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50 Easy Thanksgiving Crafts for Adults That Double as Fall Decor

Tons of DIY ideas to make your dinner guests feel right at home.

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thanksgiving crafts for adults
Mike Garten

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Between sorting out the dinner menu and preparing your house for guests, you may not feel like you have a free moment for, well, anything. But while you wait for your turkey to roast, find a few minutes to complete these Thanksgiving crafts for adults. They're all well worth your time: Although these craft ideas are a fun way to give thanks the DIY way, they also double as Thanksgiving decorations that you can use for years to come. Find clever ways to add a personal touch to your home with homemade place cards, centerpieces, wreaths and other festive decor. Some of these craft projects are made specifically with the holiday feast in mind — the detailed table settings, especially — but all of these ideas are tailored to the November holiday with the help of corn husks, fall foliage and mini pumpkins.

While you get a head start on these adult-friendly crafts, keep your little ones occupied with a few Thanksgiving crafts catered to kids of all ages. By the time Thanksgiving comes, you'll have a house decked out with the season's best, all thanks to you and your little turkeys.

1

Balloon Pumpkins

thanksgiving crafts  balloon pumpkins
Mike Garten

Get a fake pumpkin and paint it a solid color, like white or gold. Then snip the ends off opaque balloons (any color, any pattern) and stretch it around the pumpkin's base.

RELATED: Easy Fall Craft Ideas

2

Leaf Bookmark

thanksgiving crafts leaf bookmark
Andrew McCaul

This craft will encourage you to pick up a book and read. It's super simple to make: Cut a leaf shape out of felt and glue it to a jumbo craft stick. That's it!

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3

Corn Husk Wreath

diy wreaths for halloween corn husk
Brian Woodcock for Country Living

Peel back the husks on 20 ears of Indian corn and arrange them around a 18" craft ring. Make a bigger statement by alternating the corn colors.

RELATED: Thanksgiving Wreaths to Add to Your Door

4

Pumpkin Vase

thanksgiving crafts pumpkin vase
Mike Garten

Stick this pumpkin vase on your table for a standout centerpiece. To make, carve a deep hole in a pumpkin, then slide in a plastic cup and fill it with water. Right before the guests arrive, fill it with a beautiful flower arrangement.

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5

Gradient Pumpkin Table Runner

thanksgiving crafts pumpkin centerpiece
Brian Woodcock for Country Living

Paint small pumpkins in different red and pink hues before placing them down the center of your dining room table. For a bigger statement, sprinkle in red votive candles and radiant flowers.

RELATED: Creative Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas

6

Book Leaves Wreath

thanksgiving crafts book leaves wreath
Brian Woodcock for Country Living

Trace maple leaves on old newspaper or book pages, then overlap them to form an eye-catching wreath. Bonus points if you find a book or newspaper article that celebrates all things autumn.

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7

Pumpkin Place Cards

thanksgiving crafts pumpkin place cards
Danielle Occhiogrosso for Woman's Day

Slide a paper strip in the stem of a tiny pumpkin to make a Thanksgiving-appropriate place card. Write your guest's name on the front and then add a small note on the back to explain why you're thankful for them.

8

Polka Dot Pumpkin

thanksgiving crafts sequin pumpkin
Mike Garten

You won't have to bust out your carving tools to make this beauty come to life. Simply, glue 1- to 2-inch sequin circles on a faux pumpkin until it has just the right amount of sparkle and shine.

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9

Leaf Place Card and Acorn Napkin Ring

thanksgiving crafts leaf place card
Brian Woodcock for Country Living

Bring nature to the dining room table with this festive place setting, complete with a napkin ring adorned with acorns right from your backyard. Write each guest's first initial on the leaf, so they know exactly where to sit when it's time for dinner.

10

Etched Vine Topiary Pumpkin

thanksgiving crafts  etched vine pumpkin
Becky Stayner for Country Living

Stacking plain pumpkins is an easy way to deck out your front stoop, but this etched trio will really catch your neighbors' eyes. Using a linoleum carving tool, carve vine designs on the front of each pumpkin and embellish them with red berries or beads.

SHOP LINOLEUM CUTTERS

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11

Gradient Corn Husk Fall Wreath

thanksgiving crafts sunburst wreath
Brian Woodcock for Country Living

Turn plain corn husks into a stunning sunburst by dyeing them in a mixture of 6 cups of warm water, 3 Tbsp vinegar and 1 cup liquid fabric dye in a range of bold shades. Let them soak in the mixture for 20 minutes, then rinse and let dry. Once they're fully dry, iron the dyed corn husks until their flat and hot-glue them around a 12" foam wreath.

12

Fall Flower Centerpiece

thanksgiving crafts
Annie Schlechter

Mix an assortment of yellow, orange and red blooms with berries and magnolia leaves to create the perfect fall statement.

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13

Nut and Pumpkin Topiaries

thanksgiving crafts  pumpkin topiary
Annie Schlechter for Country Living

Put the season's most quintessential flavors on display in this topiary quartet. To make a nut topiary, paint a Styrofoam craft ball brown and glue rows of walnuts and hazelnuts until its completely covered. Attach it to a candlestick base for extra height. Follow a similar approach for the pumpkin topiaries: Remove stems from the pumpkins and stack them on top of one another, securing them with wooden skewers. Place the stacked pumpkins in a ceramic vase and dress it up with moss, grapevine accents and faux berries.

14

Dotted and Dyed Napkins

thanksgiving crafts dyed napkins
Paper & Stitch

With orange, red or yellow dye, you can make any plain dinner napkins fit for the season. To give them a dotted effect, set flower bunches or rolled oats (the blogger's go-to) on top of the freshly-dyed napkins and place them in the direct sun for about 20 minutes.

Get the tutorial at Paper & Stitch »

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15

Bittersweet Vine-Wrapped Pumpkins

thanksgiving crafts vine wrapped pumpkin
Becky Stayner for Country Living

Give your pumpkin patch finds new life by wrapping them with bittersweet vine or a grapevine and red berry combo. Stack pumpkins near your front door for a memorable entrance or scatter a few smaller gourds across your dining room table.

16

Leaf Garland

thanksgiving crafts leaf garland
Andrew McCaul

Cut fabric scraps into a variety of leaf shapes — oak, maple and more — and string them together to create a harvest-inspired mantel decoration.

RELATED: Stylish Fall Mantel Ideas

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17

Dip Dye Candles

dip dye candles
Mike Garten

Cast an autumnal glow with these custom colorblock candles. Just dip plain taper candles into a mixture of orange crayon shavings and melted candle wax. Let them dry completely before lighting.

SHOP PLAIN TAPER CANDLES

18

Pumpkin Centerpiece

pumpkin centerpiece
Raymond Hom

Carve out the center of a pumpkin (or cut off the stem on a fake one) and fill it with a vase of seasonal blooms. The bigger, the better.

RELATED: Elegant Thanksgiving Centerpieces

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19

Painted Pine Cone Wreath

painted pine cone wreath
Brian Woodcock for Country Living

Pine cones already have a rustic look that feels appropriate for Thanksgiving, but painting the tips orange, white and yellow really makes 'em pop.

20

Cork Leaf Cut-outs

leaf table cutouts
Inspired by Charm

Trade a traditional tablecloth or table runner for these hand-cut cork leaves, painted in a medley of neutral colors. They even double as coasters and trivets, protecting the table from spills and heat.

Get the tutorial at Inspired by Charm »

Headshot of Amanda Garrity

Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more. 

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Larry Stansbury
Contributing Writer

Larry Stansbury is a writer whose work has appeared in POPSUGAR, Sports Illustrated, Her Campus, Distractify and more. He covers a wide range of topics, including entertainment, lifestyle and sports. Larry graduated with a B.A. in writing and rhetoric from Syracuse University in 2018. When he’s not writing, he is either working out, eating carbs or dancing to the next Little Mix song. 

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