sandpaper.
2. Next, paint or spray the gourd with the first layer of white primer. When you finish, let the first layer of white primer to dry for overnight.
3. After overnight drying, spray the surface of the gourds with enamel or glossy paint. Spray the gourds by sections. Then let the sprayed sections dry out for at least 3 hours. Then turn the gourds again to spray paint in any unpainted section. Let the gourds dry out overnight. You can repeat this spraying process if necessary.
4. Finally, you can assemble this decorated dried gourd in a silvery platter on your coffee table or inside a ribbon wrapped basket as the dinner table decoration. You can choose any autumnal colors or hues to compliment the looks of each dried gourd or go unique with any contrast colors. The benefit of this decoration is that you can still use them after the holiday season as your house decoration.
   

Additional Reading:
http://www.marthasteward.com

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92833011@N00/1449805424/

Making your own decorated gourds is a post from: DIY Guides

Want something to fill your favourite delicacies with? Fill your cookies, sweets and candies or pumpkin pies inside this beautiful embellished boxes craft. The craft is easy and simple to make and the result will impress your family and friends. You can place these embellish boxes on the coffee table filled with your cookies and sweets to offer for your guests for thanksgiving. Most of the materials you can find easily in any craft store. These embellished boxes will also make a great box as presents. Follow the instructions below to learn on how to prepare and make this thing happen.

Materials and tools you need:

1. plain or colored box
2. wax tissue paper
3. scissors
   
4. maple leaf cutter/template
5. colored paper or card stock
6. glue stick
   

How to make:

1. Cut the wax tissue paper or colored glassine according to the shape of your box’s base. You can use any paper you want to line the base of your boxes. If you decide to put food items such as cookies inside the boxes, line the base with non toxic paper for safety and to protect these particular items.
2. Then, make traces of maple leaf motives on the colored paper or card stock using pencil. You can use template or draw freehand. Choose fall hues for the cardstock and paper to echo the thanksgivings theme. Cut out carefully using scissors or fine tip scissors for more complicated maple leaf motives.
3. Next, spread some glue on the surface of maple cutouts with some glue stick. Stick the glued maple paper cutouts on the box lid. Let the glue dry out completely. You can stick as many maple cutouts as you want depending on your creativity. When you finish decorating the lid, you can decorate the outer box surface as well. Dry the glued maple embellishments before using it.

You can add decoration such as tie or stick gold or fall hues ribbons around the box. For more glamour look, you can sprinkle some glitters on the maple embellishments.

Additional reading:

http://www.marthasteward.com

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pumpkincat210/3513802052/

Making Maple Leaf embellished boxes is a post from: DIY Guides

You can make your own marvelous table cloth and napkins for Thanksgivings with this craft using fall leaves. The leaves can be easily found outside your house or you can print freehand or draw freehand of fall leaves. Try to search neat and pretty leaves outside your house so they will give wonderful pattern on the fabrics. You can also buy leaves stamps at any craft store. This craft will make a fresh look for you instead of using store bought napkins and tablecloth. With this, family and guests will be impressed by your own hand making and it will gel greatly with the thanksgiving’s ambience. This craft also works wonderful as presents. Get ready to get started on this wonderful creativity with the instructions below.

Materials and tools you need:

1. Leaves
2. plain or colored fabrics
3. fabric paints/dye
4. hard roll
5. fabric scissors
6. medium or small tip paint brush

How to make:
First, cut your plain or colored fabrics into sizes of tablecloth or napkins that you desired by using fabric scissors. You can also buy fabrics already cut for you in craft store or fabrics department. You can use any fabrics that you want; the most suitable for this project are linens and simple cotton fabrics.

Then, spread your fabrics on a table or your work area. Next, paint your leaves/template/stamp with fabric paint using medium or small tip paint brush. If the leaves that you are using are small, then it’s better to use small tip brush and vice versa. It really depends on how the leaves’ patterns are. Make sure that the paint on the leaves is not too thick so that in this way it’s easier to apply on the fabric and dry faster and evenly.

Place the painted leaves/template/stamp surface on the fabric. Roll on a heavy thing such as heavy roll or brayer to make the paint sticks neatly on to the fabrics. After several roll, place out the leaves/template/stamp off the fabric carefully. Repeat process on the other place of the fabric. The pattern should be upon your creativity and imagination, so each will have its own uniqueness and touch.

When the stamping process is finished, leave the fabrics on your work area to dry off for a while before putting them outside for better drying. If you working with small batches of napkins with simple leaves pattern, you can use hairdryer with maximum heat applied. So you can just apply heat from the hairdryer within several inches distance to the painted napkins for drying.

Finally, when the painted fabrics have completely dried, you can sew the edges of the fabrics to make them more neat using sew machine or needle and thread. You can also apply this process for paper cups or runner. For a wonderful gift, tie a beautiful ribbon on the fabric or simply place it in a leaf’s stamped box.

Additional reading:
http://www.marthasteward.com

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaireproductions/3132163058/

Making your own fall leaves patterned table cloth and napkins is a post from: DIY Guides

Instead of throwing away the holiday papers, collect and use them for this easy craft for making tray liner. The decorated holiday paper will be a good addition for the New Year’s party decoration. You can use any holiday paper that you like as long the paper is clean and neat. Metallic paper will give extra glamour and fun to the tray for serving drinks and foods. So start searching for the previous holiday paper to make this craft. It’s a fun and great way to recycle your holiday paper and save more money. Get started with it.

Materials and tools you need:
Holiday paper scraps, serving tray, scissors, clear laminated card (optional), double side tape, pencil.

How to make:
First, measure the interior base of a serving tray that you desire. You can place the tray on the paper and trace the base shape of the tray by using pencil. Cut the paper using sharp scissors along the pencil line. If the paper creases, use a low temperature iron and apply it slowly on the back of the paper to remove the creases.

Then, insert the paper into the tray and secure with double tape if needed. For longer wear and protect the paper from getting wet, place a laminated clear card with the same size of the tray liner. The tip for cutting the clear card is by cutting it slightly smaller to allow it fit the edges of the tray.

Additional reading:
http://www.marthasteward.com

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yi-en-shawn/2198794269/

Making tray liner using holiday paper is a post from: DIY Guides

Creating one’s own creative Thanksgiving garland for the festive season will definitely spruce up the atmosphere to your house decoration especially on your doorway, mantle or decorate it at your porch. The following tips and ideas will help you accomplish a simple decoration for Thanksgiving theme garland. They Thanksgiving garland can be created easily where you can make use of recycle items or from common plants that you have in your garden.

What you need:

1. Raffia
2. Garden Shears
3. Gardening Gloves
4. Miniature Pumpkins
5. Preserved Fall Foliage
6. Small Gourds, Indian corn, miniature pumpkins, fake autumn leaves and fake berries
7. Other items that can be use are autumn flowers, petals or colourful beads and ribbon
8. Garden trimmings (6-inch long) such as juniper, oak, asparagus fern, bay laurel, redwood, cedar, pine or fir
9. Twine
10. Paddle Wire
11. Measuring tape

Method:

1. First of all you need to measure the area where you want to place the garland and how long you wanted it to be.

1. Then, you need to lay a 10-foot length string (depends on your measuring of your area you want to place the garland) or twine on a flat area. After that you have to tie one of the string’s ends into a loop and attach the floral wire or paddle wire to the loop end of the string or twine.
2. The next step is to cut foliage pieces, mix them with different kinds and place them in a bunch with its stems at one end of the twine’s loop end. To ensure that it is secured, you need to wrap the stems with the floral wire.
3. Repeat the above process with another bunch of foliage which includes preserved fall leaves with its stems overlapping the first bunch which also cover the cut ends. Ensure that all the stems are facing according to the same directions. You have to continue doing the above steps until you run out of string.
4. When you come to the last bundle, you have to twist the wire tightly, and knot the wire and string together. Make sure to leave at least 12-inches of wire for hanging purpose.
5. You can add the miniature Indian corn or other items by wiring two ears together using the floral wire and leave a few inches of the wire to enable it to be attached directly onto the garland.
6. If you are using small pumpkins, you can pierce through it using bamboo skewers and then you need to wire the pumpkins to the garland just by looping wire on the skewer.
7. Other than that, old panty hose can also be use to put the small gourds. You have to pull the hose tightly around the gourds and the wire it onto the garland. Besides that, you can also attach the fake berry bunches onto the garland with floral wire.

With just a few imaginative ideas, you have already made a simple and cute look self made Thanksgiving garland of your own without the need to purchase a new one. It will definitely look nice when display on your mantel in the living room, hang it on railings of your stairs or even on your children’s bedroom wall. It can also be a gift to your family members who are not staying with you or for your friends.

Additional Reading:
www.ehow.com/how_8633_make-harvest-garland.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/goodthings/fall-garland
http://www.dotcomwomen.com/crafts/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-garland.shtml

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24225734@N04/3940149024/

Making Thanksgiving garland is a post from: DIY Guides

One of the main menus during a Thanksgiving dinner is a nice home cook Turkey that will make every one hungry just by smelling the aroma from the kitchen. Example given below is one of the ways to prepare a home cook turkey for Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family members or invited guests.

What you need:

1. A fresh quality turkey
2. Seasonings
3. A Cooking Pan
4. Cooking ‘TOOLS’
5. An Oven or a Microwave

Method:

1. First of all, you need to choose a turkey which is suitable and also enough to cater for the number of people in your family or your invited guest for example if your guest are more than 14 people, you need to purchase two medium size turkeys (that weighs 12 to 15 pounds). Do start early when you prepare to cook turkey for Thanksgiving because you need to thaw the frozen turkey first before you can start cooking and the time differs depending on the weight of the turkey.
2. A few things need to be done a night before Thanksgiving such as brine the turkey up to 24-hours with a cup of salt and a gallon of water using a cooler or stock pot. This is to enable the turkey to retain its moisture. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and separate its skin, then butter the area between the skin and the turkey using a 1/4 to 1/2 stick of butter. Also marinade the turkey with lemon juice, Teriyaki and or Soy Sauce. Using more acidic item will give you less time to marinade of up to 2 hours.
3. When its time for you to cook the turkey, you need to pre-heat the oven up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is ready and pre-heated accordingly, insert the turkey using the roasting pan and set the cooking times. The cooking times will also depend on the weight of the turkey which is between 15 to 20 minutes per pound.
4. Finally when the turkey is done, you will be able to the juicy looks along with golden brown. You can also checked using a cooking thermometer to determine whether it is done or not for example 180 degrees Fahrenheit for the thigh or 170 degrees Fahrenheit for the breast.
5. When it is done, display the turkey for about 20 minutes before you can enjoy your dinner.

Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2118540_cook-turkey-thanksgiving.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5187412_cook-turkey-thanksgiving.html

Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coconutrecipes/4079067185/

Making Turkey for Thanksgiving is a post from: DIY Guides