In the spirit of giving thanks, be sure to bring something special to your host or hostess this Thanksgiving.

One of my favorite things to make this time of year is spiced nuts; the recipe is simple and you can make a huge batch of them at once to hand out to teachers, friends, neighbors, and as hostess gifts!

Here is my favorite recipe:
    
1 lb. roasted, unsalted nuts (cashews, pecans, almonds, macadamia
nuts)    
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced     
1 tsp. cayenne pepper        
1 tsp. coarse sea salt        
2 tsp. dark brown sugar, packed       
1 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat unsalted nuts for 5 minutes until warmed. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients; will be a paste like consistency. Coat the warmed nuts with the paste; serve warm or at room temperature.

Fill your favorite jar, container or box with these yummy spiced nuts this year and as a crowning detail, add a decorative ribbon and a personalized gift tag.

If you are headed to someone else’s house this year for a Thanksgiving
meal, don’t forget to bring something to show thanks to your 
host/hostess! A simple token demonstrating your gratitude will certainly
be appreciated. Here are 20 simple Thanksgiving hostess/host gift ideas for
every type of shopper:

Grab and Go Thanksgiving Gift Ideas
1. The Obvious- Wine…..with a personalized label/gift tag
2. Scented Candles
3. Potted flowers or plants

For Those of you Channeling Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart this Year
4. Homemade Granola in a Mason Jar- simply fill a jar; attach a piece of ribbon and a card, and off you go.
5. Homemade fall trail mix (use up some of your leftover Halloween candy corn!)- Click here for a quick recipe…….
6. Sugared Cranberries
7. Pecans/nuts- spiced or roasted
8. Homemade Pumpkin Bread or Bars
9. Roasted pumpkin seeds
10.  Minestrone Soup mix….with recipe attached in glass jar
11.  Jar full of popcorn kernels and a seasoning packet tied with ribbon and a card
12.  DIY Personalized “I’m Thankful For….” Journal or Jar and tags to fill it with

Thoughtful Gifts You can Grab at your Nearest Store
13.  Give the Chef a day off…..Bring a frozen casserole for the host/hostess to enjoy, giving them a much
needed cooking break after the big feast (homemade or from a local church/Junior League pantry
14.  Olive oil/dipping sauces 
15.  Live herb plants 
16.  Wooden Utensils tied together with a Thanksgiving inspired gift tag
17.  Luxury dish towels tied with twine and a card saying “Be Thankful I’m Doing Today’s Dishes”
18.  Cookbook with tied with a wooden utensil and a card

For Those of you who Plan Ahead of Time- Must Be Ordered
19.  Humorous Serving Pieces- “Do the Mashed Potato” or “Where’s the Beef”
20.  Framed piece of autumn/Thanksgiving Subway Art for their buffet table

Each of these gift ideas will certainly show the host/hostess that you are thankful for their invitation and for the meal you are about to share together.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

As you prepare your Thanksgiving table setting ideas, be sure to consider any kids that may be in attendance. Cute table décor that is also interactive will give those tiny people something to do as you prepare your meal and enjoy it. Here is a great free printable that can serve both as a child's placement and activity. Simply print on white cardstock or kraft paper, cut and display.

Don't forget about the adults; they need to be entertained as well! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, print these simple "10 Things I Am Thankful For" cards and place next to each place setting.

These simple cards a great tool to get everyone thinking about what they are thankful for. For more holiday inspiration, be sure to browse our other Thanksgiving themed blog posts. And, for great printables to help you
coordinate this year's Thanksgiving theme, be sure to view all of our great holiday 
items.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! Start a new family tradition this Thanksgiving and create your own Thankful For Jar.

Each year as you sit down to share a meal with friends and family members, take a moment to reflect upon the things in your life that you are most thankful for....

A Thankful Jar is a simple DIY project that will make sharing just a little easier.

Step 1-Start with a mason jar or for those of us who are thrifty, simply recycle a pasta jar.

Step 2-Use the jar’s lid to trace a circle onto orange colored cardstock; cut it out using scissors.

Step 3-Cut or punch 3 small ovals from a coordinating colored cardstock.

Step 4-Adhere the circle to the lid. Top with the three ovals. Use pop dots under the center oval for dimension. Add a green stem; the vine is made by rolling up a thin strip of card stock.

Step 5-Using your favorite edge punch, cut a 3x5 mat. Cut a contrasting mat for either our Friday's freebie Thankful For.... card or our Happy Thanksgiving card.

Step 6-Glue the mat to the center of the jar and adorn with ribbon or additional decorative paper as desired.

Step 7- Fill out and then fill your jar with the things in your life you and your family are Thankful For…Revisit these items each Thanksgiving as a family.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Start a new tradition this year in your house- create and build a "Thankful For....." Jar. Stay tuned as Monday we will provide how-to details for 2 Thankful For jars using the attached tags. To see our entire collection of Turkey Chevron designs, please visit our etsy store. Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween is such a fun holiday! And, what better way to celebrate than with friends, family and kiddos!
Mummy juice boxes are a fun and easy way to add some Halloween humor to the picnic table. Simply wrap juice or milk boxes with white duct tape and add some googley eyes. Mini oranges or tangerines when peeled and a piece of celery added resemble pumpkins. The candy corn cheese platter includes goat cheese, cheddar cubes and Swiss cheese. And for fun, non-candy party favors for the kiddos, use self-adhering craft sticks and foam bats; instant toy for kids to wave around the playground. Hopefully some of these easy Halloween ideas will inspire you next year!

This super cute Thanksgiving favor idea takes less than 5 minutes to create. Simply choose your favorite candy container or bag, fill with candy corn, and attach the Turkey Toes tag with coordinating ribbon.

This is SO well received for children of any age, but in particular, with kiddos between pre-k and elementary ages.

Click here to download your own copy of our Turkey Toes tag.

In 3 simple steps, you can take inexpensive party hats and turn them into something chic!
For my son's 2nd birthday party, I purchased these plain yellow hats for roughly $0.25 each. To add a bit of pizazz and to tie the hats with our Curious George theme, I decided to personalize them. 

First, I used a die cut machine to punch out 2" scalloped circles and the number "2" using red and white cardstock. Next, glued the "2" to the white scalloped circle and then the circle to the hat itself. And finally, I affixed the oversized red pom-poms to the top of the yellow party hats. Voila!
This project is simple, easy and quick- within minutes, I turned 24 party hats from plain to customized.

Click Here to see more pictures from Harrison's Curious George themed 2nd birthday party.

Leave it to my mom, crafter-extraordinaire, to come up with a unique way to display one of my 2013 Thanksgiving Printable Items.

She used the subway sign printable file, added a complementary background and then framed it in a shadow box. Super simple and a great way to use a frame already laying around to spice up your décor.