Easy DIY Thanksgiving Centerpieces

DIY Thanksgiving centerpieces are a great way to add a warm and unique look to your dinner table for the big feast. My favorite centerpieces are those that include natural items that I find around my garden and edible elements that I can enjoy later.

Here are two easy DIY Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas that you can have done in under an hour.

Leaf Ring Platter
An easy way to use what you have around the house already is to bring in old ceramic dishes or a simple platter. Again, using natural objects, vegetables and flowers works really well and ties together the whole theme of the Autumn harvest. It is also a great way to keep costs down and keep the project as easy and quick as possible. Because this is a DIY centerpiece and you will be using a lot of natural items that you may be able to find around your home or in a craft store, every one will be very unique.

These are the items that you will need to complete a leaf ring platter centerpiece:
Old ceramic plate or plain platter
Hot Glue gun
Glue Sticks
30-50 red, green and orange leaves collected from outside
pumpkin
walnuts, acorns, almonds, cranberries and apples
fresh fall flower heads like mums and sunflowers

To start, plug in the hot glue gun and gather up the leaves that you have collected outside. Try to use leaves that have begun turning bright shades of red, yellow orange and beautiful shades of green. Take your ceramic plate or platter and apply hot glue along the rim of the platter, but only a couple inches worth so that it does not cool before you use it. Press an initial leaf flat down onto the edge of the platter and continue around the entire diameter of the platter so that the leaves overlap each other and create a wreath effect.

While the base of your centerpiece is drying, it is time to work on the main part of your centerpiece. The pumpkin you select should fill the entire serving portion of the plate or platter you have chosen, leaving only room for the leaf border you have added to the plate to be shown, because that is where the pumpkin is going to rest. Around the entire pumpkin fill in the gap with a mixture of walnuts, pecans, cranberries, apples and flower heads.

In this way you are able to create an updated version of the cornucopia with natural elements giving it a unique touch.

Fruit Filled Hurricane
For an even easier ,and entirely edible DIY Thanksgiving centerpiece, try filling a group of glass hurricanes or pillar candle holders with edible fruits and nuts. Walnuts and apples are beautiful and the perfect representation of fall and the bounty it provides. So, using just these two items to fill a couple tumblers is quick and easy, though of course you could add other nuts and fruits. Oranges, almonds, pecans and cranberries provide excellent colors for a Thanksgiving table.

Choose two to three glass hurricanes and group them in the center of the table. Fill with your desired items and top with a beautiful flower or two if desired. The best part, you can invite your guests to enjoy the centerpieces after dinner!