Thanksgiving Decorating: 3 Plain Candles Transformed!

Thanksgiving decor is all about warmth and the hearth -- what better way to bring that feel into your home than with candles?

Even before the big feast, candles as part of your fall decor lend a warm and welcoming air to your home.

Plain candles will do, of course, but why not spice them up a bit? Decorating the candles themselves with natural items as well as devising little vignettes around the house -- including the table, of course -- will signal an official start to the holiday season.

There are tons of things you can do with plain, simple candles. Here are just a few of the ideas I plan on trying this year.

Glass Hurricanes
These are so ridiculously cheap in so many places. Buy varying heights and widths to accommodate different candles and filler. Try filling them partway with acorns, lentils, cranberries, and even dried harvest corn. Then nestle the candles inside. If you want to add a little extra, wrap the hurricanes in ribbon or go rustic with strips of burlap.

You can also wrap your hurricanes in harvest-themed items. Use dried corn husks, willow twigs (or pussy willow, even), grapevine, and so on -- just use a bit of hot glue to hold everything in place.

Votives
Little glass votives are perfect for so many things. Use them along your table or mantel, intertwined with fall leaves and corn husks. But votives are also the perfect size to fit inside your leftover mini-pumpkins, gourds, and even apples or Asian pears! Just carve out the hole and sink the votive in.

Wrapped Candles
You will be amazed at what you can wrap a candle in that instantly transforms it into a piece of Thanksgiving decor. Use double-stick adhesive sheets to create a band around each candle and then use lentils, peas, and other beans to create a decorative stripe around each pillar. Oven-dried slices of citrus fruit make a gorgeous border when adhered to bases of the candles. And don’t forget the humble cinnamon stick! Use a hot glue gun to attach sticks all the way around the candle -- the smell when the candle warms just screams holiday!

These are just a few ideas, but you can do so much more, too. Pull together a few supplies: acorns, pressed leaves and flowers, burlap ribbon, raffia, corn husks, twine. Anything natural will lend just the right tone -- even hollowed out faux artichokes will work. Get inventive and see what you can come up with!

Images (top to bottom) via Country Living, Ava Living, Food Blogga, Country Living