A Thanksgiving Look That Barely Cost A Thing

I wanted to find something new for the Thanksgiving table – something for the grandkids. So, I headed to arc Thrift Store in Loveland. First I found the “pilgrim doll.” What a perfect centerpiece for the kids!

I had seen some tea light candle holders in a magazine with frosted edging and wanted to try to make some for the holidays. The amber glasses would be perfect for what I had in mind. arc had a very large selection of wicker baskets and I found the piece I needed along with the fall floral items for the final touch. All of this for $24.61.

What you’ll need for the candleholders: double-faced tape, glue gun, diamond dust, Modpodge, assorted glasses (canning and jelly jars also work well), ribbon and battery-operated tea lights.

Pour the Mod Podge into a bowl to the depth of about ½ inch. Put a generous amount of diamond dust into a second bowl and push to the center to create a mound. Dip the top of the glass into the Mod Podge and then into the diamond dust. After the first one, I realized that it wasn’t a good idea to let the top of the glass touch the bottom of the diamond dust bowl. By creating a mound, you can swirl the glass around until enough diamond dust sticks to the glass. Let the glass dry – about 20 to 30 minutes. If you want, you can repeat the process to create a thicker “snow” edge on the glass.

After the glass dries, put double-faced tape around the glass where you want the ribbon to be. I found that the ends of the ribbon required extra adhesive so I used the hot glue gun to apply glue on the ends of the ribbon. When determining where you will be placing the ribbon, leave enough space from the bottom ribbon edge and the bottom of the glass as about ¾” of diamond dust is poured into the glass. We want the diamond dust to show through. Place the battery-operated tea light inside the glass on top of the diamond dust. Caution: do not use candles. It is not safe with the diamond dust.

Final step – arrange the candle holders and fall floral pieces around the base of the doll. And, there you have it – a new centerpiece already for Thanksgiving dinner! The shelves at arc Thrift Stores are filled with holiday items that you can use “as is” or let your imagination loose and design your very own creation. Can’t wait to get back to check out all of the Christmas possibilities.