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6 family-friendly DIY Thanksgiving table decorations

Are you terrified your child is going to knock over that antique vase in the center of your Thanksgiving table? Worry no more. Mary Giles from FamilyFun magazine stopped by Studio 1A with family-friendly ways you can decorate your Thanksgiving table this year.Artistic tablecloth Both kids and adults will have a hard time peeling themselves away from the dinner table with this fun project. Cover t

Are you terrified your child is going to knock over that antique vase in the center of your Thanksgiving table? Worry no more. Mary Giles from FamilyFun magazine stopped by Studio 1A with family-friendly ways you can decorate your Thanksgiving table this year.

Artistic tablecloth

Both kids and adults will have a hard time peeling themselves away from the dinner table with this fun project. Cover the table with craft paper, art paper or wrapping paper, then invite guests to draw place settings and other fun decorations on the “tablecloth” using markers. You can also download this free stencil template for guests to use if they need a little artistic guidance.

Gobbler place cards

Use cupcake liners to create these fun and festive name cards for each place setting at your dining table. Simply flatten a standard-size cupcake liner, then draw eyes on the bottom of a mini cupcake liner. Cut a turkey beak and snood from construction paper, then adhere the pieces to the mini cupcake liner. With a cotton swap, dab glue around the rim of the mini liner and set it off-center on the larger liner. Use a glue stick to attach the turkey to a folded card and draw on turkey feet and a name with a marker.

Tabletop trees

Add a touch of the great outdoors to your dining table using a few leaves and common household items. For each tree you’d like on the table, paint a cardboard paper towel tube to resemble tree bark. Also paint the top few inches on the inside of one end of the tube. Let it dry. 

For branches, cut ¼-inch wide stripes down the painted end of the paper towel tube, trimming the ends of a few to make them different lengths. On the other end of the tube, cut one-inch-long slits roughly a ½-inch apart. 

For the tree’s base, cut a curvy shape from cardboard. Fold open the short tabs of the paper towel tube and glue them to the base. Lastly, use glue to attach leaves from your yard to the tube’s branches and scatter extra leaves around the base.  

Photo display

Add fun family pictures to your table that will be sure to be spark conversation with this DIY. To do so, brush gourds or mini pumpkins using paint primer. Make a hole in the top of each gourd with a hammer and a thin nail, then paint the gourds with acrylic paints. Loop a 12-inch length of floral wire around a marker, then slip the marker out to create a coil that can hold pictures. Insert the other end of the wire into the gourd.

Gratitude wreath

Create a gratitude wreath with this DIY that all guests can be add to. First, wrap a 12-inch Styrofoam wreath form (available at a crafts store) with strips of fabric, securing each strip with straight pins. Cut leaf shapes from cardstock and crease each leaf in half. Hang the wreath by pinning a loop of a string to the back of the form. Let guests write what they are thankful for on a leaf, then add it to the wreath.

Edible centerpiece

Create a festive cornucopia table display by microwaving a sugar cone until it’s flexible (about 20 seconds). Microwave a fruit chewy candy, such a Tootsie Fruit Rolls, for about six seconds, then roll it flat, cut a strip and wrap it around the cone as a bow. Add “fruits and vegetables” to your display by warming fruit chews and molding them into shapes with your hands. Fill the cornucopia with your mini pieces of art work, along with dried fruit, seeds and nuts.