Thanksgiving Table Decor

Give your Thanksgiving table a little holiday glamour with one of these tablescape designs that feature miniature pumpkins.

A tablescape is a display in the middle of a buffet or dining table that typically extends beyond the range of a traditional centerpiece.

By using this design technique to decorate your Thanksgiving spread, you can beautify a long table from end to end.

Many Thanksgiving centerpieces tend to be a bit rustic, perhaps filled with harvest fruits and autumn-colored flowers.

Why not style this year's holiday table to be a twist on tradition by displaying miniature pumpkins in unique ways?

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Sleek Black Rocks and Miniature Pumpkins

Go for a contemporary look by employing black rocks in your design. The contrast of ebony rocks with the rich orange pillar candles and pumpkins is stunning.

For This Tablescape You'll Need:

- Polished black stones or small rocks
- 8 - 12 miniature pumpkins
- 2 glass cylinder vases
- 2 orange pillar candles

1. Place a tablecloth on the table or consider using a table runner in the middle.
2. Arrange a long narrow bed of black rocks along the middle of the table.
3. Set mini pumpkins at various places on the rock bed.
4. Place a cylinder vase at either end of the rock bed. Rearrange rocks so they surround the base of the vase for a more cohesive look.
5. Add black rocks to the bottom of each cylinder vase.
6. Set an orange pillar candle on the rocks in each vase making sure the candle is sturdy and level.
7. Use vases that are wide enough for your candles so the flame doesn't touch the sides. To keep the vases cool and magnify the rocks, add a little water in the bottom of each vase.

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A Traditional Harvest Table

A bountiful harvest table takes its cue from nature.

- Leaf-shaped stoneware plates over wicker placemates will beautifully set the mood.
- Complement the placesettings with small bunches of gourd candles.
- At the table's center, set a classic wicker Horn of Plenty filled with a seasonal mix of leaves, gourds, fruits and nuts to add thanks and warmth to the setting.
- Top it off by adding either place card tags with handwritten loving quotes atop each napkin or a personalized leaf in the folds of each napkin and a handwritten place card -- a strip of paper inscribed with a white-gel pen -- welcome each guest to dinner.
- You can also dress up your fall dinner table with food displays and natural decorations to celebrate the season.

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A Cosmopolitan Table

- A distinctive cosmopolitan table begins with an emphasis on light and with bright colors. Watch as an iridescent plumage of green and turquoise transport your holiday table to a glamorous backdrop for an epicurean evening.
- Complement the plumage with pillar candles in gold and sleek hurricane vases filled with pomegranites placed in the center of the table. The clear glass of the hurricanes keeps the look clean and allows the fruit to be the star.
- Add a few peacock feathers and fallen leaves to show off colors that contrasts with the table's palette.
- Lastly, add a touch of natural grace to your peacock-themed tabletop with fall-fruit (quinces, apples, figs) or vegetable place cards. Small pears work well--hold paper name tags punched with holes and tied in place with ribbon or twine. Keep in mind any small fruit, such as crab apples, star fruits or gourds can be used.

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Sweet Fanciful Finale

No matter what tabletop style you choose, chocolate turkeys are the perfect finale. My niece and nephews (and adult family members, alike) adore edible dark chocolate turkeys to take home after the meal. Delicious Belgian chocolate turkeys are sure to please everyone at your table, too.

Even with so much emphasis placed on the menu, these tips promise to deliver a festive table setting worthy of your Thanksgiving meal.

Paper-Leaf How-To

Add these leaves to bowls of gourds, or lay a few along a tablecloth. We used light-green paper, but you can use any color you like.
- Trace or print the leaf template onto the back of a piece of decorative paper, and cut out as many leaves as you want.
- To give the leaves more dimension, fold them outward at notches and inward along lobes.
- Use a length of paper-covered wire for a stem, and use hot glue to affix it to the center back of the leaf. Let dry.
- Coil the wire stem around the handle of a wooden spoon or a pencil; slip off.


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