Thanksgiving Table Decor: DIY Ideas & Budget Tips
Thanksgiving table decor doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. One of the best ways to create a beautiful table is to plan ahead. Whenever I have a holiday or project I would like to work on, I start to gather ideas ahead of time. Then I can plan a color scheme that works with what I already have or pick up inexpensive decor, before it sells out in the bargain stores.
No worries, though, I have some DIY tips to help you customize what you have and coordinate it, to get that designer look on a dime.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure statement here.
SHOP YOUR HOUSE
Take inventory of what you have. Do you already have a neutral table cloth, place-mats or napkins? What about your dishes? White dishes can be used for any occasion and customized with other decor items to make them special again.
What about candle pillars, votives or other seasonal decor you have on hand? Can it be re-purposed or spruced up to fit the occasion?
For my table, I reused the silverware, glasses, plate chargers, pumpkins, votives and candles. By themselves, these items are kind of boring and lack warmth and charm. But, you can add inexpensive touches that make the table have and expensive look.
Start by putting together one place setting. If you don’t have nice dishes, shop the thrift stores. Believe it or not, the plates I used here are from the dollar store! You can read this post to learn more.
PICK YOUR COLOR SCHEME
Use your dishes, linens or napkins to pick your color scheme. If you have neutral items, that’s even better! I wanted to have a little orange, with mostly nature inspired colors. I chose a light orange, wood tones, gold & wheat tones along with some green, black and white/cream.
USE NATURAL ITEMS
Are there items from nature you can bring in to add texture and layers? Think about pine cones, pine branches, vines, mums, leaves, ornamental grasses and tree nuts. I’ve even seen twigs or branches used. Do some online searches for how to clean, preserve and use these items indoors.
For my table, I had some beautiful vines planted in my garden boxes. I incorporated those, along with hickory nuts and wheat.
ADD TEXTURE AND LAYERS
Now that you’ve finished the steps above, you’ll have some direction on what you still need. This is when I raid my local thrift store, dollar store and craft store. If you shop early, you can find really nice decor, before they sell out.
For my table, I found the two small boxes in the clearance section of the craft store. I purchased the knobs at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. This brought in the wood tones and gave it the Farmhouse charm, I was going for.
Next, I used inexpensive 10 inch mesh ribbon for the table runner. The ribbon has many other applications. I’ve used it to cover books and add texture to vases, too. I matched the ribbon to the wood tone in my faux wood chargers. The exact ribbon I used is here. You can also use brown kraft paper to make place mats or a table runner, then decorate it with a black Sharpie marker.
I found some large round vinyl place mats and shelf liner at the dollar store. I used the shelf liner to bring in a floral pattern with a hint of black. The tutorial for the faux chargers is here.
USE CRAFTY DIY’S TO ADD STYLE AND UP-CYCLE WHAT YOU HAVE
Think outside the box here. I didn’t have taper candle holders that matched. But, I did have some leftover plain glass votive holders. Use masking tape and add a line of glitter spray paint to the top of your votives. Then, hold a taper candle in the middle and fill it with sugar, Epsom salt or sand. Just be sure to pack it in tight, so the candle is held firmly in place.
You can use tea towels instead of napkins. Tea towels are a versatile and useful item to have around the house and they are super inexpensive. I added a heat transfer image to mine and they turned out beautiful! Here is the full tutorial and the free printable.
MAKE YOUR OWN PLACE CARD HOLDERS
You can use pine cones, twigs tied together with twine or even a binder clip.
I made my place card holders out of paint sticks. You can read all about how to make them here. I also created these printable place cards to match the tea towels. There are several place card templates in my free library.
Armed with what you have and using creative DIY’s, you can create a beautiful, designer Thanksgiving table to welcome family and friends.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
If you’d like to access to the tea towel graphic, place cards and over 60 other free files, just subscribe on the top right sidebar or at the bottom of this post. You will then receive an email confirmation page. Once you confirm your email address you will receive a welcome email with the password to enter the free library. Then, follow this link to the library or alternatively click on the library tab on the top menu bar. Enter the password in the empty box at the bottom of the library page. Then you may view and download over 60 free files in the library.
FOLLOW ALONG ON PINTEREST
Do you like budget friendly decor and crafts? Follow me on PINTEREST. Did you know that you can hover over the images below and save them for later? Just click on the red Pinterest button and save it to your Fall Decorating or Thanksgiving board on Pinterest. It’s so helpful to Pin It now and save it for later, when your ready to start your project.
Do you have ideas & tips for setting a Thanksgiving table? Let us all know in the comments down below. I hope this inexpensive Thanksgiving table decor provided inspiration for you. Thanks for stopping by!
