Our 3 Favorite Thanksgiving Tablescape Themes

Whites and Creams 

Bright whites and creams continue to be a huge home decor trend so it makes sense that this is one of the most popular Thanksgiving tablescape themes. A great accent color to add in with these are natural muted greens. This looks very clean and fresh which is a nice departure from the classic warm rich hues that we normally associate with the season. 

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Pumpkin Theme

Another one of our favorite tablescape themes is to make it pumpkin centered. We like this theme because there are so many different directions this can be taken. Simple orange pumpkins with red and brown accents are always a great choice. Another route you could take it is with silver or gold pumpkins. This can be accomplished by spray painting them with metallic paint which can also help to preserve the look of the pumpkins themselves. 

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Woodland Theme 

Woodland themes are hugely popular in everything from weddings, to general home decor and especially in seasonal decor. This can include everything from wood slices, to pine cones, to foliage to animals. These examples show how this can be incorporated into your Thanksgiving table. This is a nice way to bring the outside into your home for the holiday. 

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Our Favorite DIY Pumpkin Decorating Projects

Puff Paint

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One fun and simple way to decorate your pumpkins is with the use of puff paint. You can buy puff paint at your local craft store very inexpensively which makes it cost effective even if you want to buy many fun colors for your project. These photo examples show some ideas of just how you can go about creating a design with puff paint!

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Metallic Paint

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Metallics are very on trend right now in both interiors as well as in the fashion world, so why not carry that over into your pumpkin decorating? This is a fun choice if you want your pumpkin display to be a little more trendy and stylish. You can choose whether you want to simply spray paint the entire pumpkin with metallic paint, paint it on with a brush, or even use a metallic paint pen. This makes it simple for you to choose the desired look you are going for. 

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The Donut Pumpkin

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We just love this adorable DIY donut pumpkin that is very popular right now. To create this look you simply paint the bottom half of the donut in a light cream/brown, then paint the top in fun colors you would see on the icing of a donut. To finish it off you simply paint thin lines in all different colors to create the sprinkles on the donut! 

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How to Decorate Outside for Halloween

Pumpkins + Mums

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Wondering where to get started when decorating outside for Halloween? Pumpkins and mums are the basis for any great Fall / Halloween porch display. Mums are the perfect, hardy flower for this time of year and they come in all kinds of fun colors that are sure to liven up your outdoor areas! This combination creates such a cozy and inviting entry to your home so you simply can't go wrong when you start with these. 

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Fun Signs

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Signs are a cute and interesting way to add to your outdoor Halloween decor. Whether you want to have fun with a little DIY or go out and get some cute store bought pieces they will certainly add something extra. These photos show some fun examples of how to incorporate signs into your display!

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Trick or Treat Bowls

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Here is a fun idea for your outdoor Halloween decor; creating a stand of some kind for your trick or treat bowl to sit on for the big night! This can be something that you leave up all month long until Halloween arrives then you simply add the candy bowl on top, and you can even add a fun little sign as shown in one of these examples.

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How to Decorate Inside for Halloween

Mini Pumpkins and Gourds

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One easy way to decorate inside for Halloween is to use mini pumpkins and gourds. Save your larger pumpkins for the outside and have fun with the minis on the inside! These photos show some great examples of how you can incorporate them into your decor in the form of centerpieces or even just stacked in simple vases.

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Fun Touches 

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One thing to remember when decorating inside for Halloween is to be careful not to overboard. For one, you are only going to want these decorations up for about a month so you certainly do not want to invest a lot in anything. Also, it is easy for a few tasteful decorations here and there to turn into a tacky display in no time when you begin adding too much. This is why its best to use fun touches here and there as shown in these examples. 

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Throw pillows

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Throw pillows are an easy, inexpensive way to add some fun Halloween touches into your decor without going to over the top. One of the most inexpensive ways to achieve this is by purchasing pillow covers that fit your existing throw pillows. This way you are not having to buy the actual pillow which would make it more costly. 

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Don't want to go under the knife?

I'm not a huge fan of Halloween.  Haunted Houses frighten me so badly that I refuse to go in them.  I am uncomfortable around people wearing masks because I can't tell who is really behind them.  I am pretty sure all of these fears were birthed from watching far too many scary movies in my adolescence.  Despite my hatred for being scared, I do enjoy one element of Halloween: decorating pumpkins. 

Carving pumpkins can be a chore. Cleaning out all the seeds and pulp creates a huge mess.  Then there is the danger of slicing a finger with the carving tools.  A great alternative to carving is painting.  Pumpkins make a create canvas for kids to paint.  It's an activity that everyone can enjoy and it showcases your creative side. 

I started painting pumpkins for my nieces when they were too little to enjoy the ritual of carving.  I would paint their favorite cartoon character on a pumpkin that was just their size.  One year it was Minnie Mouse and Cookie Monster, another year it was the UK Wildcat mascot Scratch.  This year I am planning to paint portraits of their favorite Disney princesses.

If you aren't as artistically inclined, don't worry.  You can do simple designs that will bring just as much joy to you & your child. Polka Dots are fun.  Painting your daughter's monogram in bright green will make your front porch uber chic.  Your son would love a fire truck sprawled across the orange sphere!  Or stick with the tried & true jack-o-lantern face painted-on instead of hollowed-out.  If you aren't comfortable painting free-handed, stencils can be very helpful.

Happy pumpkin painting!