twelveOeight: DIY Thanksgiving Banner

Wedged between Halloween excitement and Christmas preparations it seems that Thanksgiving can sometimes get lost a bit in the shuffle. Thanksgiving is the time each year that really reminds me of my childhood, and since it usually also meant the promise of snow in Central Washington, it really meant winter was coming soon.

My grandmother would get up way before everyone else and begin her preparations for our family meal. The turkey was placed in the oven, marshmallows were in sight, and there was sure to be a giant bowl of stuffing lovingly prepared that would grace our table. Thanksgiving was magical, we used a tablecloth, ate in the dining room, AND used the most beautiful crystal candle holders I had ever seen. This aspiring decorating junkie was in heaven. And so began my love of the holidays and every tiny preparation that goes into our home and gatherings.

I am sharing my latest Thanksgiving garland today, which was very easy to make, and probably cost no more than $4, not bad since I will probably make a number of them!

I began with thin wooden cutouts from JoAnn's, painted them a mustard color, and distressed them once they were dry. I gathered some crepe paper fall leaves that I picked up recently at the Dollar Store, a bit of jute twine, fabric scraps I had on hand, and some chipboard letters that you can find in the scrapbooking area at your local craft store.

I used just one coat of acrylic paint on the wood cutouts, applying Antique Gold paint by Ceramcoat which I found at Kroger's on the clearance rack. Boosh, more savings! Thrifty crafting!

I had to include some little white pumpkins, they compliment the bright colors of the garland really well don't you think? Plus they are so cute, we found them when we went on our hayride and pumpkin patch trip at a local farm a few weeks ago.

I attached each of the chipboard letters with a bit of hot glue to the wood cutouts, then attached the wood pieces to a long piece of jute twine with hot glue. They looked good like they were but I have been wanting to experiment with these crepe paper fall leaves (the whole package was only $!) you can't go wrong there. And I am really excited about how it turned out.

I have not hung it above my fireplace yet, since I still have the Creepy Owl Plates hanging up for Halloween. But the day after Halloween will earmark the beginning of the Thanksgiving season for me. Which means a tablecloth, crystal candle holders, a huge bowl of stuffing (gluten free of course :) and time to remember how truly blessed we are.

Thank you as always, for reading, and crafting with me. Fasten your seat belt, and buy some extra hot glue, you and I are going to be busy elves for the next couple months.

Hugs & Blessings

xoxo, Tanya

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