Last Minute Thanksgiving: Decor

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? I love having a house full of friends for Thanksgiving. One of my favorite parts is adding a few fall-themed decorations to make things feel festive. I'm partial to simple touches with items that I have on hand or that are easy to get (meaning they have them at the bodega around the corner!). Here's a few ideas:



Bittersweet branches, or even some branches from a tree in your backyard (if you're lucky enough to have such a thing) in the middle of the table. The pears are a pretty touch too, if you're doing a formal place setting.



Tea lights nestled in popcorn kernels. Equally simple and beautiful, and easy if you already have popcorn in your pantry. My friends did this in mason jars at their fall wedding and it was lovely.



Apples and leaves. I always buy too many apples for apple pie, so this would be a pretty way to put the extras to use. Most florists will sell you a small bundle of green leaves.



Personalized napkin rings. Use this free printable design to show your guests where to sit, or pile the napkins in a basket for a more casual dinner. I love the sprig of rosemary!

Or, of course, there's always gourds (warning: that link is hilarious but not for the easily-offended).

Last year's Last Minute Thanksgiving ideas:
Last Minute Pies
Last Minute Sides

Photos: gourds, candles, bittersweet, apples, napkin rings.

Abstract

I know next to nothing about art, but I've been loving all the abstract paintings that Kate finds. What do you think of abstract art? I don't have any at the moment, but I feel like it could change with your mood and look different as the light in your home changes throughout the day.









I think abstract art could be a step towards overcoming my genetically-inherited decorating disorder: it's nearly impossible for me to commit to hanging something on the wall. My mom is the same way (my sister jokingly calls her nothing-on-the-walls decorating style "serial killer chic"). Now, if only most of these pieces weren't already sold.

Paintings via Kate's Pinterest. Painting 1, painting 2, painting 3, painting 4, painting 5.

Nan Lawson

A little bit after the super fans, but excited nonetheless, I'm seeing the final installment of the Harry Potter movies tonight. Since I have a bit of Potter on the brain today, I'm loving the Potter-inspired illustrations in illustrator Nan Lawson's Etsy shop.





She does lots of great literary/film-inspired illustrations, too. I think the children's book characters would be cute in a literary-themed nursery or kid's room.

A Girly Retreat

A 9x14 foot hunting cabin tucked away in the Catskills, painstakingly turned into the ultimate girly retreat. All the supplies and furniture had to be carried over a stream to get to the cabin!

The six year old girl in me would really like to have a tea party there.

All photos by Trevor Tondro.

BHLDN Party

As if I needed another reason to spend money at Anthropologie, their BHLDN wedding line now sells party supplies and decor. Some of the items you could make pretty easily (or buy cheaper on Etsy), but I could definitely find enough things to spend the rest of my "fun" budget for the month.







I would love that lantern (or five of them!) in my garden this summer.

Have a nice weekend, friends! I'm looking forward to spending lots of time in my garden.

Color coded

I think I'm late to the party on this one, but I am currently obsessed with the blog (and shop!) Little Brown Pen. Nichole lives in Paris, where she and her husband stroll the city and photograph it by color. Scrolling through her blog is incredibly addicting. Here's just a peek.

















A lot of her best photos are available for purchase (grouped by color, of course) in their shop. Now, which color to choose?

An Heirloom From A Stranger

Are you reading Matchbook Magazine? It's one of the many of online magazines to launch recently and it's lovely so far. A bit like the best parts of your favorite blogs, with a little more time to ponder their subjects. I really enjoyed the profile in the current issue of Oklahoma design blogger Sarah Kate Huff.



She mentions that when she lived in Italy, she came to appreciate vintage items as "simply an heirloom from a stranger." Don't you love that? In the same way that a family heirloom makes you remember the person who gave it to you, a vintage cake stand makes me wonder about the woman who owned it before me. Did she make a chocolate cake once a week and decorate it while dressed like Donna Reed? Or was it a wedding gift that gathered dust in a cupboard? So fun to think about. An heirloom from a stranger.



Check out the rest of the article here.