11 Budget Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas

Budget Thanksgiving decorating ideas are all about using cheap things in imaginative ways. With a little creativity, you can whip up these simple decorations and brighten up your home for the holiday season. Here are 11 Thanksgiving decorating ideas that give the biggest bang for the buck.

1. Thanksgiving Tablecloth Glamor

You'll find stunning tablecloths at thrift stores, outlet stores, or through cheap home decor catalogs. Spread the tablecloth over your dining room table then tie a silk ribbon around the table aprons (just under the tabletop). If you create a bow at each table corner, that will add further beauty. Craft stores carry wire-edged ribbons, which are idea for this budget Thanksgiving decorating idea.

2. Antique Thanksgiving Menus

Print your menu in beautiful font. Crumple the printed page and dip it in tea for 30 seconds. Squeeze out the tea lightly and gently unfold the paper. Leave it to dry, looking a little crinkled. Once dry, roll the paper and tie it with a ribbon. Display this budget Thanksgiving decorating idea on each plate at the feats.

3. Gold-Leafed Placemats

You'll find affordable placemats at thrift stores or cheap home stores. Buy the simplest kind. Then cut out the shape of a leaf from cardboard to create a stencil. Place the stencil on the mat, then use gold spray paint to create the pattern. This budget decorating idea can also be used to decorate a plain tablecloth.

4. Shimmering Thanksgiving Baskets

Wrap orange and red Christmas ornaments in cellophane paper. Round ornaments work best for this budget Thanksgiving decorating idea because they look like fruit. Tie each cellophane wrapping with a silk ribbon. Display your shimmering ornaments in a glass bowl on your dining room table or living room coffee table.

5. Thanksgiving Origami Decorations

Buy two-sided Thanksgiving or Christmas wrapping paper. Fold origami cranes in different sizes. Suspend your cranes on fishing wire and tie them to a wooden pole. Then hang the pole over a window. Or suspend your cranes from your dining room chandelier. And after the holiday, turn this budget Thanksgiving decorating idea in Christmas tree-ornaments.

6. Thanksgiving Decorating Fans

Using thanksgiving wrapping paper, you can make fans for wall decor or table decor. Start by making a 1-inch fold in the paper. Turn the paper over and fold it again, then repeat this flip-flopping until the whole paper is folded. Now, tape the center of the paper with masking tape. And finish making your Thanksgiving fan by raising the two sides to meet in the middle, where you can tape them as well. Display this budget Thanksgiving decorating idea in groups for added beauty.

7. Thanksgiving Garland Beauty

You'll find cheap silk garlands at craft stores. Drape your garlands over your mantelpiece, mirrors, cadenzas or shelves. Then disperse red apples between the leaves. You can even add glitter to this budget Thanksgiving decorating idea by dispersing orange or red Christmas ornaments here and here.

8. Pine Cone Ambiance

Fill wicker baskets or beautiful bowls with autumn-hued potpourri. Then display pine cones on this colorful bed of fragrance. Craft stores sell bags of pine cones (if you can't find any outdoors). Display this budget Thanksgiving decorating idea anywhere you wish to spread the scent of the season.

9. Thanksgiving Greeting Cards

Festoon a silk ribbon over your mantelpiece and hang your holiday cards on it using colorful laundry pegs. You can even spray paint wooden laundry pegs in gold, for a glittering, elegant look. And why not make your own homemade Thanksgiving greetings? Here are 5 unique cards you can make at home.

10. Thanksgiving Swirl

Buy an extra-large round tray at a party store. Layer the tray with straw (found in craft stores). Display a pumpkin at the center. Arrange a circle of apples around the pumpkin. Then a circle of lemons around the apples. Then alternate between circles of apples and lemons to complete this fruity, fragrant budget Thanksgiving decorating idea.

11. Thanksgiving Front Porch Beauty

All the pumpkins are on sale now. Buy a bunch in various sizes and display them by your front door. You can add a scarecrow from a craft store for added ambiance (and stick it in a flower pot). Gather fall leaves and display them in wicker baskets to complete this fall display.

More Thanksgiving Ideas from Tal Boldo

Thanksgiving Craft Ideas for a Shimmering Thanksgiving Feast

10 Dazzling Thanksgiving-Dinner Table-Setting Ideas

10 Fun and Easy Turkey Crafts for Kids