I was about to make a whole bunch of them when another idea struck.  I have a bunch of felt laying around from other projects… why not put it to use?  And so I went to work, and soon this was what I had:

Lots of brown felt flowers!  And on the backs:

To make the flowers you can find a felt rosette tutorial here.

After I’d made the flowers I whipped up some simple napkin rings using more brown felt.  I cut strips about 5 1/2 inches long and used pinking shears to cut the sides.  They’re about 1 1/2 inches wide.

Simply fold them in half lengthwise and sew the ends together (right sides together, of course):

After sewing, trip threads and turn right side out.  It should look something like this:

Insert a napkin in the ring…

Then you just clip the flower onto the napkin ring and you’re done!

It’s also easy to add a tag to the clip.  You can assign seats this way or simply express a sentiment.

Why did I put the felt flowers on a clip instead of gluing them to the napkin ring?  I’m not sure, exactly, except that I thought it would be fun.  I guess it sounded like a fun surprise to be able to re-use the flowers, or send them home with our Thanksgiving guests as a little favor.  Doing it this way certainly got the attention of my girls, and one little helper in particular!

I love the way the various shades of brown work together and am excited to see them on our Thanksgiving table.  I also wouldn’t mind it if I see some of this after our meal:

And so, using materials I had on hand I was able to make two dozen new napkin rings for Thanksgiving dinner.  I’m enjoying the less-traditional shape (a flower) with more traditional fall colors.  I hope our guests enjoy them, and I particularly hope my nieces are happy with them.

Can you believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow?  Where did November go?  I’ve still got SO MUCH work to do… I’m crossing my fingers I’ll get it all done.

Jennifer

For as long as I can remember we’ve made spice drop turkeys on Thanksgiving day.  It’s a tradition I’ve continued with my family.  Usually we place a small bowl on each plate filled with toothpicks and spice drops but this year I decided to try something different.  I created a build your own turkey table.

I borrowed my vintage desk from my bedroom to use in the dining room and put the candy in glass vases.

The candy and the turquoise desk was so colorful that I opted to run with the color instead of sticking with a traditional Thanksgiving palate.  I gathered my velvet pumpkins from around the house and made a couple of turkeys to put on display.

Finally, a tiny silver urn for holding toothpicks.

Maybe it’s our gray skies, but I’m loving the colors of these candies:

It takes only a few dollars to provide spice drops in two sizes, some fruit slice candy and toothpicks.  It’s a great way to keep the children occupied while the final dinner preparations are made and some adults really get into it as well.

I’m hoping this format will be fun for everyone on Thursday.  It’s nice to know I’ve got something ready to go!

Do you have a fun Thanksgiving craft or activity you do every year?  Please share!
Jennifer

Using branches from one of our cherry trees (which is dying), I built a mini-tree in the kitchen.  It sits between the two windows near our table.  {This also makes it difficult to photograph because of all the lighting behind it.  Sorry!}

Standing over eight feet tall, our gratitude tree is actually one really big branch with two smaller branches attached.  I spray painted them all white, but didn’t go for total coverage.  They almost look like aspen branches now.

I placed the tree in an urn, weighted it with rocks, and wrapped it in some creamy burlap I had in my stash.

I wanted to hide the spot where I attached all the branches to each other, so a burlap ribbon and vintage dictionary page “flower” was added.  In its center I attached a glitter-covered rose I had sitting around and a tag declaring this our “Harrison family gratitude tree.”

When I started this project I intended to take down the white mirror that hangs between the windows, but once it was up I loved the reflection of the branches so much that I left it in place.  It adds more dimension to the tree.

In keeping with the color scheme I chose to cut our leaves out of the same dictionary pages.  I cut them in a variety of shapes (found here) and I love the way they look.  Because they lack color their shape is emphasized.

To hang each leaf we simply punch a tiny hole and use a wire ornament hanger (purchased at the dollar store) which is then hung on a branch.  We’ve also started using a Sharpie to write on the leaves which makes it easier to read with all the dictionary text.

Last night we had a family discussion about gratitude in which my older children shared thoughts and insights that were very encouraging.   I am grateful for brief moments when I discover that we just might be getting through to them, after all.  We also talked about how Thanksgiving is the perfect prelude to the Christmas season.  I have also been pleased with the enthusiasm with which they’ve welcomed the tree to our kitchen.  It’s big enough that we can’t help but notice it and I’m excited to have it for the holidays.

So there you have it:  our 2011 gratitude tree, created entirely with materials on hand and not a single penny spent.    And for the record, I am grateful for it because it provided me with a creative outlet on a busy day, which motivated me to get my work done and which brings me joy each time I see it.  It is beautiful to me.

What do you think?  Do you do something to record your blessings and grateful thoughts during this wonderful season?  I’d love to hear.  If you’d like a peek at another adorable gratitude tree, check this out!

Jennifer
*Don’t forget:  today is the last day to enter my 2nd giveaway for some velvet pumpkins in non-traditional colors!  Leave a comment here to enter.

It’s time to announce the winner of the “Give Thanks” banner.  The winner is comment #7, Janelle Hansen.

Congratulations!  I’ve just sent you an email and am excited to send this Thanksgiving banner to you.

Thank you for all your comments.  I enjoyed reading your thoughts about Thanksgiving, and hearing from some of you.  I feel very blessed.

Don’t forget there’s another giveaway going on for a few more days.  Click here to enter.

Early in the week I posted this giveaway which also included a link to a second giveaway I’m offering over at Sisterview for some velvet pumpkins I made.  Well, it doesn’t stop there.  You see, it seems that in some things I’m great at moderation and in others I’m not.  This would be one when I’m not.  I’ve spent the week with a pot simmering on the stove with various colors of fabric dye and velvet in it.

Did I have time for it?  No.  Should I have been doing other things instead?  Yes.  did I get some interesting looks from my almost 13 year old daughter?  Yup.  But was it fun?  Absolutely!  And I learned some new things.  A week ago I’d never tried to dye fabric, and now I’ve done it at least a dozen times.  It’s healthy to try new things, and I’m finally using my stash of pumpkin stems as well!

I think they’re beautiful:  deep navy blues, teal, aqua, burgundy, plum, lavender and a gorgeous dark gray.  No orange in this batch!  Seeing them sitting there together brings a smile to my face and I’m enjoying the unexpected colors as much as I like the traditional ones.

Once again, I’d like to share some.  I’m going to send a lucky someone a set of four velvet pumpkins in various colors and sizes.  The giveaway will close at midnight Tuesday November 15th and I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday.  I know that’s getting close to Thanksgiving, but I hope you can still enjoy them or at least enjoy packing them away until next Halloween!

Here’s how to enter:  Leave me a comment telling me how you feel about using non-traditional colors in holiday decor/celebrations.  I’m curious to see what you think.

I typically stick with traditional colors, although the hue changes as color tones come and go.  I also find as the years go by that I yearn for more white in all of my holiday decorating.  I’ve also let some aqua creep into my Christmas decor in the last few years.  But every once in a while there is something I want in every possible color, and these velvet pumpkins would certainly be it.  Somehow it’s the variety of colors that draws my eye to notice each one, compare and contrast, and savor the composition they create together.  So while all my Thanksgiving decor is in browns, oranges and other earthy tones, this year I’m loving the little surprise of colorful pumpkins here and there.  (And I have three or four mostly white projects I’d love to tackle if there’s time.)

Good luck!  And don’t forget you have until midnight Friday to enter other giveaways here and here.

Jennifer
P.S.  Are you keeping a gratitude list this year?  I am.  And color, velvet, and pumpkins are all on it.  (Along with much more important things, of course.)

An old metal bench.  An oversized acorn hanging from burlap and embroidered ribbon.  A simple wood plank declaring “A Day of Thanksgiving and Praise”.  A lantern with a pumpkin and some battery operated candles enclosed.  A couple more candles on the ground in blue lanterns.

Simple.  It makes me happy.

And over by the front door, the wood sign I’ve had for many years:

Welcome to our home.  And welcome, Thanksgiving!

Jennifer
*Love Thanksgiving?  Dont’ forget to tell me how you celebrate and enter to win a “give thanks” banner here.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  It is so rich in meaning and history, and comes at a time of year when abundant harvests are still fresh in memory, if not all around us.  I also believe that gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions we can feel; that it transforms us as people and it also transforms our memory.  Lack of gratitude is an open door to unlimited challenges; gratitude is an open door to potential and excellence.

I realize that to some Thanksgiving is simply a meal, or a meal on a single day with people we love, and that’s totally fine.  To me it’s more of a season, like Christmas.  Last year I wrote about wanting to carry the Thanksgiving spirit forward into my Christmas observance and my heart still pauses on those thoughts.

Because it’s a special holiday to me,  my list of things to do for Thanksgiving is rather lengthy.  I love hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my house (it’s a lot of work but in some ways easier than taking my large group elsewhere).  It occurred to me this week that if I shortened my Thanksgiving “to do” list I might get more accomplished on my Christmas list, but I’m not sure I want to.  The two holidays pair so well together.

Among my Thanksgiving projects to complete this year was this banner.  A friend and I got together and started them last year.  She finished hers; I finished mine last week.

It’s made of felt, with a leaf and letter sewn onto a felt background.  I hung it on sturdy rope and added a green ribbon between each letter to keep them properly spaced.  The inspiration came from a small picture of a similar banner in a Pottery Barn kids catalog several years ago.  (Why do they never sell the one thing I fall in love with?)

When we started them last year I cut enough fabric for two banners, so I’d like to give one away!  To enter, just leave a comment telling me where you are on the Thanksgiving spectrum:  is it a holiday you really get into, or do you let it take just a day or two? 

The giveaway will end at midnight on Friday November 11, 2011.  I’ll announce the winner on Saturday.

On a similar note, I’m also offering a giveaway this week over on the blog I participate in with my sisters.  It’s called Sisterview, and we have some fun things planned for the next few weeks.  I just finished making my first velvet pumpkins, and I’m giving some away.  If you’d like to enter, head over here to leave a comment.

And check back here at Hopeful Homemaker in the next day or two for a second velvet pumpkin giveaway.

Good luck!
Jennifer

I’ve been thinking about how we pause on Thanksgiving day to take note of the Pilgrims who first settled in what would become the United States of America.   We pause and consider the difficulties of their lives and their dedication to vision.  We pause to give thanks for blessings we regularly number and to acknowledge blessings which we may not recognize but enjoy daily.  We remember that daily bread is a gift, and daily breath is  complete mercy.  We pause to put simple gifts on our lists of things worth treasuring.  We pause to pray for grateful hearts.

And then we get up the next morning and it’s full speed ahead, stressing about money and things, trying to do more and be more.  All of the things that were sufficient for Thanksgiving somehow aren’t sufficient in the face of the looming Christmas holiday.

I know I’m generalizing here, but I think we all feel a little bit of these feelings.  We go from celebrating abundance to living in scarcity; if not a scarcity of resources then a scarcity of time, at least.  What was, a week ago, great wealth on so many levels becomes insufficient solely because the calendar changed.  I want to learn how to carry Thanksgiving forward and let it set the tone for our Christmas observance.

Each November I am drawn to a particular book on my shelf.  It’s William Bradford’s History of the Plymouth Settlement from 1608 to 1650.  If I don’t have time to re-read it every year, I at least skim it and read some of my favorite passages.  I am always struck by how similar their lives were to mine.   Undoubtedly technology and many other things have changed, but this history reminds me that God has set up mortality to test us in similar ways no matter what age we live in.   I recognize in Bradford’s account many of the same things we deal with today:  trying to stretch our resources to meet our needs, dealing with varying levels of commitment to principles on the part of people who belong to the same organization, frustration over money, dealing with creditors, facing personal opposition in the form of illness and loss.  They may seem old and so very different to us, but I believe we have a great deal in common.

One golden thread that weaves itself through this book is Bradford’s conviction that their settlement was preserved by God, that they were recipients of his mercies and blessings just as the children of Israel were in Old Testament times.  They believed that their experience in coming to the new world testified of God’s goodness and providence.  They further believed that the difficulties through which they passed, the times when they were stretched to their extremities and needed a miracle would only serve to make God’s handwriting more plainly visible to future generations.  Bradford wrote,

“God, it seems, would have all men behold and observe such mercies and works of His providence as towards His people, that they in like cases might be encouraged to depend upon God in their trials, and also bless His name when they see His goodness towards others.  Man lives not by bread alone. It is not by good and dainty fare, by peace and rest and heart’s ease, in enjoying the contentment and good tings of this world only, that health is preserved and life prolonged.  God in such examples would have the world see and behold that he can do it without them; and if the world will shut its eyes and take no notice of it, yet He would have his people see and consider it.”   (Of Plymouth Plantation, 320, emphasis added)

I hope you’ll take the time to read that quote a few times and really digest its message.  I’ve been reading it for years and still find new meaning and motivation in it.  In fact, this year I decided that if I can memorize the page number that it’s on, I should probably just memorize the entire quote.  And so I have, and I’ve been repeating to to myself often in the past few weeks.  The words, “He can do it without them” have echoed in my mind in recent weeks.

Honestly, anyone who has the technology to read this post has likely been blessed so richly that we really know nothing of the physical suffering that Bradford and his community suffered.  I feel like I am part of a generation that hasn’t really been stretched by severe trials, wars, or widespread suffering.  That said,  I also believe that God has a way of stretching us individually until the fibers of what was previously comfortable grow thin and begin to show gaping holes.  Many of us are learning to do more with less for the first time in our lives.   But regardless of our challenges, it is true that if we have the sense to look back at history and consider the countless times when people have endured and ultimately triumphed, we find greater strength to continue our own journey.  I worry that the great stories of the past are slipping from our collective memory, leaving us bereft of their power to propel us through current trials and on to greatness.

These are the thoughts that have followed me through Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season.  I have found myself  pondering how our Christmas celebration influences our ability to recognize, as Bradford did, just how much God can accomplish without the earthly tools and lifestyles we depend so much upon.  This holiday, a celebration of the miraculous circumstances of His birth, testifies of the greatness that can come from the lowliest of beginnings.

I’ve been asking myself a lot of questions.  Without intending to, am I communicating to my children that we need “good and dainty fare, peace and rest and heart’s ease, [and enjoyment] of the contentment and good things of this world” in order to have health preserved and life prolonged?  Am I finding ways to teach them that man lives not by bread alone, and that God can fill our lives with abundance without the latest and greatest?  I’m listening closely for the answers, for small ideas that might help me tip the scale in the direction I desire.

I want our celebration of Christmas to be something that my children could re-create in their hearts even without modern possessions or conveniences.  I want them to be able to call up not things but feelings, powerful stories, testimonies, and memories of times when we warmed ourselves by the fire of God’s grace and tender mercies.   I am placing more emphasis on what we’re reading, what we’re talking about, what we’re listening to, and less emphasis on what we’re giving or receiving.

I want my children to know, absolutely know, that God can accomplish anything in our lives regardless of what we have. I want them to be well-equipped with the ability to live a rich and happy inner life no matter what befalls them.

Today I attended the funeral for a man I know who slipped from this life on Thanksgiving Day.  I watched his wife, now a widow, and their three young children.  As we stood at the side of his casket I watched his three year old daughter run to us, squeeze through the line and stand there hanging on the side of the casket.  As she stood on tiptoe trying to peek at her daddy my heart ached for the journey this family will now walk without husband or father to guide and protect them.  I wondered, as they face this tremendous loss, what shapes and forms of abundance will enter their lives, gifts from a loving God to bless and help compensate.  I thought to myself, “I guess that God can do what he needs to do in their lives without a husband or father physically with them.”

As I said, the words “he can do it without them” have echoed in my mind for the past month.  I keep coming back to all that they imply.  I keep thinking that I’ve got to learn how to see daily life in those terms.  I’ve got to see, not the scarcities, but the opportunities to discover what God can do.   He invites us to turn away from the arm of flesh and instead lean on his ample arm because when we say that “he can do it without them” we’re really saying this:  HE CAN DO IT.

This Christmas season my heart has paused in this place, wanting to really “see what God hath done” and from that vision draw greater faith in all that He has yet to do, in all the promises that will yet be kept.  I want a Christmas of Thanksgiving.

Care to join me?

Jennifer

Our Thanksgiving celebration this year was wonderful.  Amazingly, it was a bright sunny day in spite of below freezing temperatures.  We were blessed to have three other families join us for the great feast and it went well.  The children (21 in all) played well together and the adults (8 of us) enjoyed great conversation.  The fact that they stayed late into the evening was a good sign that everyone enjoyed themselves.  A successful day like this goes down as the last item on my gratitude list for November 2010.  In typing that, I can’t help but feel like the month began just a week ago!  The season is speeding by.

To accommodate the large group we set up three eating areas.  We used my kitchen table (above), the dining room, and we opened up my husband’s office for a third table just off the kitchen (below).  It worked out perfectly.  My teen-aged nieces and nephews had the honor of listening to my two year old chatter non-stop about anything she could think of.

The dining room was largely overtaken by the girls, with one little brother grabbing the last chair.

My sweet two year old with her gumdrop turkey.

I didn’t get a good picture of all the adults eating because I was busy talking with them, so this picture of several of them serving their food will have to suffice.

A delicious meal, served buffet style.

What a great  bunch!

My girls loved helping me set the tables, and I couldn’t have done it without them.

For the after-dinner entertainment we had the basement set up with the double shot, ping pong and a bucket full of balls to play with.  The upstairs toy room was also available, and we plugged in our Wii for the first time in several months.  The men congregated in the office for conversation and the women visited at the kitchen table.  There was a wonderful feeling in my home, and it felt good.

An unexpected visit from my sister and her husband also brought these awesome cake pop turkeys.  I can hardly believe her creativity.  I love them!  I might also say that because she used a spice cake (I think, am I right Kris?) they were the first cake pops I’ve ever eaten that tasted good and weren’t so sweet that I felt sick to my stomach.  Don’t you love them?  What a treat!

The night got longer, the guests slowly left, a feeling of cozy quiet settled over the house.  We sat in our family room to play and talk with our children while they ate turkey on rolls for a late-night snack.  After having a full house for so many hours the feeling of just the ten of us gathered in one room was precious.

And then, as fast as it came, it was past.    I’m already looking forward to next year.
I love Thanksgiving.

Hopeful Homemaker

And a post script for myself, my 2010 gratitude list for the record.

• 2010 Gratitude List
• ———————-
• sunrise
• color
• fallen leaves
• baby hugs
• children laughing
• truth
• forgiveness
• tree-lined streets
• fresh baked bread
• memory
• friendship
• light
• promises kept
• creativity
• God’s handiwork
• eyes to see
• pumpkins
• my sewing machine
• baby clothes
• history
• good books
• blue skies
• families
• parchment paper
• polka dots
• my baby’s passa
• texture
• pattern
• candles
• kind words
• ribbon
• answers to prayer
• birthday parties
• my baby’s smell
• cell phones
• sleep
• a new week
• art
• sleeping children
• learning something new
• ———————–

I love vintage Thanksgiving postcards and wanted to share one with you today.    It comes with hope that your holiday will be one that nourishes your spirit as well as your body, one that centers your heart in that which matters most, one that inspires you to live with greater dedication and appreciation.

One of my favorite books is William Bradford’s history of Plymouth Plantation.  I love reading about life for the pilgrims as it reminds me how much like us they were.  I also love reading of their conviction that God was their strength and their support.  May I share one quote from him,

“And thus they found the Lord to be with them in all their ways, for which let His holy name have the praise forever, to all posterity.”

May you, too, find the Lord to be with you in all your ways.  May we all spend more time praising Him for His presence in our lives. May we work diligently to preserve this knowledge as part of our collective memory so we do not leave our children bereft of the great strength that comes with knowing that in every age God has kept his promises, and HE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.

Happy Thanksgiving

With all my heart,
Jennifer