The real fun of Thanksgiving is the gathering of family and friends. But we often overlook this in our pursuit of the perfect food, setting and decor. With the food and setting it may be unavoidable that you deal with it all, but the decor can be a fun project for all the guests if you plan carefully and put together some projects that can be your Thanksgiving decorations. By involving your guests in making crafts that can also be used as decor, you just might have the most memorable Thanksgiving ever! Here are some tips for creating great Thanksgiving crafts to use for decor.
If you plan on involving all your guests in crafts make sure you have a variety of projects for all ages. Everyone can be involved in some way from the youngest toddler to Grandpa if you have projects that can appeal to everyone.
If you plan to offer several projects at once, then the key will be to organize, organize, and organize!! Have all the components of each project set out together so you are not left to run back and forth looking for the tape, glue or markers you forgot to set out.
Depending on the size of your group, designate a project manager for each craft. If you can brief someone ahead of time on one particular project you won’t be the only one who knows how the project is supposed to be made and what to do if a problem arises.
Be sure to have enough of each project so that you can use some to decorate your house and still send some home with your crafty guests.
Now that you have an idea of how to set up crafts to use for decor, here are some projects to try.
For a great coffee table decoration have your guests make a Thankful Book. Take several sheets of cardstock of varying colors and pass them out to your guests. Have a table stocked with art supplies of every variety (markers, stickers, die cuts etc.) and let your guests each decorate a page detailing what they are thankful for. You can even put out old magazines that you don’t mind being cut apart. You can use a temporary binder to hold the pages together or you can take it after Thanksgiving to bind the pages together at a print shop. Either way your guests will love looking at all the pages when they are put together. (This can become an annual holiday tradition).
This is a great way to frame those holiday pictures and add a touch of Thanksgiving decor to your home. Purchase basic frames in a variety of sizes. Have a collection of acorns, pine needles, twigs along with artificial cut outs of leaves and branches. Using craft glue let your guests decorate the frames to add the autumnal touch to your home. Keep a few for pictures at your house and send the rest home with your guests to frame their own holiday memories.
Have your crafty guests help make the tablecloth for your Thanksgiving dinner! Purchase a white tablecloth (plainer designs work better) and a supply of fabric paint. You can use any color you want but autumn colors look great here. While you could have everyone leave their handprint (and even sign it) don’t be afraid to get creative with sponges or cutting shapes into potatoes, feathers, or even corn cobs. Fabric paint dries quickly and is generally washable. Check the label on your fabric paint to see if a sealer is needed to preserve your precious art. This tablecloth may become a real treasure in your selection of Thanksgiving decor.