Creative Thanksgiving Centerpieces

Choosing a Thanksgiving centerpiece can be difficult when you are looking for originality. Fabricated centerpieces available at retail suppliers are always an option, but if you are looking for a personalized, home creation, there are some easy ideas.

Make a bread cornucopia. Make a cornucopia mold out of tin foil, and wrap premade breadsticks (you know the kind in the can) around it. For the widest end, take three breadsticks and braid them and then apply them to the tin foil. Brush them with melted butter and egg whites (for shine) and bake according to package instructions. Once baked, carefully remove the tin foil and fill your "breaducopia" with bread, veggies or fruit!

Create a tree of thankfulness. Get heavy stock paper or card material and cut it into squares (use pinking shears for a nice edge). Using a nice marker or calligraphy pens, write down simple statements that reflect what you are grateful for. You can decorate the cards with buttons, bows, ribbons, etc., or leave them simple and elegant. Clip the cards into a photo display stand with many clips.

Highlight your family memories with a decoupage box. Take a wooden box in whatever size and shape will work for your centerpiece and decoupage pictures of your family together on the box. Start by picking the photos you wish to use. Take them to your local drug store and get copies made. Glue the copies onto the box and cover it in glaze. The pictures should overlap each other and highlight how much fun your family has together. Once the decoupage is completed and dry, you can fill the box with autumn colored artificial flowers, potpourri or fruit.

Create a mini pumpkin candle display. Take 3 mini pumpkins and carve out the centers. Carve them out so they are small enough that they squeeze tight and hold a taper candle. Once you have hollowed them out and have a level surface inside the pumpkin, place a taper candle in each of the pumpkins.

Make cinnamon stick candle holders. Take two plain glass pillar candle holder and hot glue cinnamon sticks all around them. The cinnamon sticks can be uniform in height or, for a more rustic look, can vary in height. You can add bows, ribbons and leaves around the outside of the cinnamon sticks for additional visual appeal. Plop in your pillar candles and your ready to go!