Queue up the scents of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and apple — fall is here and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. And, if you’re lucky enough to host this year’s affair, then you’re lucky enough. Below, we’ve put together a wide variety of DIY Thanksgiving decorations and craft ideas that will really make your Thanksgiving a special one.

We’ll begin with your dining room centerpiece, advance out onto your front porch, and end with some wonderful wreaths.

A Garland Greenscape

To get started, let’s begin with your Thanksgiving table decor. Since Thanksgiving is all about the food, it only makes sense to start with the table decor. Have you ever seen a garland of greenery serve as the centerpiece? When done right, it’s amazing.

This can consist of the greenery of your choice: eucalyptus, moss, and English Ivy are great options as they won’t wilt too easily. Intertwine your greenery the length of your table and line it up in the center.

You can look to websites like Pinterest and Etsy if you’re in need of some inspiration, or you can simply by some materials and do it freestyle. You can usually pick up everything you’d need at a crafts store like Michael’s or Home Depot.

Thanksgiving Menus

thanksgiving diy menus

Why not class up your Thanksgiving dinner by creating custom menus? With gorgeous, thick stock paper, you can print out the starters, main course, and desserts being offered during your festive affair.

If you’re not an artist or graphic designer, don’t worry, you can still create beautiful menus without too much effort. If you have access to a graphic design program like Photoshop or Sketch, you can download menu templates to edit for free online. If you don’t have access to graphic design tools, you can use a website like Canva to create your menu designs.

When it comes time to print, picking the right card stock is important. We have a great selection of card stock available for you to choose from so that you can find something high-quality that won’t break the bank.

Place Cards

Don’t just stop at printing DIY menus for your Thanksgiving meal, you can also print custom place cards for each of your guests. Place cards will add a classy touch to your seating arrangements without taking too much time to create. Looking for an inexpensive place card option? These tent cards from Avery are a great choice.

Place cards are printed in sheets, so you’re able to create quite a few at once. Setting up the place card templates is easy. If you buy Avery place cards, you can easily download a template for Microsoft Word, Photoshop, and a number of other editing platforms.

It only takes a couple of minutes to set up a basic template, so the time will really be based on how many guests you’re inviting. You should be able to set up and print all of your place cards for a medium-sized party in under an hour.

If you want to really step things up a notch, you can also invest in small place card holders. These will allow you to place every guest name prominently at their seat.

Make Your Mantle Vintage

If you’re lucky enough to have a house with a fireplace, it’s always a nice touch to dress up the mantle. If you have any garland leftover from your centerpiece (or you want to work with autumnal colors), these will make a great decoration.

It’s also nice to give your mantle a vintage look. If you don’t have any vintage items around the house, you can always head to a thrift store to find cool objects.  Leather-bound books, coffee table books, and vintage magazines always make for good conversation pieces.

Sometimes you’ll get lucky and find vintage items like old cameras, vintage electronics, and interesting photos and artwork. These types of things make for great Thanksgiving decorations and conversation starters.

Even if you popped in an old, brass figurine, that would be delightful. Bringing in an antique vibe in brass tones will put your Thanksgiving game right on point.

Create Hay Bale Seats

thanksgiving diy ideas

This is a fun idea for the kiddie table and outdoors. And, hey, depending on your crowd, you might want to consider it for the adults, too.

Of course, the table height will have to be right for this, but the visual you’re about to create is spectacular.  It will also likely give everyone at the dinner an experience they’ve never had before.

All you have to do is hunt down a bay of hale for each table setting, secure it with some twine, and place a fluffy cushion atop. If you can hunt down some comfy cushions with a gingham pattern, then your fall style will be complete.

Add Apple Crates

We all know first impressions are important. While you’re hunting down hay bales, see if you can also find any old apple crates or fruit crates. If you bring home about six, you can create a Thanksgiving-themed potted plant display on your front porch.

Purchase some yellow chrysanthemum and cheerful goldenrod. Stack them on top of your apple crates at staggered heights to create wonderfully festive outdoor Thanksgiving decorations. This is also your opportunity to sprinkle in a few pumpkins around the apple crates.

Apple crates are one of those things that will instantly transform any room, so if you can get your hands on a few, they will make for excellent Thanksgiving decorations.

Make a Horseshoe Wreath

Apple crates and pumpkins aren’t too shocking for a fall affair. But, a horseshoe wreath made out of wheat creates an interesting twist. All you need here is a wire wreath, small bundles of wheat, and copper wire.

Begin by cutting off the top portion of the wire wreath (to create the horseshoe effect). Also, if you clamp the sides of the wreath, that will open it up even more, creating a better form.

Now it’s time to bundle up your portions of wheat. You should aim to keep them about four inches in height and attach them to your horseshoe frame. Consider a fall colored material to tie them down, such as copper wire.

Thanksgiving Activities For The Kids

Take some time to print out colorful word searches or crossword puzzles for the little ones. Chances are, the adults are going to want a little downtime after they’ve eaten and drank their fill at dinner.

There are tons of templates out there on the Internet that you can use to save time on creating the activities. All you have to do is print out several options, put out some colored pencils and crayons, and the kids will do the rest.

Creative Candles & Candleholders

Candles are always great to set a calm, festive mood for dinner. You can also buy candles scented to smell like fall, like cinnamon and pumpkin spice.

You can also do a lot with a little when it comes to candleholders. You can get a number of festive options without spending too much at all. Candleholders can also make for great additions to table centerpieces.

Try These Affordable Thanksgiving Decoration Ideas

These are some of our favorite DIY Thanksgiving decorations. They’re simple, easy, and classic. Best of all, a lot of these ideas are intertwined with nature. Your garland centerpiece, apple crates, and wheat wreaths will sing with purity and delight.

If you’re going all in and plan to send out invitations to this festive affair, make sure you print them on the finest sheets of paper. We have card stock and stationery paper available that’ll help you create lasting DIY invitations. While you’re shopping, don’t forget to stock up on original ink & toner at the lowest prices online.

We hope your next Thanksgiving is a family affair that will always be remembered!