Thanksgiving Centerpiece
Well, our fourth annual Friendsgiving was a great success. I’ve been full for three days straight. And there’s still a week of great eats ahead of us! If you’re looking for a unique and creative tablescape idea, here’s a good one. If you’ve got some basic tools, 10 minutes and a few candles at home, you’ll be set. And it won’t cost a penny.
How to DIY a Thanksgiving Tablescape
In a hurry for a last-minute cute way to decorate before your guests are over for turkey and stuffing? There are only two important things to do for this to be a success, and I’ve bolded them for ya below. Follow these instructions and you’ll be golden. It’s foolproof and elegant, and it will look like you spent wayyy more time on this than you actually did.
Supplies
- Drill and 1.5′ paddle/spade bit
- Dry logs or driftwood
- Tea lights
- Lighter
- Table runner (optional)
Important: This is the only size drill bit that will fit perfectly snug for your tea lights.
We found some fallen branches in the woods by our house. If you don’t have any in your yard (or lack of yard), take a walk to a nearby park. Or scout out craiglist or around your neighborhood for people giving out free firewood. If all else fails, your local craft store or lumber yard may have some large pieces of wood. (But I’d opt for the nature walk if I was you.)
Assembling the Centerpiece
Next, place your pieces of wood on the ground and see at which angle they’ll rest most firmly without wobbling on your Thanksgiving table. Once you’ve established that, clamp them down to your workbench, or just hold them tight in place while you drill. It helps to have two people: one to hold the wood secure and the other to drill.
Important: Drill your holes straight down to create a level base for the candles. You should be fine eyeballing your angle. Just be steady with the drill and try to evenly drill directly down. Make 3 or 4 holes spaced out on each piece, depending on the size of your table and the wood you’ve chosen.
Your holes should look like this when drilled. I’d go about a half inch deep.
You can test out the candles once you’ve drilled your holes to make sure they are secure and will be level.
Once they’re lit, you don’t want wax dripping out because of slanted holes in the wood. If they look off, just go back and level them out with the drill.
This goes without saying, but keep an eye on the candles. Wood + fire = hazard. If you have pets, children or are generally planning to be preoccupied (who’s not?), invest in the flameless battery-powered faux candles. You can get a three pack at the dollar store for, you guessed it, $1.
But it’s safe to say these will be low maintenance. We had ours lit for 4+ hours throughout dinner with only one burning out on us at the end of the night.
If you’re worried about wax dripping, I would suggest a table runner or tablecloth underneath. This linen one was from the Target dollar spot. A nice piece of burlap would look amazing too. Wax didn’t drip for us, but if you’re worried about someone knocking into it, it’s nice insurance 😉
Enjoy your Thanksgiving Tablescape
That’s it! Pretty easy huh? If you’re trying to up your Thanksgiving game and impress your guests (even if you’re just eating with your high school friends who know and love you even if you were chowing in PJ’s), this will definitely take your dinner table to the next level.
But really, the food steals the show. Check out those plates!
Friendsgiving success.
Let me know if you give this DIY a try. I love that it’s not exclusive to Thanksgiving; this would look great on the table for any major holliday or occasion. Just swap out the colors of candles for whatever time of year, or stick with classic unscented white. We’ve actually done the same concept before for Thanksgiving only with little pumpkins. Also super cute!
It makes for a great conversation starter between guests sitting down at the table, and a lovely and easy way to bring some of the outdoors in for fall. Plus, great lighting is always a good thing.
What are you doing for Thanksgiving? And how do you decorate for it?
