Centerpiece DIY

Image From Pixabay

Thanksgiving is almost here. If you are hosting Thanksgiving or helping out, there are plenty of things to do to be ready for Thursday. Food preparation, cleaning, dessert baking and of course setting the table. The table may seem like the least important task, but with a few creative touches you could have a gorgeous holiday table that all of your friends and family will remember. Keep reading to learn how to make the perfect centerpiece for your new Thanksgiving tradition.


Flowers

The staple of any centerpiece are the gorgeous flowers. For a Thanksgiving centerpiece, we recommend sticking with browns, golds, oranges and reds. Apartment Therapy recommends using mums, goldenrods, hypericum and mystery greens. Instead of getting these flowers at the big superstore, head to your Flowers on Fourteenth for fresh gorgeous flowers. Flowers on Fourteenth is located at 1712 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, just 4 minutes from your home at The Louis.

Accessories

Whether you live in the city or in the country, you can always find creative ways to use what is available outside. Head to Meridian Hill Park and pick up some branches, pine cones or leaves from the trees. This is the perfect accent to your completed centerpiece. You may not use everything you find, but it is better to have extra than not enough.

Gather Your Supplies

You will need glue, rubber bands, scissors and more for your centerpiece. Head to Michaels to gather your supplies. You can even get creative with what you want to include in the centerpiece. If you want to add some glitter or a coat of paint to stick with a theme, you can pick that up at Michaels also. The final look of the centerpiece is all up to you.

Put It Together

Start by putting one stem and laying another across it. Make sure to continually attach your stems together. You keep doing this process in a clockwise motion. Once you have a few basic stems and flowers attached, start inserting leaves, branches or anything else you have gathered. Keep building this way until you have a bouquet that you are happy with. You can then insert the bouquet into a vase, or build a base out of the leftover supplies that you have.

We hope your new centerpiece comes out beautifully. If you want detailed instructions and images, please go to Apartment Therapy to learn more.

Thanksgiving Volunteer Opportunities

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Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy time with friends and family. Every year we say what we are thankful for, as we have a day or two off work to relax and enjoy our time together. However, not everyone has a place to go on Thanksgiving. Washington DC has many organizations that raise money or collect donations for this specific time of year. Here are a few organizations that will let you give back this Thanksgiving.

Food and Friends

Food and Friends is a great organization that helps provide for the people with illnesses in the DC area. They have many great opportunities for you to give back around the holiday season. During Thanksgiving week (Nov 23rd-Nov 25th), they need help with food preparation and turkey box delivery. Kitchen shifts for food preparation are available between 8am-6pm and can last 2-3 hours.  

You can also volunteer with their Turkey Box Delivery. Delivers occur on Monday the 24rd and Tuesday the 24th so clients have time to defrost their turkey and fixings before Thanksgiving Day. The hours to volunteer are flexible and can be worked with the volunteer’s schedule. At the beginning of each shift, a detailed orientation will be held to educate you on the process. 

SOME (So Others May Eat)

The organization hosts holiday events for program participants. The volunteers assist with preparing and serving meals, games and decorations. As a volunteer, you can also help assist with assembling Thanksgiving dinner baskets. SOME also holds its annual Trot for Hunger beginning at 8:30am in West Potomac Park. This 5k fun run and family walk benefits the programs that SOME offers for the homeless women, children and men of DC.

These are just a few of the many great programs that are available throughout the DC area. You can find more Thanksgiving volunteer opportunities here.  We are very thankful for our friends, family and residents of The Louis. If you know of any other volunteer opportunities, please share them on our Facebook Page. We hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving with loved ones this year.