{Freebie} - Grateful Mod

{Image Via Hostess With The Mostess}

Want to make your Thanksgiving dinner memorable this year? In support of Operation Give Back, Hostess With The Mostess is offering this modern collection of hip printables to coordinate your holiday festivities. Available for download here, all that is asked is that you consider making an online donation (large or small) to Operation Give Back or incorporating a charity element into the event that you host.

{Make} - DIY Giving Tree

{Image Via Jumpstart}

Thanksgiving can be a hectic time with family arriving, kids under foot and meal preparation. Despite how busy it may be, it's important to take time to appreciate and give thanks all the blessings that your family experiences in their daily lives. Creating a giving tree is a great holiday project to get everyone thinking about what they are grateful for, keeping little hands busy and can be a unique addition to your holiday centerpiece.

For instructions on creating a giving tree from paper, you can find a complete tutorial on the Jumpstart blog here. I think that using funky patterned scrapbook paper would be a great way to jazz this project up more.

{Image Via The Gracious Girl}

An alternative to a paper giving tree is one made with real branches. You can find a tutorial on how to create one with real branches here, on The Gracious Girl blog.

{Bake} - Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

{Image Via Duncan Hines}

These cupcakes bridge the holidays and make a terrific dessert centerpiece for gatherings from Halloween to Thanksgiving. The patch is made from both standard and mini cupcakes baked in white and orange liners. Cupcakes are topped with a bonnet of orange frosting. The icing is rolled in orange sugar and the ribs are shaped by pressing a bamboo skewer into the frosting. The patch is finished off with licorice for stems and tendrils. Then pick your favorite and start eating!

Ingredients

12 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in orange paper liners

24 mini Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice cupcakes baked in white paper liners

2 pieces of green licorice twists

1 can plus 1 cup of Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Classic Vanilla Frosting

Orange food coloring

1 cup orange decorating sugar

Green licorice laces

Baking Instructions 

1) Cut the licorice twists into 3/4 inch pieces to make the pumpkin stems. Tint the vanilla frosting orange with the food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup of the orange frosting a darker shade of orange with more food coloring. Spoon the darker orange frosting into a ziplock bag; set aside.

2) Place orange decorating sugar into a  shallow bowl. Spread the orange frosting on top of the cupcakes mounding slightly in the center. Starting on the edge roll the cupcake tops in the sugar to cover completely.

3) Use a wooden skewer to mark the ridges in the tops of the cupcakes. Starting in the center or slightly off center, lightly press the skewer over the cupcake tops to create 5 or 6 indentations. Snip a very small corner (1/16 inch) from the bag with the darker orange frosting and pipe lines of frosting in the indentations on top of the cupcakes. Insert the cut green twists for the stems and add the green laces, trimmed into shorter pieces to make the tendrils.

{Freebie} - Thanksgiving Printables From Anna And Blue Paperie

{Images Via Anna And Blue Paperie}

Enjoy these elegant Thanksgiving printables from the fabulous Stefanie at Anna and Blue Paperie. The full collection is available for download here, and includes everything you need to create a fantastic festive holiday. Be sure to check out Stefanie's other work as well in her shop where you can find her complete line of posh printables.

{Bake} - Turkey Cupcakes

{Image Via Martha Stewart}

Gobble, gobble, gobble is all you're going to here when these little cupcake cuties are served up! (And it won't be the turkeys either.) Of course you know we can't get enough cupcakes around here so in honor of the fast approaching turkey day, here are some nifty little turkey cupcakes from (who else of course), but Martha Stewart.