15+ Ideas for Thanksgiving Recipes, Crafts, Decor, and DIYs

Over the years, I have shared a lot of Thanksgiving recipes, crafts, diy, and decor ideas. So... this year I thought I'd put my BEST Thanksgiving ideas all in one collection for you to enjoy. Click on the links below for full recipes, step by step tutorials, and free downloads.

1) Reese's Pieces (soft & chewy) cookie tart - When it comes to Thanksgiving, most people opt for pumpkin pie, but this festive tart is a perfect, easy and delicious alternative. Find the full recipe for this Thanksgiving dessert here. 

2) FREE (funny) Thanksgiving print - Every home needs a bit of whimsical decor during the holidays. So, I designed this funny Thanksgiving print that you can download for free here. I popped mine in a dollar store frame, and I love it! 

3) Thanksgiving party favours - I love giving guests a party favour, and I have TWO fantastic options for Thanksgiving. I have a free downloadable tag you can print and add to a bag of cookies for your adult guests here. I also have a fun idea for turning a cookie into a turkey for the kids here.

4) Turkey wine bottle - How cute is this turkey wine bottle? Use a glue gun to attach a couple of dollar store fall leaves to the back. Then, use more hot glue to attach two googly eyes, a red felt wattle, and a yellow felt beak. It doesn't get much easier, and your guests will love seeing this whimsical bottle of wine on the table!

5) Turkey candy dish - The wine is great for grown ups, but there should be something on the table for younger guests too. How about a fun turkey candy dish? The kids can help by tracing and cutting out their handprints from coloured card stock. Then, arrange the hands together, secure with tape, and use hot glue to attach the "feathers" to the back of a glass dish from the dollar store. Finish by using hot glue to attach googly eyes, a red felt wattle, and a yellow felt beak. You can fill the dish with any type of candy, but I love the colours of these Reese's Pieces.

6) Paper plate "stained glass" turkey - Paper crafts are great for kids too. They add to the festive decor... and they keep the kids busy while you are making dinner. You can find the full step by step instructions for this stained glass paper turkey here. 

7) Thanksgiving tissue paper wreath - Kids can use 1 inch squares of tissue paper (in fall colours) to make this paper plate Thanksgiving wreath. You can find the step by step instructions for this simple wreath here. 

8) Argyle sweater Thanksgiving wreath - Don't you just love this cozy argyle fall wreath? If you can use a scissors and a glue gun, you can make this wonderful piece of Thanksgiving Day decor. Find the full step by step instructions for this Thanksgiving wreath here.

9) Tiered tray - Decorating tiered trays with dollar store finds and crafted items is a fantastic way to create a classy vignette in your home. I stained a mini rolling pin, added the word "harvest", and wrapped a scrap of fabric around it. I also added pumpkins and pine cones, and filled a dollar store bottle with orange and yellow buttons. I also crafted a book stack from scraps of wood, and strung some wooden beads onto a piece of yarn. Cute, right?

10) S'more bucket - Add a bit of whimsy to your Thanksgiving decor by filling a dollar store galvanized with S'more supplies. I added the words "Making S'more Memories" to the front of my bucket with my Cricut. Wouldn't a Thanksgiving campfire be fun?

11) Artwork in a dollar store frame - Framing Fall pictures and free downloads is an easy and inexpensive way to add Fall flair to your home. You can download the Fall Menu I designed (below) for free here.

12) Thanksgiving hot chocolate tray - A dollar store frame and few dollar store jars can be easily turned into an adorable Thanksgiving hot chocolate tray. Start by inserting a piece of fall-themed scrap book paper into a dollar store frame. Then, use strong glue to attach wooden beads to the bottom of the tray. Finish by adding jars filled with hot chocolate, marshmallows and fall coloured candies. It looks great, and kids will love it! 

Check out the little display I made on the table in my hallway.

13) Boho DIY yarn wreath - Even if you aren't very crafty, you can easily make this simple and chic fall wreath. Don't you just love the boho vibe? Find the full step by step tutorial (with photos) here.

13) Dollar store frame monogram - It doesn't get easier than this piece of DIY fall artwork. But a dollar store frame, insert fall-themed scrapbook paper, add a wooden monogram to the front with glue, and glue a ribbon hanger to the back. That's it. Easy peasy!

You can find more detailed instructions here.

14) Grapevine fall wreath - I made this simple fall wreath many years ago, but it's still one of my favourite DIYs. It's an inexpensive grapevine wreath with handmade felt flowers glued to it. You can find out how easy it is to make the flowers, and find all the step by step instructions here.

15) No Sew Fall Pillows - Transform Summer pillows to Fall pillows in a couple of minutes with a dollar store tablecloth. This is genius!

  

16) Pumpkin prize punch - if you have kids coming to your house for Thanksgiving, this is a fantastic game to make for them. It's always a hit, and it's cheap to make with dollar store supplies. Find the step by step instructions here.

Which of these fun Thanksgiving ideas is your favourite? Give a few of them a try, and let me know how it goes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

The best NEW Dollar Store Finds and DIYs for Halloween

I love a good dollar store find, but I also want to make sure the items I buy are high quality. Today, I'm sharing my latest NEW dollar store finds and DIYs for Halloween. You are going to love these!

1) The first thing I wanted to share are these Fall pumpkins. They are great for Autumn... but they are fabulous for Halloween too. Just flip them around, and DIY the back.

Trace the pumpkins onto scrapbook paper, cut out the shapes, and use Mod Podge to attach the paper to the pumpkins.

Then, you can use them "as is" or you can add the word "BOO". I used my Cricut, but you could use stickers are paint instead.

Cute, right?!?

2) This double pane dollar store frame is my favourite. It's inexpensive, but it looks high end. How cute is it with this FREE Halloween picture in it? Download your copy of the purple and green "Happy Halloween" print here.

3) Halloween is synomous with "treats", and the dollar store is the perfect place to stock up on goodies. Last week, I bought a bunch of my family's favs.

4) Dollar store stickers and window clings are the perfect way to add a festive touch to decor that you already have in your home. You can add them to frames, soap dispensers, candles, and more.

5) These LED lights are my latest decor purchase, and I think they are adorable. Find dollar store items you love, and add them to existing decor you have in your home. It's a great way to get a high end look on a budget.

6) This over-the-door hanger is fantastic for organizing your home, but it's fun for Halloween too. I used mine to set up a witch closet on the back of my door. Isn't this an adorable Halloween vignette?

7) A few weeks ago I found these adorable faux book stacks, but I didn't love the saying. So... I used a bit of paint and my Criciut to turn it into a Halloween book stack... and I love how it turned out.

For a closer look at all my Halloween dollar store finds and DIYs, check out this video.

How cute are these dollar store finds and DIYs? Which one is your favourite? I'd love to know if you've found anything fun lately!

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You may also be interested in the Halloween ideas here.

6 NEW dollar store finds and DIYs for FALL and HALLOWEEN

I love budget-friendly seasonal / holiday decor, and today I have some fantastic dollar store finds and DIYs for Fall and Halloween. A few of the pieces are multi-functional... and they are all easy, inexpensive, and super cute. I even created a YouTube video that will allow you to get a closer look at everything!

1) Multi use Book Stack - I found this faux book stack at the dollar store, and I knew I could easily make it a reversable version that would work for Fall AND Halloween.

I covered the existing words with a couple of coats of white chalk paint, and then I added the words "farm fresh pumpkins" that I printed on my Cricut. I added a bit of twine and a yarn pom pom pumpkin. Cute, right?

Then, I flipped around the book stack and added the words "spells and potions", which I cut out with my Cricut. I finished by sliding the twine to the opposite side, and adding a dollar store LED light.

2) Pumpkin with a gold stem - I love all the different styles of pumpkins that you can buy at the dollar store, but the one with the gold stem really caught my eye.

I also thought it would fun to give the orange pumpkin a "glam" Halloween makeover. I painted it with black paint from the dollar store (2 coats). Then, I used dollar store metallic gold paint to add polka dots. Didn't it turn out great?

It looks super-cute with the irridescent vase (from the dollar store) and a print I designed in a dollar store vase. You can download a FREE copy of the "Hello Pumpkin" print here.

3) Simple seasonal soap - I think this idea is genius. Peel the label from a dollar store soap dispenser, and add a seasonal window cling. It's simple, but looks great!

4) Seasonal candles - Window clings can also add a seasonal flair to candles... in just a few seconds.

They stick easily to most surfaces, but you could use a bit of glue if you want them extra secure.

5) Inexpensive wall hangings - You can also make inexpensive wall hangings with dollar store window clings and stickers.

6) Front door wreath - I made this adorable floral decor for my front door using a dollar store bucket and dollar store sunflowers.

I used my Cricut to apply a design to the front of the bucket, I inserted a piece of floral foam, and I added the flowers (one at a time). I absolutely LOVE how it turned out... and it's easy to switch out the flowers for various seasons.

For a closer look at all these dollar store finds and DIYs, check out the YouTube video below.

Which of these projects is your favourite? I think mine is the book stack because it can be used for Fall AND Halloween. I love anytime I can save money, time, and storage space.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

High-end FALL decor made using DOLLAR STORE supplies (in LESS than 5 minutes!)

I love simple seasonal decor... and these ideas are budget-friendly, easy, and super cute. They all look high end, and no one would ever guess they came from the dollar store. You are going to LOVE these dollar store FALL DIYs!

The inspiration for these projects came from these adorable Dollarama window clings I found a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely love them!

The red truck was my favourite, and I knew it would make an adorable piece of Fall artwork. I picked up this floating glass from at the dollar store, arranged the window clings between the two pieces of glass, and put the frame back together.

Didn't it turn out cute?!?!

I also used the window clings with a dollar store vase and candles. I filled the vase with popcorn kernals, inserted a candle, and added window clings to the outside of the glass. 

I think this is a really clever piece of decor, and because I didn't use any glue or adhesive, I can change up the vase later.

I also created a similar piece of decor with a larger vase. For this one, I didn't use any window clings, but I set it on top of a dollar store candle holder that I painted with white chalk paint.

I also found this iridescent vase and fake wheat at my local dollar store. The vase is very "on trend", and I love this colour for Fall.

Doesn't it look high-end with the print I designed? (PS-You can download this print for FREE here.

Here's a look at all the projects together. Pretty great for DIYs that take less than 5 minutes!

Get a closer look at all the Fall dollar store DIYs in the video below.

Which is your favourite? I think the window cling artwork is mine. I love that I can easily reuse the frame for Halloween and Christmas. All I need to do is change out the window clings. It doesn't get easier and/or more budget friendly!

♥

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also be interested in the FALL finds and DIYs here.

First Day of School 2022

Today is the first day of school for my boys... which is always a bit of a sad day for me. The lazy days of summer have come to an end, and the crazy school/hockey schedule is just beginning. And I was extra teary this morning as my oldest son headed out for his LAST first day of school. Luckily, my boys let me take a few pictures to document the occassion. 

As always, we started the day with pancakes in the shapes of their Grades.

Then, we took our traditional photos holding 8x10s from the first day of school the year before.

Grade 12...

Grade 10...

Grade 8...

After school, we'll all share a special treat, and talk about the day. I can't wait! 😁

Happy first day of school everyone!!!!

♥

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)