DIY for Thanksgiving

As promised, this post is dedicated to the DIY projects that I completed for our Thanksgiving tablescape!  I spent approximately $10-$12 on all of the decor mainly because the majority of items were already laying around the house...oh, and because I was on a tight budget.

First up is the runner.  I purchased a yard of fabric from Joann's ($7.99) and cut it in half to make two yards.  I used the same hem tape technique that I did to make our curtains (here and here), so there's really no need to go into detail about that.  All that matters is that I think I am becoming a hem tape pro!

Next are the pumpkins.  I purchased two small "pumpkin pie" pumpkins (approximately $4 total) and decided that i wanted to paint them.  At first I was going to spray them white and spray the stem gold, but after some thought I decided to paint the pumpkins purple and spray the stem gold instead.  The purple paint was from a sample paint can from two years ago.  I also used this paint over the summer to paint some planters, so I'm getting good use out of it.
When I sprayed the stems gold, I didn't cover the pumpkin so of course a little gold landed on the top.  I studied it for a moment then realized that I liked the look, so I ended up spraying more to deliberately spread the paint mist.  During this impromptu spraying action some of the gold decided to run down one of the grooves on the pumpkin.  At first I thought "oh crap, I screwed that up", then after studying again I realized that I loved the drippy look!  I then started spraying even more to cause drips all around.  I love how they turned out.

I then made a sign to stick into the bouquet by taking paper scraps of purple, brown and champagne and writing the words "Be thankful all year" on both sides in gold.  I attached the papers to a wooden stick and slid it into the vase.  I also made place cards by writing each name with the gold pen onto purple paper and placed them on top of the rolled napkins.

Last, I wanted to incorporate the cinnamon sticks that I had in the pantry.  I would probably not be using them any time soon, so I decided to stack them up sort of like a stack of wood then tie them up with a purple ribbon.

As far as the rest of the decor, you may recognize the glass bottles from my last pinterest project (we ended up pouring red grape juice into them for dinner, so it matched perfectly), I put the flowers that were in a vase on the great room bookcase into a different vase and tied purple ribbon around it, and the candle holders were already on the table, so luckily they matched.

Oddly enough, this was the least expensive table decor and happens to be my favorite of all!  I guess that's how things work out sometimes.

Do you find yourself scouring through the house to find items to use when redecorating if your money is looking kind of funny?