Thanksgiving Table Decor and Friendsgiving 2018

Every year I hold a small Friendsgiving potluck with my friends. We love the special time to get together and catch-up. I also love an excuse to set up a pretty table. This year I let Carolyn help me with the table decor.

How did my sweet little two year old help me you might ask. She collected the beautiful fall leaves! This is a traditional decor item my grandmother always liked to use for Thanksgiving, and I didn't even know it until my mom saw my leaves, jogging her memory, and told me about it! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I also was quite fortunate and found this cute box of felted wool pumpkins on clearance at TJ Maxx. You could easily sub in those real tiny pumpkins that they sell at the grocery store or make your own! I actually had plans to hand-make tiny pumpkins but time escaped me...

Point of story, this is totally a simple table decor that you can make with your children too! Carolyn felt so honored to have HER leaves displayed on the table.

My napkins were another clearance find that I picked up at Target at the end of summer and have been waiting patiently to use. Technically they were sold as a summer item, but I think they look lovely with the cranberry tablecloth. The gold chargers I picked up at Dollar Tree several years ago, but they seem to reappear every year at this time of year!

The candle sticks were my Grannie's, along with the cute fake leaves/flower rings that go on them. And the center piece was a sliver creamer (to a tea set) that we found at the thrift store. Thrift stores always seem to sell tarnished silver for cheap prices, which I don't get because with a little elbow grease and they're beautiful again! I just stuck some fake flowers in it to make a small bouquet.

I don't have many pictures from the evening, but I did insist that someone snap a picture of Carolyn rolling out her first pie crust.

She also enjoyed helping me fill the pie.

 I followed the apple pie recipe in my Martha Stewart Cooking School book, everyone said it was so delicious! Good ol' Martha! She also gave a tip in her book, she suggests you line the bottom of your oven with aluminum foil to catch the sugary liquid that might drip from your pie while it's cooking - genius!!!! I folded the corners of mine up to make a makeshift baking tray so it would be easier to lift out...

And finally, the picture of the FRIENDS for Friendsgiving!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving! Thank you Lord for all you have provided us with, especially the hearts so dear to us!

Here's an image you can use for pinning: