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It's simple to create a festive tablescape for Thanksgiving or any other fall occasion with a leaf theme.

To create your "leaf" table, start with a search of local antique and thrift stores to find leaf-patterned china pieces. In my search, it was surprisingly affordable and easy to find individual pieces of china with leaf patterns. The two leaf patterns I used are the Vintage pattern by Fine China of Japan and the Autumn Breeze pattern by Norcrest Fine China of Japan. Purchase bread and butter plates, small bowls, cups and saucers to mix with a white or another neutral china pattern. If you are unable to find leaf patterns locally, you can purchase pieces of both of these patterns and others at www.replacements.com.

Look for a leaf-patterned fabric in the rich fall colors of deep green, gold, burgundy, rust, brown and orange to make a table cloth, table runner or large table square. Three yards of fabric provides enough material to make a small table cloth and napkins. If you are unable to find this type of fabric, a solid table cloth in a fall color will work nicely. If your tablecloth is too small for your table, layer your leaf tablecloth over a larger white or other solid colored tablecloth you already own.

Paper napkins and plates in fall leaf designs and are also affordable and readily available at this time of year for more casual dining.

Chargers can be made using a artificial leaves. Trace a dinner plate on lightweight cardboard or poster board. Cut out the circle and hot glue silk leaves around the perimeter of the circle.

Run one or more artificial fall leaf garlands down the center of your table or wrap one around a vase in which you've placed fallen branches and dried wildflowers and/or weeds.

Add a leaf sticker or leaf stamp to your place cards to repeat the leaf motif yet one more time.

A sugar cookie cut with a leaf shaped cookie cutter or maple leaf cream cookies may be placed on each plate. A leaf-shaped cookie cutter would be a fun favor for your guests. One source for these cookie cutters can be found at www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/coo ky/cookyleaf.htm. Maple leaf cream sandwich cookies are available at http://www.amazon.com/Maple-Cr eam-Cookies-Per-Box/dp/B000FKI YFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=g rocery&qid=1225502244& sr=8-1.

Get the kids' involved in decorating their own holiday table. While the turkey is cooking, they can collect fallen leaves, place them underneath a piece of construction paper and create leaf-patterned placemats by rubbing unwrapped crayons in fall colors over the construction paper.

Sources:
www.amazon.com
ww w.shopping.com
www.replacements .com
www.sugarcraft.com

Learn more about this author, Cindy Viesselman.
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