Happy Thanksgiving Printables by Bird Craft

More perfect party printables for your Thanksgiving tablescape!

Head over to Bird Craft's party blog to download your collection free! I did!

Free Thanksgiving Printables

I just love printables! I love that you can customize them, mix and match them, and they add just the perfect finishing touch to your party decor or tablescape. You can use different party packages for different days, and mix them up with different color palettes for a whole different look and feel! The possibilities are endless and I am always so appreciative when someone offers free printable downloads! They go right into my inspiration file!

This Thanksgiving collection was featured on my friend, Courtney with Pizzazzerie's blog, and they were designed by Stefanie Richter of Anna and Blue Paperie.

Head over to Courtney's blog to download your Thanksgiving printable collection HERE...and if you aren't following Pizzazzerie you are missing out on fabulous party planning inspiration!

You'll find Anna and Blue Paperie's website HERE; and their Etsy shop full of fabulous stationery, gift tags, printable decor and more HERE.

Gorgeous Autumn Apple Party Inspiration

This "Autumn Apple" theme party was planned by my friend and fellow party stylist, Chris Nease with Celebrations at Home. I originally saw the tablescape featured on Hostess with the Mostess, which is amazing since I am an avid Celebrations at Home follower, I don't know how I missed it going around the blogosphere!

Anyway, there are sweet touches of lace, crafted picture frames, place mats, caramel apples, an eclectic centerpiece and bright splashes of apple red in all the right places.

Head over to Hostess with the Mostess to see more beautiful images of the tablescape as captured by Linkowitz Photography, as well as all the behind the scenes details and DIY tips and tricks as told by Chris herself!

Great job, friend!

FREE DIY Printable Thanksgiving Place Cards by HGTV

Thanks to HGTV for the Thanksgiving printable place cards ready to personalize from your own computer and download ~ free ~ 4 different designs to choose from!

Simple click HERE to download the designs, fill in your guests' names and place a card at each place setting. For a festive touch, surround each card with colorful wrapped chocolates, nuts or fall leaves.

French Country Fall Dessert Table

This beautiful French Country Fall dessert table was styled by Sandra of Sandra Downie

Event Design and was featured on The TomKat Studio's blog.

It's just so beautiful! If you haven't seen Sandra's blog - The White Library, you are missing

out some great party inspiration!

Original Source found via: The TomKat Studio's Blog

Other vendors that collaborated on this shoot:

Photography by: Jennifer Fiereck

Fleur De Lis Cookies: Rollin In Dough

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies: The Hot Cookie

Dessert Tent & Pie Signs: Paper & Pigtails

Caramel Apple Cake & Pecan Pie Tarts: Whole Foods

Apple Cinnamon Whoopie Pies: Bake Me Pretty

Opulent Thanksgiving Tablescape

This spectacular Thanksgiving table was styled by Amanda from Shindig Parties and was personalized using her new Thanksgiving printable collection sold in her Etsy shop.

I LOVE how the elegant use of warm tones and fabric garland bring such opulence to this table decor! I think my favorite part of the tablescape is the table runner...made from burlap and corn husks for the ruffle. So rustic!!

Head over to Amanda's blog for a full tutorial; and be sure to stop by her Etsy shop for these and other darling party printables!

Original Source: found via Divine Party Concepts

HUGE Thanksgiving DIY Printable Package {FREE}

Found via Half Baked, this amazing Thanksgiving DIY Printable Package is FREE from Carli at Dimple Prints as a thank you to all of her loyal customers {including me!} This party package includes everything you'll need to dress up your Thanksgiving! You'll find a menu, food cards, pie bunting, banners, favor tags, patterned paper, cupcake wrappers, party hats, water bottle wraps, straw flags and much much more, all ready to be downloaded and printed!

You can download your free printables HERE or on the Dimple Prints blog. Be sure to stay awhile on Carli's blog - she has so many great items...and leave Carli a thank you while you are there!

Martha Stewart's Harvest Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients Serves 6 to 8

• 1 small sugar pumpkin, halved, seeds and stringy fibers removed and reserved
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 small parsnip (about 4 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small Yukon gold potato (about 6 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 small turnip (about 4 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 small shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon packed light-brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pumpkin halves, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until soft, about 50 minutes. Scoop out flesh, and puree in a food processor (you should have 2 cups).
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved seeds and fibers from pumpkin, and cook for 4 minutes. Add stock, water, and thyme, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 9 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin puree, parsnip, potato, and turnip, and cook for 5 minutes. Add shallots, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add wine, and cook until liquid has reduced by half.
4. Strain pumpkin-seed mixture, reserving broth and discarding solids. Add broth to pumpkin-wine mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook 20 minutes. Let cool.
5. Pass soup through a food mill into a clean saucepan, or puree in a food processor in small batches until smooth. (If soup does not reach desired consistency using a food processor, press it through a fine sieve to remove any remaining lumps.) Heat soup in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in cream, sugar, salt, and pepper, and serve.

From Martha Stewart Living, October 2007

DIY Fall Blossom Pumpkin Centerpiece

Flower Pumpkin Centerpiece

Turn a foam ball into a bouquet of fall blossoms to use as a pumpkin centerpiece

for your fall tablescapes.

What You'll Need

• Florist's foam ball
• Crafts knife
• Bowl and cold water
• Skewer or length of wire
• Approximately 60-75 marigolds, orange carnations, or button mums
• Pumpkin stem
• Long blackberry cane or other vine
• Cake stand or platter

1. Slice off the bottom of the foam ball to make a flat base. Trim the top to make it less round.
2. Soak the foam in cold water until completely soaked.
3. Poke holes throughout the foam about 1 inch apart with a skewer or length of wire. Depending on the size of the blooms, you may have to adjust the spacing between the holes for complete coverage. Leave space to insert the pumpkin stem at the top of the arrangement.
4. Cover the ball with flowers and insert the pumpkin stem in the top.
5. Arrange blackberry cane around the top.
6. Use a cake stand or a platter with a lip as a base and place the flower-covered ball on top. Add water to the base to keep flowers fresh.

Source: Better Homes & Gardens

Fall Wedding Inspired Photo Shoot

I admit it, I love fall.

I love everything about the season...the crisp weather; the rain; boots & layers in my wardrobe; the warm~tone colors; the smell of pumpkin candles, and goodies baking in the oven; making tried and true family recipes and discovering new ones; crackling fireplaces; and spending time with friends and family throughout the next few months celebrating the holidays.

Fall actually gives me a renewed sense of excitement, and energy.

With my love of fall, I so enjoy seeing photo shoots that combine all the elements

of the season.

This gorgeous Fall Wedding Inspired Photoshoot, styled by Candice Dowling of Jubilee Events, and photographed by Carla Ten Eyck, captures Fall at it's finest. I first found this beautiful shoot one of my favorite reads, Style Me Pretty.

As told by the stylist, Candice: "We really wanted to use anthropologie's signature vintage / modern look as the inspiration for our shoot. The shoot was also inspired by the rustic location and fall season. Tyrone Farm was an amazing location to use ~ it's nestled on a hill in Pomfret, Connecticut and overlooks the tree tops of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They have an amazing property, complete with a farm house, tented blue stone patio, organic gardens, cottage and the barn."

I would absolutely love to be invited to {or host} an event this warm and cozy!

As always, please see the original post on Style Me Pretty (Part 1) and Style Me Pretty (Part 2) for credit and links to all the talented vendors who participated in this shoot.

DIY Fantasy Pumpkin Carriage

I am absolutely going to be making this fantasy pumpkin carriage for my little girl!!

This was originally posted on Hallmarkmagazine.com which has since ceased publication.

What You'll Need:

1- 12" tall pumpkin
4- 4" tall gourds
4- ornate drawer pulls
3- ornate metal belt buckles
1- ornate lamp finial
2- 1/4" dowel rods (cut to the approx. diameter of your pumpkin)
Pencil or marker
Knife
Craft glue
Heavy-gauge florist's wire
Cordless drill fitted with 1/4" bit

Instructions:

1. Trace the inside of each belt buckle onto the pumpkin and cut to create openings for two windows and a door.

2. Glue the hardware over the openings.

3. Remove or cut down the stem until it's even with the flesh of the pumpkin, and twist the finial into the top.

4. Drill a hole through the center of each gourd.

5. Insert one dowel rod into the holes of two gourds to create an axle, and secure with glue. Repeat to create a second set of wheels.

6. Finish off all four wheels by inserting a drawer pull into the outside hole of each gourd for hubcaps.

7. Line up the two sets of wheels next to each other at about the same width as your pumpkin. Then wrap wire from one dowel rod to the other to fasten the axles together and to create a webbing for the pumpkin carriage to sit on.

8. Gently place your carriage on the wire.

For illustrated instructions take a look this Pumpkinhowto.pdf

Original Source: HERE

Affogato ~ The Perfect Fall Drink

I found this yummy fall drink on one of my favorite reads; Eat, Drink, Pretty ~ and I can't wait to try making it!

Recipe & Photo Credit: Food Network

Affogato (recipe credit to Food Network)

Ingredients

1/3 cup cold whipping cream
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 pint chocolate gelato or ice cream

Directions

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate the whipped cream.

Whisk the boiling water and espresso powder in a 1 cup glass measuring cup until the powder is dissolved, or use an espresso machine to make 4 shots of espresso. Scoop 1/2 cup of the gelato or ice cream into each of 4 dessert bowls or glasses. Pour 2 tablespoons or 1 shot of hot espresso over each. Top with the whipped cream and serve immediately.

Pumpkin Decorating Ideas from Country Living

Here are some creative and inspiring ways to incorporate pumpkins in your fall decor ~

all of these ideas {and photos} are courtesy of Country Living.

You can find all the instructions and templates for these projects and many others,

directly on Country Living's site.

~~~

Spell out your greeting in mini pumpkins gathered at a prominent ~ and stationary ~

location. Here, strings of Christmas~tree lights, gathered in small bunches, illuminate

each pumpkin.

What a darling idea to use small pumpkins as votive candle holders! These festive

decorations can be used to dress any autumn table, Halloween party or Thanksgiving feast!

An artificial pumpkin, a faux crow, and some fall foliage create a beautiful focal point

when on this ivy planter chandelier.

Tuck candles and small pumpkins inside glass cylinders or canning jars.

Use pumpkins to create a painted tree effect in the bookcase.

Stack tiny jack-o-lanterns on a tiered cupcake stand for a darling buffet centerpiece!

This Crescent Moon mimics the look of a Lite-Brite by punching holes and adding a

tiny string of bulbs to make it glow. Love the idea!