To celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I wanted something different than the usual burlap/pumpkin/orange type of tablescape, something a little unexpected. With the big day just around the corner, I had to do something fast, but something that embodied the meaning of the day. I went no further than my refrigerator, and filled a beautiful large porcelain dish with everything purple. After all, a table full of vegetables is indeed a symbol of the bounty with which we are blessed, a thank you for the plenteous, and a reason to enjoy a great feast with family and friends.
Dark colors remain, for me, the most festive, the most glorious, the most dressy and sophisticated colors of all. Burgundy, ebony, iron gray, coal black are all very suitable for a celebration and my DIY placemats in a bordeaux color reflect this sense of elegance, too. They’re very easy to make, I’ll show you how – and you will not need a sewing machine! Just before taking the pictures, I thought of adding the monogram of each guest. This detail can actually be done on any placemat that you already own or that you plan on making in the future.
Eggplant, purple cabbage, purple top turnip are far from the vegetables that the Pilgrims harvested with the help of the Native Americans back in the 17th century, but they’re still an expression of gratitude in today’s world. There are many more purple vegetable that could be added to make a purple tablescape, such as purple carrots, purple cauliflower, beetroot, purple artichoke and more.
The flowering kales sit in a glass bowl. I cut them off their root (no one needs dirt on their dinner table), and they’re actually a lot cheaper than any flower arrangement I can think of, and just as impressive. They are less than $5 each at your nursery store.
I’ve used these LED candles on numerous occasions: last year on our Thanksgiving tablescape, on our New Year’s tablescape, inside the DIY Halloween Paper Lanterns, and for my mantel decoration. This year, with a little bow from the same fabric I used for the placemats, they’re once again on our Thanksgiving table.
To make the placemats, you will need:
The placemats are simple cardboard covered with fabric. The fabric is a 100% polyester quilted material, a little thicker as it has a thin layer of batting inside, and very suitable for this kind of diy.
For the cardboard, I used an Elmer’s Tri-Fold Display Board (Michaels.com) as it is sturdy and straight. Each foldable side part measures 12 x 36 inches, and when cut in half, it makes two perfect sized 12 x 18 inches placemats, thus four placemats in total. More placemats can be cut from the middle part of the board.
With the foam brush, apply a generous coat of glue on the cardboard, position the fabric (cut about 1½ inches bigger than the cardboard) on the cardboard, fold on the back and secure with more glue, and tape if needed.
The monogram is made from minuscule rhinestone stickers that I put together to form the initial of each of my guests. They can be used on any kind of placemat, and they’re easily removable.
Happy Thanksgiving!
