If you want to be less wasteful and save money on your Thanksgiving decorations, what better way than decorating with junk? To help you decorate your hallway in an eco-friendly way, Earth911 has put together five creative decorating ideas made from waste products and a few natural materials you probably already have around the house.
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1. Simple Thanksgiving candle holder
This easy-to-assemble candle holder idea makes a beautiful Thanksgiving mantle arrangement.
1. To get started, collect all the clear glass bottles you have into a recycling bin, peel off the labels and make sure they are clean and dry. The best way to remove stubborn label adhesive is to make a paste of soap, baking soda, and warm water. Rub the paste into stubborn areas and rinse with warm water. Effective with the sturdiest adhesives.
2. Next, fill the jars with dried beans, rice, and spices from your cupboard, or small pinecones, rocks, and acorns from your yard.
3. Then, purchase candles that match your Thanksgiving table decorations and are appropriately sized for each jar (or jars). We recommend using: beeswax candles Instead of petroleum-based paraffin candles for healthier indoor air quality.
Once completed, it can be packaged naturally. twine Around the neck of the bottle for added interest.
2. Adorable Thanksgiving Napkin Holder
This Thanksgiving craft is a fun way to get kids involved in creating a beautiful table setting.
1. First, remove the toilet paper or paper towel tube from the recycling bin. Grab some magazines and newspapers while you’re there.
2. Cut the cardboard tube into rings. We made it about 2 inches thick.
3. Then pull out the shapes from a magazine or newspaper. If you don’t have a punch, have your kids cut out small shapes (circles, squares, leaves, etc.).
4. Next, start gluing the shape to the tube.
5. When finished, apply a thin coat of paint to the napkin holder. Painting them all one color can create uniformity, but can also allow patterns and shapes to emerge. We chose metallic gold as it was the perfect color for our Thanksgiving table. You need to paint one side, let it dry, then flip it over and paint the other side.
This was such a fun craft that we made more than we needed for our Thanksgiving gathering, so we decided to incorporate the leftovers into our next craft.
3. Fun Thanksgiving Wreath
In the project above, I used some extra Thanksgiving rings to create a fun Thanksgiving wreath.
For this we tied a loop to a string. twine I then gathered a few small, freshly cut branches (that will be headed to the compost bin) to add to the wreath. You can use any ribbon or yarn you have around the house as the base for your wreath. You can also add pine cones, acorns, evergreens, etc. You can create a fun nature scavenger hunt for kids to find materials outdoors to fill their Thanksgiving wreath. They make a fun and natural addition to your Thanksgiving decorations.
4. DIY Thanksgiving Leaf Candles
Here’s another project you can start in your recycling bin. Look in your trash for wide-mouth glass jars, such as pickle, sauce or jam jars. I used candles in a glass jar that I received as a gift years ago but have never used. Remove the label and clean the bottle thoroughly. Next, clean up fallen leaves from your yard or cut out leaf shapes from newspaper or unused books. then mod forge Leaves in your jar. If you use real leaves, Mod Podge will act as a sealant and your leaves will look beautiful year after year.
After attaching the leaves to the bottle, let them dry completely. Then the popup candle (either real or electric) placed inside a jar will make a beautiful decoration for your Thanksgiving table.
Want another candle idea? Check out these adorable fall colored jar candles.
5. Easy DIY Fall Thanksgiving Wreath
Here’s a cool way to reuse paper, magazines, and pages from old books and turn them into a beautiful Thanksgiving wreath.
Head next make life lovely Check out the full tutorial on how to make this easy paper wreath.
These are just a few ways to reuse items that might otherwise have been sent to your local landfill. And remember these thoughtful words:
“When you wake up in the morning, give thanks for the light, life and strength. Be thankful for food and the joys of life. “If you have no reason to be thankful, the fault is your own.” —Tecumseh
Editor’s note: This article was first published on November 17, 2017, and was updated in November 2024.
