We love the things in life that are easy to do, so we wanted to share some great ideas for holiday centerpieces to dress your Thanksgiving table without the stress!
Think simple. Whether your approach is casual or sophisticated, sometimes less is more. When you’re out getting your staples for dinner, why not pick up some small to medium sized pumpkins or gourds for your table? The fall colors look fabulous and you can group them together or spread them out along the length of the table and alternate them with some small votive candles on a beautiful table runner. Not into the less is more look? 
If you want to get creative, consider hollowing out a couple small pumpkins to hold candles or a combination of beautiful fall flowers and leaves. Minimal effort for maximum impact!
Or how about a little fun with your food? You like a little whimsy so why not make the centerpiece something fun AND edible?
Gobble Gobble me up!
With some skewers, fruit, cheese and veggies you can make a fantastic and edible centerpiece that is sure to make both kids and grown-ups smile.
You could also do an arrangement of candles and leaves or flowers on a beautiful platter or that gorgeous cake stand you haven’t used in ages. We love the holidays and along with the feast for the eyes on your table, we also think having a feast for the senses can do wonders for the overall mood of the holidays in your home. The smell of freshly baking bread of that delicious turkey are the things that welcome your guests the moment they step up to the front door. In celebration of the senses, particularly taste and smell, we want to share with you this fabulous recipe for Sweet Potatoes that is sure to knock your socks off. It’s worth the effort and is something you’ll find on our Thanksgiving table every year in abundance. It’s our way of saying Thanks for reading our blog and interacting with us in person and online this year! We would love to hear what you’re doing for your table this Thanksgiving, come say hello to the Design Connection Team on Twitter or Facebook!
Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar and Almonds
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2/3 cup packed golden brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of ground ginger
- 2-3 cups miniature marshmallows (omit if you wish to make the dish less sweet)
- 3/4 to 1 cup almonds – sliced
- NOTE: I love this dish and often double the glaze for the potatoes- it makes it good enough for dessert and a fabulous sweet compliment to savory stuffing and turkey.
Preheat oven to 375°F. In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish, place the potatoes. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and ginger and boil until the sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over the potatoes and lightly toss to coat. (if the potatoes are cool, don’t be alarmed if the glaze mixture starts to solidify again- just toss as best as you can then put it in the oven, it will become liquid again with the heat where you will be able to baste the potatoes with the mixture to make sure they are coated) Cover the dish tightly with foil.
Bake potatoes 50 minutes. Remove foil and stir potatoes or baste to make sure they are coated with syrup. Bake until the potatoes are tender (use a fork, if you can easily slice through one, they should be done) about 20-30 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Top potatoes with marshmallows and almonds. Return to oven; bake until marshmallows begin to melt and nuts begin to brown, about 3 minutes. NOTE: Sometimes I will speed this up and set the oven to broil to give the marshmallows and almonds a nice browning. ENJOY!
I love the color purple and I have seen it in the stores as a hot color for fall. But, this rich and fabulous color has disappeared from the fabrics that we are using in our homes. I have a client that loves all the shades of red and purple, so recently I have spent many hours researching fabrics. I felt challenged to find the right shades for her. In the end, I came up with fabrics the client loved, but I realized we are still behind the time in using the color in our designs.
Have you thought about adding some new fall colors to your home now that you are going to start spending more time indoors? I found an intriguing I-Phone application that actually helps you select paint colors. See attached link to 
An interesting furniture layout is to face two chairs directly in front of each other. You can put a small coffee table or an ottoman in the center. The perfect distance from the firebox is a personal preference, if you like it warm and cozy slide the chairs closer but if that is too hot, slide them away. You can add an accent throw to add color, which can be changed out throughout the year.
