Now that Halloween is past us and we’ve eaten all the candy corn and miniature Snickers bars that we can hold, it is time to turn our attention to one of my favorite of holidays – Thanksgiving. Although Thanksgiving has become as commercialized as all the rest of our holidays, you can still create a special family event that brings years of memories without destroying the budget.

Here is a list of ten wonderful frugal and homemade Thanksgiving decorations.

1. Decorate a basket and go for a nature walk. Pick up pine cones, leaves, sticks, acorns, flowers. Come home and create center pieces and decorations.
2. Tie pine cones on string to make a fall garland.
3. Make little elves and fairies out sticks and leaves. Glue on googly eyes. This craft is best done with a hot glue gun so adult supervision is needed.
4. Name Tag Pins –  I love this idea to make leaf name tags for the guests at your Thanksgiving gathering. It was always so hard for me to keep my relatives name’s straight. I only saw them once or twice a year. I always wished that they had on name tags. I highly suggest this idea (or some other name tag idea) if you want to help your kids learn the names of friends and family. I bet that it will help the adults too.
5. Family Banner that becomes a book – Cover a table or wall with wide art paper. Divide the paper in squares. Have everyone draw a picture, make a hand print or leave a message in one of the squares. Afterwards, cut up the squares and make it into a book. Date the book so you can look back over the years. You can also scan each page and make a digital version to send to everyone.
6. Turkey Bread Basket – This craft is made from a paper bag, a piece of card board, paper plates and some decorations. I love this idea because it is frugal AND useful. If you have the storage room, this craft might even make a reappearance for several years.
7. Newspaper leaf rubbings – Make this ingenious craft idea into a garland. Rub crayon on newspaper that is laid over freshly fallen leaves. Cut out and string together. Add a bit of glitter to the edges for a special touch.
8. Painted rocks as place cards – Yes! Yes! I love this craft for the simplicity and long term memory value. Pick up wonderful rocks on your walk in No. 1. Paint and add names of guests. Add a gem for added elegance. Coat with clear nail polish once the paint is dried for a shiny look.
9. Marshmallow Pumpkins – Although technically this orange sugar coated marshmallow is a Halloween treat, I say that it will still work for a Thanksgiving treat. Warning: pure sugar!
10. Twenty more crafts – I just couldn’t decide on just ONE of these cool crafts from the TipJunkie, but I am partial to the Thankful Wall.

I hope these ideas have got you in the decorating mood, because right after Thanksgiving comes Christmas and then it is REALLY craft time.

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