Speaking of favorites, the kids always love Monster Punch around Halloween. It’s complete trash when it comes to ingredients lol, but so fun to drink! I add a little vodka to ours when my momma is over and it’s so fun and festive.

Another delicious option is this Thanksgiving Punch by Thyme and Joy. It can be served with champagne or ginger ale, making it a great option for kids and adults alike. It’s not only beautifully festive, but it’s easy to throw together and everyone always loves it. I’ve served it at Friendsgiving and even at Christmas.

The last mention goes to one I’m adding to the list this year. It looks beautiful and I have a feeling will taste even better. This Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned is by Half Baked Harvest, and since I’m a fan of so many of her recipes, I’m assuming this one will also be top notch!

Read about our favorite sweet fall treats and our savory favorites for fall here!

I’d love to hear from you if you try any of these out this year. Leave a comment and let me know how you like it! Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

Tip: Pine or cedar will have too much sap for a project like this, go with oak. It’s a beautiful look!

Jamie

Adam used a chainsaw to cut the log into 1 inch think rings. I left the bark in tact. Once they were wiped down, they were perfect for our Thanksgiving table this year.

For the centerpiece, I added pumpkins from my porch and brass candlesticks from the mantle. I only used four wood chargers, and went with a more glam look on the heads of the table. Mixing materials and layering unexpected pieces is one of my favorite ways to decorate the table. Pumpkins in non-traditional colors are both unexpected and chic. I love the way these compliment my regular home decor too.

If you’d like to see how I put it all together, check out my “wood chargers” highlight bubble on Instagram.

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

This post contains affiliate links. Like any small business, Bloom Creative Co. earns money when you shop here. Thanks for your support.

Every year since Clark was born, almost 9 years ago, we have created something special as a family to record all the things we’re thankful for that year.

We’ve done “thankful trees”, “thankful pumpkins”, paper chains, etc. No matter what the craft, it’s always a special memory. While you’re here on the blog, check out our thankful tree from last year. I loved it and it was so easy and inexpensive.

This year we kept it simple, like everything else! Lol. I bought this beautiful set of wood beads and we wrote out all of our blessings to display. I love the way it turned out!

I’m linking the beads I ordered here incase you want to do it with your family!

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

Original Post

Even though Thanksgiving is later this year than usual, it’s sneaking up on me! It’s crazy that it’s less than one week away!

As you know, I like a good tablescape and I love a good napkin fold! If you didn’t know, napkin folding is kinda my thing. It’s an easy way to make guests feel special, it’s free, and surprisingly most are pretty simple to create!

On this post I’m gonna show you a super simple way to create a pumpkin napkin fold and I’m doing it on video! I really think you’ll like this and it’s just in time for Thanksgiving!

The video is most easily accessed on mobile. On desktop, click the three dots to download.

Jamie

I love the way these add an element of creativity to my table, but are still chic. If you decide to add this idea to your Thanksgiving table, send me a picture! I always love to hear from you and share in your creating. I’ve linked the materials below for your convenience.

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

charcuterie [SHärˈko͞odərē] NOUN 1. cold cooked meats collectively.

Without getting too “elementary teacher”, let me explain. The word ‘charcuterie’ refers to a collection of cold cooked meats. A ‘charcuterie board’, used correctly, indicates these meats are being served on a board. That’s it. Just cold meat. When you gussy up the board or platter with cheese, breads, nuts, fruits and whatever else, it just gets that much better!

If you’ve been a Bloom subscriber for any length of time you know I keep things simple! This board is no different. I’ll show you how I create one and hopefully it’ll inspire you to try one at home!

1. Shopping!

I recommend choosing things in threes. Three meats, three cheeses, three breads, three fruits and three “others”. For me, I usually always add nuts, chocolate and/or something candied. I also like to add a ramekin or two with olives, or a jam/spread of some kind. When you’re building your snack board, imagine yourself eating and sampling from it. The bread serves as your base, the meats and cheeses are layers and then the spread/olives/jam are unexpectedly delicious toppers. The nuts, fruits and chocolates are easy to grab and snack on from the board as well.

If I don’t like it, it doesn’t make the board. I never put things on a snack board “just because”. Come to think of it, I rarely do anything “just because”. I believe everything has purpose. Even something as seemingly as insignificant as a snack board. When I create something, it is always a reflection of me. I challenge you to adopt that idea for yourself. Don’t create a snack board you “think” your guests will like. Create what you like, and then share it with whoever else happens to be there!

2. Preparing the board

There are so many directions you can go when choosing a surface on which to build your snack board. I use our large teak cutting board most often, but I’ve also used glass platters, trays, cake stands and cookie sheets. I also love the idea of presenting a snack board to a hostess of a party with the intention of gifting the tray that the snacks are on! It’s extremely simple, yet very thoughtful! Plus, you can snag a board or tray for less than $20 at Home Goods or Hobby Lobby.

Start with a clean, dry surface. I like to use a few pieces of Romaine type lettuce or kale. Today I’m using red chard. It happened to be on sale and I love the deep red color. It’s perfect for fall!

3. Strategically add the snacks

When it’s time to start building onto the board, I fill the ramekins first and place them very randomly on the board. I can always rearrange them later. Today I have Bleu Cheese stuffed olives and pimento cheese spread.

I then add a few pieces of lettuce, also randomly. I use this under meats and cheese. Don’t be particular here, everything will get shifted around as you build.

Next, I start with the items taking up the most space. I’m adding, toast rounds, grapes and then the other two cracker types. When I’m picking crackers, I always choose various shapes and sizes, it adds more interest to the board.

After that, I add the cheeses. Even though you’ll be slicing it, cheese usually lays pretty flat on the board, so it’s a good base. Today I found a cheese flight at Kroger! It was much cheaper to buy it this way, plus I know these will compliment each other well. When slicing cheese, let it lay where it falls naturally sliced. This gives the most organic look once you place it on the board. If you have two cheeses that are similar in color, be sure to put them on opposite sides of the board to create a balanced look.

Once the cheese is added, it’s time to add the meat, the actual charcuterie! When adding meat, I roll/fold it. It’s a loose roll. I’m using prosciutto, Black Forest ham and salami. When you are slicing and rolling meats and cheeses for a board like this, keep in mind, you want it to be ready to go on a cracker or small toast. It needs to be convenient for your guests as well as appealing.

When adding meats like salami or pepperoni, don’t just take them out of the package and lay them on the board. The slices tend to stick to each other and don’t come off easily for your guests. Also they look nicer when you loosen them up a bit.

Time to add the finishing touches! I find little spaces to place small handfuls of pecans and dried mango (apricot would’ve probably been more appropriate this time of year, but I don’t like it… so mango it is)! As you probably noticed, I rearranged the grapes a bit to create a small space just for my mixed nuts and dark chocolate bits! If you decide to add a dessert element, separate it from the meat and cheese with grapes or crackers. Spicy meat and cheeses tend to affect the taste of the sweet ingredients. I always create a tiny separate place for the sweets!

Don’t forget the serving ware for your spreads if needed, and voila! It’s ready to serve!

A few extra tips:

• Give yourself 30 minutes
• Don’t prepare more than one hour ahead of time (cheese sweats and crackers get stale)
• It will NEVER be perfect! The untidy look is what gives a snack board its charm!

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

In this blog post I’m sharing some of my favorite looks for lots of different tablescape styles. I’m even linking the items from Amazon to help you create it at home and I’m offering a few DIY tips to finish things off!

Like any small business, Bloom Creative Co. earns money when you shop here. Your price is never affected. Thank you for your support.

-Bloom Creative Co.

The Farmhouse Table

The Glam Table

The Outdoorsman Table

The Homegrown Table

The Casual Table

Download a FREE editable Thanksgiving Menu Card HERE!

The Kid Table

I hope one of these looks inspires you when you think about styling your table for Thanksgiving this year. Comment below what your favorite look is for your table at home. Also, follow me on Pinterest to see a lot more Thanksgiving Tablescape inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

I was very much looking forward to it because I knew it would be such a statement piece and a welcomed addition to our Thanksgiving decor! There is something so special about having handmade items in my home especially when they’re made by my children. It just takes my breath away every time I look at their creations. In my opinion it’s the best kind of decor there is!

My boys were just home from a deer hunting trip and it was beautiful weather so we decided to jump right in and start creating. Clark and I started by collecting branches around the neighborhood. It really didn’t take us long to collect enough for our tree.

We gathered the materials we needed. We actually had everything already so it didn’t cost a thing!

I arranged the branches while the big kids used a 2” hole punch to make the tags for the tree. We used some scrapbook paper with a fall look that compliments the color scheme of our house.

Tip: Cut the scrapbook paper in 2 1/2″ strips so you can use all of it. If it is whole, the punch won’t be able to reach and you’ll waste a lot of paper.

-Bloom Creative Co.

I dressed up the vase a little with some burlap ribbon. Be sure to use a heavy vase with a wide bottom. The tree tends to be a bit top heavy and needs the support of a large vase. You could always add river rocks or water if you need to weigh it down.

Tip: To achieve a nice inverted “v” edge, fold the ribbon in half and cut at a downward angle.

-Bloom Creative Co.

I punched a hole in each 2″ tag with a standard hole punch to hang them on the tree. We decided not to use the twine to hang the tags, and just hang them directly on the tree like the inspiration picture. This worked well and was much less time-consuming than tying each tag with twine. I like the clean look of it as well.

While we worked we talked about some blessings from the past year that stuck out to us as a family. When it was finally time to write down what we were thankful for, everyone knew where they wanted to start. We wrote big things, little things, funny things, serious things and everything in between! Of course we saved some blank ones to last us all month!

Overall I’m so happy with the way this year’s project turned out! I decided to really make it a focal point and placed it on the mantle. I’m loving it!

I encourage you to do this as a family. It doesn’t have to be a Thankful Tree, there are so many ideas. You can check out tons of other ideas here. Take time, do something that helps you to reflect on the year. Whether it’s been a year full of blessing or sprinkled with burden and hardship, an attitude of gratitude (like I tell the kids) makes everything brighter!

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

Just like any small business Bloom Creative Co. earns money when you shop here. Thanks for your support!

-Bloom Creative Co.