Thanksgiving Inspirations

Love this Thanksgiving table. I'm going to try to recreate it in my dining room!

For the first time, I'll be hosting Thanksgiving this year! Ian's cousin and his family will be joining us, along with one of my best girlfriends.  I've been having fun searching the interwebs for recipes, decor ideas, serving ware, etc.  I'm planning on using a white table cloth, with a burlap runner down the middle (I've recruited my mom to make this for me, yay for moms that can sew!), with nuts, gourds, and leaves to add some color. I'm going to use my gramma's white au naturel Noritake china that I LOVE with some orange-y gold napkins. I really like the idea of a neutral base (white table cloth, white dishes, and burlap runner) with pops of fall colors. Basically, I want a traditional feel, but with a contemporary update.

Some decor inspirations:

I like the rustic feel of the burlap

The white/orange combo I like

For the menu, I'll serve all the stuff you'd expect: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, the brussel sprouts from a few posts back, green beans, cranberry sauce, green salad,  and rolls. For dessert I'll make pumpkin pie of course, plus Ina Garten's cranberry apple cake, and her white chocolate bark, and maybe some yummy apple cider caramels.

Maple whipped sweet potatoes from Martha Stewart

Apple cider caramels from Smitten Kitchen

 I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! I can't wait!