Give Thanks: DIY Fall Garland

Now that we are in November I've been thinking of ways to decorate our apartment for Thanksgiving -- our first Thanksgiving in our new apartment! There's not much space to work with and we don't have a mantle to decorate but we do have a cute little spot to hang a garland. I had went to Michaels to purchase items for a fall centerpiece I am making (post to come) and walked out with some twine, fake eucalyptus, hydrangea and leaves. I had extra twine and leaves from that project so I cut the leaves off the stem. All the items I ended up needing were:

>> twine

>> hot glue gun and glue sticks

>> fake leaves 

>> scissors

>> white craft paint

>> paint brush

>> palette or a paper plate

>> letter stencils (optional)

Lucky for me I already had the rest of the materials I needed which if you're a painter and DIYer like me than you most likely have them, too. Let's get started.

1. Cut out 10 leaves that would end up spelling "Give Thanks" -- you can spell out whatever phrase you like -- "Happy Thanksgiving", "Be Thankful", "Family", the list goes on. 

2. You can unwind the garland to however long you need, you will know how long after the leaves are layed out -- add at least 5 extra inches for each side of the garland which will be helpful when attaching this wherever you plan to put it.

3. Add the paint to your paper plate and you can use stencils to paint each letter on each leaf or you can hand paint them like I did. 

4. After all the leaves are painted and dry lay them out to spell your phrase and start hotgluing the leaves to the twine. I used two pieces of the same length twine so the little tip of the stem gets hotglued between them. You may have to hold it in place until it is completely dry from one leaf to the next. I had an extra set of hands help me do this step. We then hung it under a shelf by taping it to the bottom with clear package tape we had.

DONE. Here's the finish product -- we placed our garland under our display shelf right in our living room. I'm planning on making a Christmas garland when December comes along. This is super easy to make and not to mention inexpensive. The total for this project cost me less than $5! 

Happy garland making! 

Xo,

Fall In Love With Your Table Setting

Happy October everyone! I haven't posted in so long mainly because I've been home in New York visiting family. We even had our own early Thanksgiving dinner because some of us live so far away and it will be a while until we are all together again. It made me think of how I am going to set up my own table for Thanksgiving. There are so many options when it comes to decorating your dining table for the fall - where do you even start? Centerpieces, dinnerware, &  tablecloths, oh my! Here's some inspiration to help you decide this autumn season just in time for Thanksgiving!

I love how simple yet festive this setting is. I especially love

the clean, fresh look of the white dinnerware and napkins but you

could also use other colors - rich reds, blues or greens. Mini pumpkins for 

a centerpiece just works and tying up the napkin with hemp string 

and adding wheat completes this fall look.

{town-n-country-living.com}

This table has a rustic look with the stump candle holders

and wood chargers (can be a great DIY, too!). Mini pumpkins

 in different sizes and rich colors is the cherry on top

for this fall inspired table setting.

{tableskirtsandmore.com}

This setting has a touch of fall with the feather and lavender 

tied in hemp with the word "gather". This is something that

you can do to instantly create a fall table setting without

having to buy all new dinnerware and centerpieces. 

{findinghomeonline.com}

These settings and centerpieces look gorgeous on this rustic

table but would look stunning on a more formal table

as well. No pumpkins are needed to make you think of fall - 

the wheat in a vase, hemp table runner, fresh flowers and elegant

candles definitely has your mind thinking of fall family gatherings.

{pureandnoble.blogspot.com}

I love the vibrant, autumn-colored flowers against the

teal table runner (and the fact that it's ikat print). This table 

setting can be used year round - just switch out the 

flowers to go with any holiday or special occasion.

{bridesmagazine.com}

I really love all of these photos - they are all such beautiful settings.

It definitely makes me excited to decorate my table for Thanksgiving coming up

where it will be my boyfriends and I's first Thanksgiving dinner together in our own

home! I wish you all happy fall table setting :)  

Xo,