Even without a kitchen, we’re still getting ready to host Thanksgiving with the grandparents on Thursday. We’re actually trekking out to a local Asian restaurant--Lai Lai. It’s our usual holiday restaurant when our home renovations make it challenging at home.

But, even with the holiday-feast pressure off this week, I’m still starting to formulate plans for holiday decorations and parties at friends’ homes. And one of the most important things I’ve discovered is knowing where to find those unique, fun items that make the celebrations special and let your hostess know you appreciate their invitation.

I’m lucky that I could ask an expert. Brooke from ShopMadisonBelle.com gave me the scoop on a few great ideas for this holiday season. Here’s what Brooke shared with me:

    “The coolest thing about this season is that a lot of home decorating can be done with things that are easily accessible…for example, pumpkins & squash, which are the most perfect thing to set the tone of the holiday…and easily purchased at the local farm stand or grocery store.

    If you have clear vases or hurricanes, they are ideal for filling with pine cones or leaves…instead of using them for candles as we usually do. That way it creates an instant centerpiece on your thanksgiving table.

    Visit your closest Michaels crafts…right now they are having a 30% off sale and you can find all sorts of things to create an instant party…for example, brown, orange, or red paper to make name cards out of. Or tags to place by the food and drinks that explain what each is. I love vintage manila tags that have hand-writing on them…i.e. cool apple cider…etc. Gives your table more detail, and then guests aren’t asking what’s for dinner / or to drink!

    Also, I know a new trend in crafting is the glitter glass…they sell it in all sorts of colors, and it looks awesome when covering a pumpkin or squash. My friend Tyler did this for his Halloween party and covered his pumpkins in black glitter…gave such a great effect, and made a beautiful coffee table centerpiece.

    In terms of food, I am absolutely obsessed with this one particular appetizer for fall…shop at www.rowenas.com for carrot jam…and pour the carrot jam over cream cheese, serve with wheat thins or crackers. It is the perfect fall treat, absolutely delicious. Home goods sells the cutest harvest pasta noodles – noodles  shaped as turkeys or leaves…perfect for mac ‘n cheese or a pasta salad on Thanksgiving day.

    In terms of decorating trends, I am so thrilled that it is popular to incorporate vintage into our décor. That this is the popular thing now. Finding cool items in an antique shop, and adding it to the mix to make your room have personality, and meaningful items in it! I think we will continue on with this trend for a while. So many people are catching on to it, and it is a fun way for people to have a room full of “design” without having to spend a lot, and also have the chance to be creative.

We carry a ton of vintage finds in our flea market section…