Looking for affordable Thanksgiving decorations? Try some of these easy and fun DIY’s for your Thanksgiving gathering that you and your whole family can make.

Pumpkin Candle Holders

These pumpkin candle holders are small enough to make wonderful centerpieces among all the delicious food on your table. Decorate them to your liking with spray paint, ribbons, or simply leave them as they are to give your table an authentic Thanksgiving look.

What you need

A small pumpkin

Tealight candles of your choice

Carving knife

Decorative supplies of your choice- glitter, paint and brushes

Steps

1. Carve a 1 ½ inch diameter circle to remove the stem of the pumpkin.
2. Decorate and design your pumpkin with supplies of your choice such as paint, glitter, or ribbons.
3. Place a tealight candle in place of the stem.

Veggie Pilgrims  

Have any left over pumpkins from Halloween? Or notice any seasonal squash on sale? Put them to good use and dress them up as adorable Thanksgiving characters! These veggies are not only nutritious to eat, but can make your Thanksgiving all the more fun.

What you need

Any type of seasonal vegetables such as small pumpkins or squash

Construction paper in various colors

Scissors

Tape and glue stick

Geometric compass

Ruler

Colored pencils or markers

Steps for pilgrim hat

1. Use a geometric compass to draw a 5-inch diameter circle. Then in the center of the circle draw a 2 ½ inch diameter circle.
2. Cut out both circles, keeping the inner circle intact.
3. Cut out a 3 ½  inch by 11 inch rectangle for the body of the hat.
4. Roll up the rectangle to make a cylinder that fills the size of the hole of the larger circle and tape the edges together.
5. Tape the smaller circle to the other end of the cylinder.
6. Decorate the hat to your liking by cutting shapes with leftover construction paper.

Steps for belt & buckle

1. For the belt, cut a thin strip of construction paper according to the size of your vegetable.
2. For the buckle, cut out a small rectangle with one smaller rectangle cut out inside of it

Steps for facial features

1. Draw out facial features such as eyes, nose, mouth, etc. on construction paper.
2. Cut out and glue features onto the vegetable.

This simple, yet decorative garland, can be placed near a dinner table, counter or any horizontal space in your home that you think needs a little more love!

What you need

Large leaves with stems (you can find plenty of these all over campus for free)

String

Scissors or Blade

Pencil

Steps

1. Choose a quote that you would like the garland to spell out. Get creative and choose something festive that will make your guests feel welcome.
2. With a pencil, outline one letter on each leaf. Make sure the leaf stem is upward.
3. Use scissors or a blade to cut out the letters you outlined.
4. Cut a long piece of string according to the length of your phrase.
5. Tie the leaves from the stem and place them equally distant from other.

All done with your Thanksgiving DIY? We want to see your creations! Use our hashtag #SundialDIY on Twitter or Instagram and we’ll choose the best decorations to share with our followers. Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for tips and upcoming DIY’s.