Last Minute Thanksgiving Decor

Sometimes things sneak up on you. You think you've got all this time and then suddenly you look at the calender and realize that Thanksgiving is only a almost here!

One thing I love about Thanksgiving is that it's kind of the last hurrah for the autumn season and there are so many natural elements that you can use to decorate for the fall. If you're running out of time and you need some ideas for quick and fun Thanksgiving or fall decor, give these a try!

These are all very inexpensive; I just used things I already had on hand. They are also very easy. If you can handle simple tasks involving cutting, gluing, and writing, then this will be a piece of cake (Mmmm... CAKE! That sounds good! I might have to do some baking later today!).

Autumn Leaf Wreath:
The idea is very simple. Glue some fall leaves to a cardboard circle and you're done. There are a few tips though that will make this easier. Choose leaves that are mostly dry so they will keep their shape better and work gently because any dry places will crumble if you use too much force. Also, use larger leaves in the back, smaller ones in the front. I used a variety of maple, and tulip tree leaves. I have neither one of these trees. It has been rather windy lately and these leaves blew into my yard just so I could use them to create fall decorations. How nice!

Autumn Leaf Garland:
All you'll need for this simple leaf garland is string, wire, or ribbon, glue and an assortment of leaves. Arrange your leaves in the order you want them, or grab them randomly. Glue them along your string and hang them up to enjoy. As with the wreath, use mostly dried leaves so they keep their shape better. Some curling will happen and that's ok. If you use completely dried leaves, they will be very brittle. Work gently so as not to crush the drier parts of the leaves. Also, you may choose to cut off the stems or leave them. I cut mine off, but it doesn't really matter.

Thankful Banner:
This is the most difficult of the three projects, but it's very simple also. Cut uniform triangles out of brown paper grocery bags. Stamp them all over with various leaf patterns in fall colors, then use a good quality marker to write the letters. I spelled out "Thankful", but you can choose any word (or words) you please. Next, glue them onto a ribbon. You could also use decorative yarn, string, or whatever strikes your fancy.

There you are! Three simple ideas to decorate for this season. I hope you enjoy them and maybe they will inspire you to come up with some other ideas as well. If you have more time on your hands, consider checking out these other fall decorating tutorials:

Twig & Acorn Wreath

Brown Paper Bag Leaves

Acorn Branches

Shared at these blogs:
Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do
Monday Funday at Lines Across My Face
What'd You Do This Weekend at Tumbleweed Contessa 
Manic Monday at Serendipity & Spice 
Link Party Tuesday at A to Zebra Celebrations
Tuesdays with a Twist at Stone Cottage Adventures
30 Day Holiday Linky Party at The Shady Porch
Cottage Style Party at Lavender Garden Cottage
Down Home Blog Hop at Tilly's Nest
What We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow Pond
Work It Wednesday at The Happy Housie
Lovely Ladies Linky at Life With The Crust Cut Off
Whatever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts
Home & Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
Four Seasons Blog Hop at Easy Life Meal & Party Planning
Clever Chicks Blog Hop at The Chicken Chick
Sunday Linky at Suburbs Mama
Silver Pennies Sundays at Finding Silver Pennies
Creative Home and Garden Hop at Little Homestead On The Hill