Some Last-minute-no-problem Thanksgiving Touches
It’s only a few days away to Thanksgiving and we bet your fridge is filling with the makings of a hearty feast. It’s usually during this crunch time that a few last-minute things pop into our head and begin to stress us out… not enough plates?! What about an extra vegetable course?! I forgot Aunt Sara is gluten-free…! My table looks pretty blah…
Deep breaths. Well, we may not be able to help you with all your decisions (but if you’re low on plates, perhaps opt for a fun eclectic tablescape, mixing and matching a couple different place settings?). We do, however, have a few simple things you can pop on your to-do list that can spruce up your Thanksgiving tablescape. It’s often little details that tie a look together: a great belt can pull together and outfit and a fantastic throw can complete the room, right? Right.
We love getting down to the details, so we pulled together a few ways you can spruce up your table with cutlery, napkins, and placecards.
What are you eating with?
Cutlery is key for a big holiday feast! If you’re looking for that last touch that will really impress your guests, how about dressing up the forks and knives a bit?
We ran around and clipped some fresh chrysanthemum blooms from outside and sourced some ribbon from the wrapping paper stash. No mums? Any flower or herb will do the trick! No ribbon? Plain kitchen twine (maybe leftover from trussing the turkey?) adds a rustic touch.
Using the knife as the center (typically the longest utensil, it will create a nice symmetry) we crossed the fork and spoon over top. Using a length of ribbon approximately 20cm long we tied a small bow around the cutlery. To finish it off we tucked in the chrysanthemum stem into the knot. Place on top of a folded napkin on the table for top presentation points. So simple! After you gather the materials this should take no more than 1 minute per cutlery bundle.
Check out the result below…
Fancy napkin time!
Before they’re used to wipe up gravy spills and cranberry sauce, napkins are a great opportunity to add a decorative touch to your tablescape. Paper napkins, cloth napkins, any napkin will do (though we do recommend cloth for folding…). We’re using a similar strategy as our cutlery above to add a harvest twist to the table.
Using a simple napkin, ribbon, a chrysanthemum bloom, and freshly snipped flowering grass we created a a harvest vignette that will look so pretty placed on top of a plate. Tie the napkin with the ribbon first, then slide in the grass between the ribbon and napkin, and finally tuck in the stem of the mum into the knot. Done!
Check out what it looks like…
We are thankful for this pretty palette of cream, golds, and oranges
Mum’s the word! Chrysanthemums are a seasonal bloom that liven up the table
If you have a little bit more time (or family members with idle hands) why not fold some napkins to add a little pizzazz to the table? Simple folding techniques will elevate any napkin. They can be used as a stand-alone item or as a cutlery-holder…
Check out these options…
The Bow
A simple folding technique that doesn’t take much time at all! All you need is your napkin of choice and a length of ribbon approximately 20-25cm long. This looks great on top of a plate, or above your guests’ place setting. We broke it down into 4 basic steps!
Ta da! All dressed up for the party
A Tiered Pocket Fold
It looks fancy, but once you get the hang of it you can whip these up in no time. In the end, you will have 3 pockets to fit in a knife, fork, and spoon. This looks fantastic next to the plate for an elegant touch. Follow these 4 steps!
The final result… Easy as 1-2-3!
But who sits where?
Let’s be honest, anything personalized will absolutely tickle your guests. Placecards are an easy way to add a small decorative touch. These can be hand written or printed on the computer– depending on how fancy you want to get (and your number of guests) it’s 30 minutes well-spent. Something a little crafty in-between basting the turkey and roasting potatoes….
We recommend using 65lb cardstock (thick enough to stand up after being folded) and a template of about 10cm x 12cm that will create a 10cm x 6cm placecard when folded. If you want something crisp and clean, print out the names of guests in a simple font; if you want something more rustic, nothing beats the touch of handwriting names yourself– either way make sure you have the correct spelling!
Check out our examples below…
Crisp and clean. We printed off Tina’s name in a simple sans serif font and used an exact-o knife to cut it out of the sheet.
A simple hand-drawn boarder takes 10 seconds! We chose a gold-coloured pen for this one.
Handwritten cards take a bit more time (and maybe some practice to loosen up your hand!) but the effect is quite lovely.
Handwritten and typed placecards done! We also played around with a paper doily– it would look great on top of a bright napkin or bold plate!
Whew… there you go! If you had any extra time hopefully we filled it with a little bit of fun– or gave your idle relatives a couple activities to keep them busy. Choose materials and colours that enhance your table, and have fun with it! Enjoy the long weekend (I think we can all be thankful for an extra day off!)
Happy Thanksgiving!
