Alfresco Thanksgiving Table and Blooming Pumpkin Centerpiece

In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I’m at the table as part of a Thanksgiving Tablescape Blog Hop this week! You can find more table inspiration from this talented group of bloggers for Thanksgiving at the end of this post.

I’m enjoying our weather in North Carolina, which is typically mild enough for dining alfresco or on the porch in November. It feels like fall has finally arrived here this week, bringing us some crisp, cool temperatures and for that I am truly thankful. Fall is my favorite season and I’ve been ready to leave the 80 and 90 degree days behind since July, and finally enjoy some sweater weather!

Pockets of color have slowing begun to pop up along the shoreline over the last few weeks. Our Autumn Blaze Maple is always first to turn and blaze with its signature brilliant crimson foliage. Most years, our leaves change from green to gold seemingly overnight, peaking around mid-November, right before Thanksgiving.

Flowers and pumpkins are two of my favorite things and I love to combine the two for a seasonal centerpiece for a fall or Thanksgiving table!

I found a shortcut last year for making a blooming pumpkin centerpiece! The time-consuming step of hollowing out your pumpkin is eliminated to make a vase for your flowers. Since you don’t cut your pumpkin, it will last throughout the fall season.

Here’s the easy short cut: You add a piece of wet floral foam on top of your pumpkin, rather than it hollowing out to make a vase for your flowers. Cutting through the hard skin and flesh can be hazardous, so skipping this step saves time, prevents accidents, and extends the life of your pumpkin.

You can find wet foam and wet floral tape on the floral aisle at the craft store. I found a 2-pack of small round floral blocks at Dollar Tree or you can cut your floral brick with a knife to the size you need. Soak the floral foam until it’s fully saturated and use wet floral tape to secure the foam to your pumpkin.

I picked up some $4 mums at the grocery store to add to some garden blooms and foliage cut from the shrubs. . .hydrangeas, loropetalum with its burgundy-tinted foliage, and Kaleidoscope Abelia with blush pink-tinted tips.

For this Thanksgiving table, I pulled out a tablecloth that I used for a Summer into Fall Transitional Table with Limelight Hydrangeas. I loved the soft blue floral accents paired with acorns and pumpkins for a light and less traditional take on fall and Thanksgiving.

I have an assortment of turkey plates collected over the years and I set the table using four different patterns. . . have a seat next to your favorite turkey!

A Victorian English Pottery Thanksgiving Turkey plate in blue, can be seen at the table from 2015, here, dressed with warm plaid layers.

Royal Stafford Turkey plates have a touch of blue with fruit, flowers and wheat along the border of the plates. You can see them at a Thanksgiving Table With a Touch of Blue, from 2012, here.

Queen’s Myott by Churchill Thanksgiving Turkey has a peach floral and soft green leaf border. You can see them at a Thanksgiving back in 2011, with a pumpkin vase centerpiece and mini pumpkin vases at each place setting, here.

And last but not least, The Victorian English Pottery Turkey by Edward Challinor, my newest addition, with an acorn and oak leaf border, seen at the table in 2016, here.

A mini ear of Indian corn, adds a harvest season note, flanking bone handled flatware at each place setting. Tree slice chargers add some rustic charm in addition to adding some texture and warmth to the table.

Hourglass shaped amber goblets add a soft golden glow to the table.

Thanks so much to Chloe of Celebrate & Decorate for organizing this blog hop. Click on the links below for more Thanksgiving table inspiration this week.

Alfresco Thanksgiving Table and Blooming Pumpkin Centerpiece Details:

Assorted Turkey Plates / HomeGoods, over the years

Farmhouse Plaid Napkins / Pier 1

Tree Slice Chargers / Bed, Bath & Beyond, several years ago

Tablecloth / HomeGoods

Flatware / Towle Seville

Amber Goblets / Mikasa French Countryside

Thank you for your visit, sharing with:

Tablescape Thursday