Thanksgiving Archives -

Posted on October 8, 2018 October 5, 2018

Maker’s Monday: Curious Timbers

It’s Monday again and that means another Maker’s Monday here on House Fenway! Every Monday I feature a small business and/or artist, their wares and a little bit about them. It has always been a fun experience meeting other makers and enjoying their creations and I want to share that all with you. The time and talent that goes into each products made by a small business or artist far out ways anything you could purchase from a big box retailer. This week’s maker is a newbie to the community, opening up on Etsy this Summer.

A cute accent to greet your Thanksgiving guests.

Meet the Maker

Meet Curious Timbers, John & Ashley, a husband and wife duo from the heart of Utah. Ashley loves design and John loves handy work, so it was a natural fit to marry their passions together into a business. Curious Timbers specializes in handmade dimensional wood signs. From fancy script lettering to custom seasonal signs, you’d be sure to find something fitting to accent your home.

Curious Timbers also has a wide selection of paint and stains options available to help you match your existing decor. The skies the limit when it comes to customization. Here is a quick preview of current signs offered at Curious Timbers:

Love Shopping Small?

Check out these other small shops that have been features on Maker’s Monday.

Shade Tree Naturals

Gam Gamz Handcrafted

Dual-Purpose Décor: Stemless Wine Glasses

I love decorating. The discovery. The arranging. The organization. It’s like sculpting with objects. To me, one of the most enjoyable things about decorating is thinking outside the box. Taking an item and using it in an unconventional way. It’s exciting to find alternative purposes for things. So, I decided to start an ongoing blog series called “Dual-Purpose Décor” to share ideas on using décor outside the box.

This week’s dual-purpose décor item is a stemless wine glass. I picked up these beautiful ombré copper stemless wine glasses at TJMaxx. Keeping with this Fall’s trend, copper is huge right now! I thought these would be a great warm addition at my holiday table.

Well, how else can you use a stemless wine glass? I needed some quick and inexpensive table decorations for an anniversary dinner earlier this month. I didn’t want to order floral centerpieces. They were very expensive and for this small dinner, it seemed impractical. So, I decided to use those same stemless wine glasses as candle holders! I dropped some scentless candles contained in their own glass (to protect the wine glasses from the candle wax) and voilá! Instant table decor! They were perfect. Just the right size, inexpensive and looked very sophisticated. The best part, when the party was done, they can go back to being used for wine. Love it. So practical!

Stay tuned for future posts on more Dual-Purpose Décor ideas. Enjoy!

In the meantime, follow me daily on Instagram. For décor pics, info, products and giveaways. Search for @housefenway.

Posted on November 3, 2016 November 3, 2016

DIY: Easy Thanksgiving Napkin Ring

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. What a wonderful time of year. A season full of yummy food, getting together with family and holiday decorating! (Oh and football. Can’t forget about football!) One of my favorite things to do to prep for Thanksgiving dinner, the tablescape. Picking out the tablecloth, the napkins, the place cards and the centerpiece — the most fun! This year I started earlier than usual gathering items to piece together our Thanksgiving table and came up with an easy and inexpensive napkin ring that I wanted to share with you. All the items came from, dare I say it, the DOLLAR STORE! I think even the most inexperienced crafter can handle this one.

Supplies

Napkins (cloth work best)

A Roll of Natural Jute Twine

A Roll of Burlap Ribbon

A Sprig Faux Fall Leaves.

Scissors

Directions

Start with all of the cutting first. Cut a piece of burlap ribbon 5 inches long, a piece of jute twine 3 ft long and another piece of jute twine 12 inches long. These three pieces will be used to construct the bow and ring.

Take the piece of burlap ribbon and pinch in the center. Take the 3 foot piece of jute twine and tie it in a knot around the center of the burlap ribbon.

Start winding the jute twine around the burlap ribbon until you get almost to the end. The more evenly you wind the twine, working from one side to the other, the nicer it will look.

Once you’ve reached the end, pick up the last loop and stick the end through that loop making a slip-knot.

You now have constructed the bow! Now to attach it to the napkin.

Take the 12 inch piece of twine and loop it through the back of the center of the bow.

Pinch the corners of the napkin together and place the bow on top tightly wrapping the 1 foot piece of twine around the napkin. Wind the twine to secure the bow to the napkin and neatly tie a knot on the back to finish it off.

Now to jazz it up! I cut up a sprig of faux fall leaves and tucked a single leaf into the top of the ring. The possibilities are endless as to what you could add: pinecones, a sprig of rosemary, a real leaf from the yard, a branch of evergreen. You can be as creative as you want. Have fun with it!

Here is a place setting using the finished product:

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy!

Posted on October 4, 2016 November 25, 2016

DIY: Thanksgiving Print Freebie

We are well into October and before you know it will be the holiday season! This year is just flying by. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. (How’d that happen?) What a wonderful holiday full of thanks, yummy food and family time.

I’ve made a fun and easy DIY project you can all do at home to get your space ready for Thanksgiving. A watercolor gather print. All you need is a frame (8×8 or 8×10 work best), scissors and a printer with letter sized paper. Download and print the FREE “gather” artwork and cut it to fit your frame. Pop the print in and voilà – instant, inexpensive art!

Download art here >

There are so many fun ways to use this print. Here are some examples I came up with. The possiblities are endless!

Try an arrangement on a sofa table or side table. I picked up some cute gourds and berries and arranged them on top of an orange floral runner.

Make a grouping on a tray and/or ottoman. Add items of varying heights to create visual interest. I added some mercury glass candle sticks for height and a pumpkin candy dish for a pop of color (and to satisfy my sweet tooth!)

Place it on an end table next to a chair or sofa. Again, the candy dish. I like my sweets!

Layer a fireplace mantle. Stacking pictures gives visual dimension. I scattered some fall leaves to give a little color interest.

Hang it by itself or on gallery wall.

I’d love to see how everyone uses it! So get to it. Share your pics on instagram and hashtag #Housefenwayfun. Enjoy!