A Simple BUT Lovely Thanksgiving with Custom Leaf Place Cards

Isn’t it funny how often, we don’t realize how much time has gone by, or realize the things we’ve done, until we look back on photos or get a reminder that brings that specific memory back into our minds. Well, yesterday afternoon while doing a bit of photo clean up I realized I never shared photos from our Thanksgiving table and decor last year. Truthfully, the second Thanksgiving is over, forget sharing anything Fall related because that becomes a thing of the past and everything goes into Holiday mode. Which is fine, because now I can look back at last year, relive the details and the moments shared and in turn share them with you today!

We continued the simple minimalist look, a lifestyle I think most of us are leaning more towards, creating a Thanksgiving table that was calming and inviting. Every piece used were items we already had, and even if you don’t style events for a living, you can always find things around your house that will be perfect to style and group together to create both pretty and functional decor! With all the hard and loving work being poured into the food, who has time, or mental energy, to spend worrying about decor.

The flowers, greens and fall foliage were all picked from my garden and placed in dainty bud vases with candles, creating a lovely sweet and simple foraged look that highlighted the beauty in Mother Nature this season.

A Sweet + Simple Thanksgiving with Custom Leaf Place Cards || Dreamery Events

Faux gourds and pumpkins I’ve collected throughout the years were placed around, because a Thanksgiving without pumpkins would certainly not make Charlie Brown happy 😉

A Chalkboard with a seasonal or favorite family quote is a great and easy way to bump up the decor for your Hollidays, and makes it all a bit more personal and unique to your loved ones.

For the past few years, we’ve dedicated a table just for food so everyone can just get up and serve themselves. That way the table doesn’t feel as crowed and overwhelming, and everyone has more room to relax and can get up for more food and drinks at their own comfort. We added several bud vases with roses, greens and dried stems, wood boxes that served as containers for extra servingware, linen napkins and some apps. The final touch, a lovely “Give Thanks” banner as a cute nod to Thanksgiving.

The only piece of decor that required a bit of work were the custom leaf place cards. And it’s so simple of a DIY, that anyone can create it!

Here’s how you can make your own “Real” Leaf Calligraphy Place Cards….

You’ll Need

Leaves, in one color or varying Autumn hues — ***Make sure leaves are large enough to fit the names you’ll be writing + that they’re completely dry from days without rain!!***
Mod Podge Clear Acrylic Sealer Spray
White Oil Based Paint Pen
Hanging Clothespin Laundry Rack or String w. Clothespins

How To

With your completely rain-free and dry leaves, secure each individual leaf on the hanging clothespin laundry rack {or a string hung up with clothespins if you don’t have one}…..You could lay each leaf on a flat surface for spraying, but found this much easier than having to lift up the leaves from the surface and potentially breaking them.
Carefully spray both sides of all your leaves with the Mod Podge Sealer Spray, making sure to seal those delicate edges and stems. ***Please do this outside or well ventilated area***
Repeat with a total of 3 coats, allowing each coat to dry completely before the next.
Allow your hanging leaves to dry overnight, preferably in a dark, cool and dry place.
Finally, gently write your guests’ names onto each leaf. ***Even though they are sealed, the leaves will be delicate so make sure you handle them with a light touch when writing***

And that’s that! This Thanksgiving inspiration might not be the grandest, but it was perfect in every sense! Our favorite dishes were savored, enjoyed with every bite and all these little touches just made the day even more comforting.