Last Minute Thanksgiving Table Courtesy of Your Closet

Do you wait until the last minute to set up your Thanksgiving Table? I have the best idea using a scarf for a fun new table cloth and a base for your tablescape!

As I write this Thanksgiving is 5 days away and I am just now realizing that this weekend is the last chance I have to get ready for my family arriving Tuesday! So yesterday and this morning – yes, this morning I pulled together a Thanksgiving tablescape using stuff from my closet, the grocery store, and things I already had.

Plus I found a fun way to decorate with wheat! This is a quick and easy tablescape plus fall home decor in one!

So if you are anything like me and are in a panic, I am here to show you that by tomorrow evening you can pull off a beautiful and creative Thanksgiving table. In September, I published 20 Sophisticated Fall Decor Ideas and went back to that to see what everyday items I could use for a beautiful table.

After being inspired by that post, I did think ahead and that saved me because a couple of weeks ago I picked up some white mini pumpkins and bundles of wheat from Amazon plus new salad plates from World Market for everyday use.

Post contains hand selected products, with some affiliate marketing links {full disclosure here} 

Last Minute Thanksgiving Table

Let’s breakdown what you need and likely have at your disposable, so you can move quickly! If you don’t have these things, buy them on sale so you always have them handy for last minute fall table settings!

• Silver plate chargers
• Basic white dinner plates
• Silverware or everyday flatware
• Mini white pumpkins
• Name tags
• Fall colored scarf
• Copper mugs
• Crystal high ball glasses
• White table cloth
• Grocery store flowers

A Fall Scarf from My Closet

Thinking outside of the box is cliche I know, but it’s true! This is what I had to do to create this last minute tablescape.  My plain white table cloth was just not cutting it this year.

A few weeks ago, I bought a new and inexpensive scarf from Amazon to update my fall wardrobe and it’s the perfect blend of blue, green, yellow, orange and brown.

It clicked that my new Fall scarf would be a great base for my Thanksgiving tablescape. It was the perfect size for my 50 inch round table and much more fun than the plain white table cloth I always use!

Copper Mugs and Crystal

My new favorite thing in life is a Moscow Mule (an adult beverage) and they are served in gorgeous copper mugs. So I could l make Moscow Mules at home, I ended up buying a set of copper mugs. Looking at the scarf colors, it was obvious to me that the copper would add a great pop of color and shine.

Then over 20 years ago I received the most gorgeous Ralph Lauren crystal tumblers that pick up the plaid in the scarf.  Nice right? Use what you have in your home to create a whole new look! You don’t have to use traditional wine and water glasses.

Gorgeous Grocery Store Flowers

Truly, I am so thankful that my local Harris Teeter grocery store has flowers. $12 for a bundle of 3! This arrangement was pulled together in 10 minutes for $25. No trip needed to the florist and a big time saver!

Lately, I’ve been layering a dish under my plain round glass vase to add texture and color to the table. This beautiful bowl, in all the right colors, I’ve had for a long time and use it for serving spaghetti and meatballs!

Tips on Arranging Flowers

• Use uneven numbers of flowers or colors: 3, 5, 7 for visual balance
• Pick flowers that last a week like hydrangeas (the white flowers) and alstroemeria (yellow and rust).
• To make a tight bunch, hold the stems together with a rubber band up near the flowers.
• After securing, place in the vase to determine how much to cut off the stems.
• Cut steams and leave at least an inch from the bottom of the vase so they take water.

To make hydrangeas last longer, read this post: Create a Bouquet of Hydrangeas that Last

Wheat, what?

Yes, a fun little idea in my mind was to wrap the buffet lamps to make them look like bundles of wheat. Well guess what? It worked and looks just as I’d hoped!

Here are the bunches of  WHEAT from Amazon I bought and the great multi-use bark wrapped wire to make these arrangements.

A messy, but easy project and if you order today Amazon will deliver on time for Thanksgiving!

Place Setting Perfection

When you are sitting at a table with others – especially a round table, are you wondering is that my bread plate or water glass? There is a GREAT way to remember this: BMW = left to right BREAD, WATER, WINE. I know the letters don’t match, but it’s easy to remember 🙂 Flip the M to a W in your mind…

The authority on this subject is Emily Post, so click here for all kinds of proper table settings.

This is the fun part! I love pulling together different pieces of table wear to make a new unique place setting.  It’s like a trip down memory lane, with adding new things acquired along the way.

Originally, I was going to only use the mini-pumpkins in a group together as decor. Then remembered I had PLACE SETTING TAGS and voila the mini-pumpkins are now place cards. Yeah, we sit in the same seats every time but why not add some fun?

You don’t have mini-pumpkins laying around? Then when you are in the grocery store getting flowers, buy fruit with a stem to achieve the same look: pears or apples would look so cute!

Layers of Plates and Natural Elements

When you are out shopping for other home accessories look for chargers (the big decorative plate under the dinner plate), napkins, and napkin rings. After the holidays they are always are on sale at 50% off, so grab them for your table!

Since I was running so late on getting this Thanksgiving table setting created, I ended up using some FAUX EUCALYPTUS from a garland I bought for a Christmas project.

Most grocery stores will have eucalyptus and if not, a sprig of rosemary would look just as good! A little sprig of green and wheat adds so much personality to an other wise boring napkin!

For Thanksgiving the clean up is pretty intense, so this year I decided to use everyday dinnerware that can go in the dish washer.  The FLORAL PLATES were a great find on sale at World Market.

A Thanksgiving Table Courtesy of my Closet

So, back to dinner planning and shopping I go. That darn Christmas tree won’t put itself up! My family arrives Tuesday and I can’t wait to enjoy a meal with them at this table 🙂

Shop the Look

Many of the items I’ve had for years, so I’ve found some close matches for your to shop! Good luck with your Thanksgiving table.

Fig Moscow Mule

If you are looking for a fun fall recipe for your table, CLICK HERE.

Happy Thanksgiving! Let me know if you find a fun to way to create your own tablescape.

Please consider signing up for my email newsletter. I’ll be making over the dining room for a whole new Fall look following my One Room Challenge makeover in 2018.

Until next time…

Porch Daydreamer

Tracey