DIY Thanksgiving Wheat Bundle

Okay, I'm not gonna lie. My brain has totally already switched over to Christmas decorating mode. But don't worry...I haven't actually decorated for Christmas yet, but I may or may not have already (1) Listened to Christmas music, (2) Watched sappy Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel, (3) Wrapped some Christmas presents, (4) Put Christmas pillows on my couch. 

Well, yeah, okay. Maybe I'm getting a little carried away a little too early, but I just can't help myself. I blame in on Instagram (all of the bloggers I follow are posting Christmas decor pics like it's December first), and I blame it on Starbucks Peppermint Mocha lattes, and I blame it on the Hallmark Channel. 

I won't actually be hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year, so I feel a sort of freedom to slowly begin to bring Christmas in at my own pace, letting my creative juices flow! I do usually decorate a little early so that I can share projects and inspiration here on the blog for all my bloggy friends out there. But, I won't be posting Christmas projects quite yet. But Christmas (winter) is coming and be prepared for those posts very soon. For now, though, here's a simple tutorial on how to make your own wheat bundle. These would be so gorgeous on a Thanksgiving table. 

DIY Wheat Bundle

What you'll need:
~Wheat 
~Twine or floral wire
~Decorative ribbon
~Scissors

Start by gathering your wheat, then twist in the center to spread it out. You want to end up with a flat base so that it can stand on its own. If needed, trim to make level.

Next, once you get the desired shape, secure with wire or twine. Then, embellish with ribbon. And that's it! You have a beautiful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you'll come back! Check the Cultivate Create Facebook page later today....I'll be announcing the winner of our Favorite Things Blogiversary giveaway winner! 

Let's Gather: Thanksgiving Blog Hop

Hello! I am so glad that you stopped by today!  Welcome to Cultivate Create, Stop 1 on the Let's Gather Thanksgiving Blog Hop! I am super excited to be hosting this hop along with HollyDays Paper, Designs by Miss Mandee, Our Joy His Glory, Nikki's Nacs, and Little Brags. These ladies are all amazingly talented and have some wonderful Thanksgiving inspiration to share with us today. 

Tablescape:

I decided to do a Thanksgiving tablescape. I love to set a pretty table! It makes things so festive and special. I carried some of the elements of my fall dining room into this Thanksgiving set up, such as the dried hydrangeas, and gold and natural pumpkins. I always like to do that, using some of the same items throughout the season, but changing things up a a little as it progresses. I added in a cornucopia and more gold elements to this centerpiece. Plaid fabric pulls in all of the colors of the hydrangeas and pumpkins.  I used wooden stackable files to contain the centerpiece. 

My two favorite things about this tablescape? 1.) My wooden plate chargers I had cut by a local cabinet maker. I painted them black to give visual interest under the white plates. 

2.) The metal gift tags I used to tie the napkins. Instead of assigning seats and listing names here, I decided to hand write sentiments of the holiday. 

This wooden gather sign was meant to sit on a flat surface, but I wanted to put it in the center of my dried hydrangea wreath. I drilled a hole in the top of the sign so I could attach it to the wreath with ribbon. I hung the wreath on the mirror with plaid fabric. 

Kid Craft:

I love involving the kiddos in some of the decorating!  This pumpkin turkey is just the thing for the kids. (We made this turkey for a pumpkin decorating contest for my daughter's third grade class. But now that that is over, it is the perfect kid table decoration!)

Supplies needed:

Pumpkin

Paint

Yarn

Felt

Scrapbook paper

Googly eyes

Hot glue gun and glue.

How-to:

1. Paint pumpkin brown.

2. Cut large feathers out of scrapbook paper. Fold paper feathers in half to crease them.

3. Turn pumpkin on side and glue paper feathers to back. 

4. Glue yarn ball for face to front of pumpkin.

5. Add a beak, eyes, and a wattle made of felt. ( Yes, that red thing that hangs down from a turkey's neck is called a wattle.)

6. Enjoy your turkey!

Also, how adorable would it be to decorate your pumpkin as a pilgrim? So many possibilites!

Now head over to HollyDays Paper for Stop 2 of the Blog Hop for more Thanksgiving inspiration!

Don't miss a stop! There's heaps of Thanksgiving inspiration to go around!

2. Hollydays Paper 

3. Our Joy His Glory  

4. Designs by Miss Mandee  

5. Little Brags  

6. Nikki's Nacs  

Linking up to:

 What You Wish Wednesday

Make It Pretty Monday

Let's Gather Blog Hop:Coming Soon!

Hello, sweet friends! I wanted to let you all know about our Let's Gather Blog Hop. Mark it down on your calendars. It will be next Tuesday and you won't want to miss it! 

One day......Six blogs........Heaps of Thanksgiving inspiration!

Each blogger will be sharing a different project, craft, or home tour for your eyes to feast on! Let's gather next Tuesday! See you then!

Guest Post: Simmering Holiday Scents from HollyDays

This morning, I'd like to welcome Holly from HollyDays!  She has a wonderful idea for a sweet neighbor gift. Take it away, Holly!

I love the scents of the holidays; a turkey and casseroles baking in the oven, fresh apple cider on the stove and a fire in the fireplace. There is just something magical about walking into a warm cozy home surrounded by holiday scents. Last year, we were new to our neighborhood and I wanted a way to give a small Thanksgiving gift because many of our sweet neighbors had welcomed us into the neighborhood with small gifts the week we moved in our house. I decided to make up some simmering scents to cook on the stove and I loved how they turned out. Here’s the tutorial.

Simmering Holiday Scents

What you will need:

Apples

Oranges (I used tangerines – so small and cute)

Cinnamon Sticks

Ground Cinnamon (you could just use cinnamon sticks, but I like how the powder mixes up with the other ingredients)

Whole Cloves

Nutmeg

Whole Allspice

Bags for packaging

Ribbon/Twine

Tag

1| Thinly slice apples and put them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake in 150-170 degree oven for about 4 hours. I flipped mine once every 30 minutes – 1 hour.

2| Time to combine ingredients: You don’t have to use these exact measurements, but this is a guide for what to use. (This is per bag, so if you need to make 10 bags, I’d multiply x10 so you don’t have to do them individually.) I used 1 TBSP Whole Cloves, 1 TBSP Ground Cinnamon, Approx. 1 TBSP Whole Allspice, ½ TBSP Nutmeg. Stir together.

3| Pour seasoning mixture in bag. Layer cinnamon sticks (about 2 per bag), slices of apples (as many as you like - I used 2-3). Then top with a whole orange. I like the color it brings to the bag.

4| Tie with a tag. We have these cute tags that come with twine available on our website.

5| Make sure you give the recipients of your bags directions on how to use the scents: Slice or cut orange, pour all contents in small saucepan, add 2 cups water and simmer to bring the scents of the holidays into your home. Replenish water as needed.

Hope you enjoy the scents as much as I do! Happy Holidays or as we like to say, Happy HollyDays!

- Holly

Thanks, Holly!  Isn't that such a thoughtful gift?  It would be a great teacher gift as well!  Head on over to HollyDays and get your customized gift tags and while you are at it, take a look at all of the beautiful Christmas cards, enclosure cards, address labels, party supplies, and personalized gift items.  Enter code CULTIVATECREATE for free shipping on the entire site until 11/23.  

Holly is the founder and designer at HollyDays, which was officially opened in 2006.  She is the mom to Karidyn, wife to Jonathon and loves spending time with family, drawing and designing, planning a good party, and decorating her home. 

Connect with Holly on:
Facebook
Her Blog
Twitter
Instagram

Thanksgiving Tablescape and Thankfulness

November.....the month of thankfulness.  

A time when we all reflect on our blessings and maybe tell each other a little more often how much we appreciate one another. A time when we thank God a little more often for what He has done for us and given us so undeservedly. A time when we actually think about all the things that we so often take for granted. 

We gather around the table in homes, eat together and enjoy being together.  We smile. We laugh.  We are thankful. 

I wanted to create an inviting space to sit down together for a nice Thanksgiving meal. A space that invites smiles, and laughs. One that spurs on love and openness and thankfulness.

. 

I used my daughter's scalloped bulletin board as the base for the centerpiece.  I then added in gold and neutral pumpkins that I already had from this centerpiece.  Then I walked around my yard and gathered magnolia leaves, twigs, and pinecones for a more natural look that brought in some of the greens and yellows from the plaid tablecloth. 

I used a gold paint pen to write names on magnolia leaves for place cards. The silverware was tied together with jute twine with a sprig of rosemary to adorn it.  I purchased the embroidered napkins at Target for only $2.99 for a set of six. (I am thankful for 75% off at Target.)

The black paint on the cork board is chalkboard paint. If you didn't want to use magnolia leaves as place cards, you could write the names of your guests on the board itself in front of each setting......

.......or you could have them each write something they are thankful for. 

There are so many things to be thankful for. Don't you agree?

Linking up to: 

Metamorphosis Monday on Between Naps on the Porch

The DIY'ers on Home Coming 

Tuesday's Treasure at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia