Sure, you go through a lot of trouble to make scrumptious foods for Thanksgiving. After all, you’ll be expecting family and/or friends and you want to hear their compliments, while also feeding them on this special occasion. But the foods aren’t the only concern. The table will have to look perfect, too, or else you just don’t have the right setting for the occasion. You can create a lovely look for a Thanksgiving table by using leaves. The arrangement is so beautiful that you don’t even need a centerpiece.
Gather ordinary leaves from your backyard, a park, or elsewhere. Freshly fallen leaves are best since they aren’t yet dry. However, you don’t want wet leaves, either. So, after gathering as many leaves as you want, process them and you won’t have a wet tablecloth on Thanksgiving. Processing takes some time but not much effort.
For leaves with large stems, trim the stems closer to the leaves. Place the leaves between layers of paper towels so that they don’t touch each other. Slide the paper towels between layers of a phone book or other large book. This will press the leaves flat while also drying them.
After a week or two, remove the paper towels from the books, and the leaves from the paper towels. Now you’re ready to make the arrangement you want for the Thanksgiving table. There are many ways to lay the leaves on the table to create a beautiful design. Lay them down to form a circle or an oval. Or, just lay leaves to make a wide strip down the middle of the table. You can use leaves of all one color to create one type of arrangement, or leaves of various colors to create something entirely different in appearance.
It’s a good idea to use pieces of double-sided tape to stick the leaves in place. You’ll be covering the leaves with a cloth and it’s easy to mess up your arrangement if the cloth causes the leaves to move. Choose a white, lightweight, see-thru fabric for the leaf cover – something like organza or netting.
Lay the organza or other fabric over the table. It should be large enough to be the actual tablecloth. The leaves can be seen from under the tablecloth – but they just aren’t as bright as they would be without the cloth. The demure arrangement is pretty, inexpensive, and appropriate for this Thanksgiving dinner.
Thanksgiving Table Leaves