Mood Board Thanksgiving Style

I find mood boards really helpful for organizing ideas.  When it comes to the holidays, it’s a simple way to pull together themes you might want for entertaining.  Once I have an overall concept for my Thanksgiving table, I will take this a step further and draft boards with my specific table centerpiece, linens and recipes. For someone easily distracted with a lot of options, this can be a real lifesaver!

1. For a centerpiece, I like the idea of gathering natural elements from the yard and nearby woods.  It’s a way to bring indoors the last life from the garden.  Once you start looking, you’ll be amazed at what you can pull together.
2. This year I am going to dip dye some neutral table linens I have-look for the DIY in the next couple of posts.
3. Since the turkey is always the main event at our house and I am the only one that doesn’t eat it-I like to introduce a side that’s off the beaten path from traditional Thanksgiving fare.  Today I’m thinking about a wild rice and butternut squash combo.
4. I like the idea of introducing a shot of color to the traditional palate.  Perhaps a shot of royal feeling violet-i know I have this in the garden with my callicarpa {beautyberry} bush.
5. Using fruit or vegetables in the centerpiece along with birch bark to build out the length of the arrangement is an economical way to stretch your decorating dollars .  It keeps the visual low and is flexible in placement once you have the table set.

I hope this has been a helpful illustration of how I pull together my holiday theme.  Do you have some secrets that work for your planning?  As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.