A Thankful Heart and Home

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate all of our blessings with family and friends. It's also a beautiful celebration of the prettiness of the fall season. I've compiled some photos of fun and unique Thanksgiving decorations.

Fall- colored Flowers:
Use oranges, reds, and deep yellows for an autumn flair!

Leaves:
What says fall like orange and rusty-colored leaves? Feature them in your centerpieces instead of flowers!

Pumpkins and Gourds:
It reminds us of Halloween and the harvest, two fall staples.

Fruits, Berries and Nuts:
It's harvest time and these are yummy autumn treats, so use them in your decorations as well!  Cranberries get bonus points!

Grasses and Wheats:
Big tall grasses and wheats make me think of the prairie, and therefore barns, and therefore farms, and therefore pilgrims, and therefore Thanksgiving. It's an obvious leap.

Candles:
Candlelight makes any occasion more romantic and homey! Use fall items as candleholders.

Combination Decorations:
Make the gourd a vase for your flowers. Poke your flowers into a pumpkin. So on and so forth - get creative!

Fill Your Plate With Style

It's almost Thanksgiving - the holiday that is synonymous with "Eat your heart out in honor of all your blessings."

So I thought it would be fitting to show you some of my favorite, most cheery, beautiful plates! Why not celebrate your Thanksgiving meal on some creative plates and tableware?

I found all of these examples at Anthropologie, and they also have some amazing other home decor items!

Plates:
I love how bold and bright these patterns are! But while being eye-catching, they still keep a natural feel with the birds, flowers, and lace pattern.

Mugs:
These mugs are so cool, especially the monogrammed ones!

Bowls:

I would love to sip some soup from one of these beautiful bowls! They all have a hand-painted vibe that makes them feel homey.

We Invite You...

...To feast your eyes on some fantastically unique wedding invitations!

Most people go with classic script fonts and muted colors, but these definitely have a different personality! I love paper goods and the creative design behind invitations, so I thought I would throw some out here for you to peruse.

These examples show styles and designs that can be used for any type of invitation, whether that is for a wedding, birthday party, or even a family reunion.

Completely Covered in Color!
These examples of invitations are busy in a good way, graphically bold, and use a variety of fonts and visual elements. They are colorful, playful, and scream fun.

Old-School Circus
These invitations include bold stripes and have that old-timey country fair vibe. They really call attention to the "main attraction."

Block O' Words

These cards are simple and to the point. They are visually strong and suggest stability. The white space gives your eye a break and the use of different font sizes is effective in communicating the most important words or dates.

Cartoony
These invites use illustrations and pictures to say "We're a quirky couple, and our wedding is going to be a blast. We don't take ourselves too seriously."

Rustic
These examples are for the couple who is having their wedding in a barn. They most likely have started stockpiling twine for all the ways they are going to use it to decorate their special day. These cards show that they love nature and don't want to overly style their wedding to look uptight.

Read a Book in a Nook

Reading nooks are wonderful things. They are whimsical, cozy, and just the perfect spot to escape your own reality into the world of a great novel. As the cooler weather approaches, snuggling up with a blanket and a good book is something I wish I had more time to do!

Although most of these photos show reading nooks that are built into the structure of the house, you can always turn any corner into a perfect nook. Just put a bench seat right in the corner and add some curtains or make a dividing wall with a tall bookshelf. Make it your own! Here are a few photos to inspire you:

DIY - Baking Sheet Magnetic Board

Crafts are always better when they're free and super easy, so I thought this would be a fun idea to share!  As a college student, I love magnetic message boards.  I can hang up notes, pictures, important papers, you name it.  But some of them are really boring, and for a plain magnetic sheet, they're not worth the money.

Here is a quick and simple way to make a magnetic board out of just a cookie sheet (thanks to Bold Bright and Beautiful!).  Baking sheets are cheap, and come in different shapes in sizes to fit your taste.  As long as it's not stainless steel or aluminum, it will be magnetic! 

It's really up to you how you want to decorate it - try adhering patterned contact paper, spray-painting it, modge-podging photos onto it, covering it with cute fabric, or leaving it bare and adding a cute frame around the edge.  You can drill holes in your sheet to put ribbon through for hanging as well.  

Also, you can easily make your own magnets by taking earrings, buttons, or stones and glueing plain magnets on the back.  If you want a vintage look for your board, scour antique stores for old-school baking sheets that come in cool patterns or have scalloped edges.  No decoration needed!

Chevron City!

Chevrons are everywhere!  They are a fun way to throw in some sassiness and pops of color while still being clean-cut.  They are versatile and easy to mix in with other patterns.  Bring in some bright colors, like this first photo from Ada & Darcy, or keep it modest with this beautiful armchair from Urban Outfitters (hint: it comes in bright colors as well!).

You can get almost any product in a chevron or zig-zag pattern.  Check out this fun and kitchy lamp-shade from Anthropologie and this do-it-yourself dresser from Kristen F. Davis Designs.  Who says that chevron design has to start out with the pattern? Paint it yourself!

Chevrons have made their way into every aspect of style.  Typography, fashion, wedding styling, home decor...you name it and it has been done in a chevron pattern.  Here is some more zig-zagged inspiration.