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DIY Table Runner Project - Perfect project to do with your kids! - A Well Crafted Party
A Well Crafted Home

DIY Table Runner for Thanksgiving Table

3 Comments A Well Crafted Home

I have been looking for ways to incorporate my son into my hobbies (aka parties) so that we are spending more time together and so that I nurture his creativity. We had a ton of fun together creating the paintings for our Halloween party. When thinking about how I was going to decorate the Thanksgiving table this year I wanted to work on something together that would give him a little ownership to the meal and table. A little paper and paint and we had a plan– a DIY Table Runner! Paper table runners are a great way to set the holiday table because you don’t really have to worry about spills ruining your good linens. Kids can draw on the runner when bored and waiting for the rest of the party to finish their food. It is just a win win.

Involve your kiddo in decorating the holiday table with this easy DIY watercolor table runner. - A Well Crafted Party

DIY Table Runner with Watercolor Paints & Paper

I have a pretty good selection of every day craft supplies in my house. However, the one supply that I like to keep in stock that may not be in the average household is a large roll of butcher paper. I currently have a large roll of white paper and a large roll of black paper. I often find a use for large paper rolls whether it be a craft project or a last minute wrapping need. Below is a short list of supplies that I used when my son and I created this watercolor DIY table runner.

Supplies:

(Links below are affiliate links to products I use and would suggest!)

DIY Table Runner Project - Perfect project to do with your kids! - A Well Crafted Party

 

Directions:

This was such an easy project and it really didn’t take too much time or effort. Use the steps below to create your own DIY Table Runner.

  1. Cut paper to length of table or desired length/width (you could also make great little place mats or wrapping paper with this same method!)
  2. Decide on a color scheme for this project. If you choose a lot of different colors then you are likely to get a pretty muddy mess. I like to choose colors that are shade variations. This project we took blue, green, white, and black paints to create different shades of blue-green. NOTE: Test out your desired color scheme on a scrap piece of paper so that you don’t have to waste the larger sheet if you don’t like the final look.
  3. Paint in varying directions in large swatches. We really wanted the runner to look organic and a tad messy. This makes this project great for kids as it doesn’t require a lot of precision. Vary the amount of water on your brush to mix up the water color look with a bolder dry brush effect. My son really could have done this whole thing by himself with just me guiding him on when to switch colors so that they didn’t clump up all in one area.
  4. Once you have the amount of coverage that you like let the paper dry. Water colors dry extremely fast. I think ours took about 10 minutes to dry once completed.
  5. Fold the sides of the paper under for a seamless look.
  6. DONE! Set your table and enjoy!

 

DIY Table Runner Project - Perfect project to do with your kids! - A Well Crafted Party

 

What else could you use this method of painting for in your home?

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Thanksgiving Wine Pairings - A Well Crafted Party
Holidays

Thanksgiving Wine Pairing Ideas with Little Black Dress Wines

1 Comment Holidays

Wine is such a wonderful highlight at any dinner table including the Thanksgiving dinner table.  Little Black Dress Wines  (LBD Wines) sent over a few bottles of wine for me to try so I may share my experience with you! Hopefully the below tips help you in choosing your Thanksgiving wines this year. While this post is sponsored all opinions are my own. To learn more about my posting policies regarding sponsored posts please visit my policies page. As always, thank you for reading more about the companies that help support this blog. 

Thanksgiving Wine Pairings - A Well Crafted Party

Most Important Rule for Wine Pairing

The number one first rule to think of when pairing wines is simple… pick a wine you LIKE! It doesn’t matter how many experts weight in to say that a certain bottle of wine will taste fabulous with your turkey and cranberry sauce, if you don’t like that particular style of wine it won’t taste good to you! I do like having at least two different options (ideally three) of wines that I feel will pair well with the meal so that my guests can choose a style that fits their tastes.

One of the things I like the most about the LBD wines that I tried is that they are all at an affordable price point (under $15 at my local store) and are fairly friendly to a variety of palates.

 

Thanksgiving Wine Pairings - A Well Crafted Party

 

My favorite pairings for a traditional Thanksgiving meal

The traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and greens can get pretty heavy on the palate. When I choose my Thanksgiving wines I tend to look for wines that will not be heavy on the palate, so lighter in body, but not so light that it gets lost in all the bolder flavors of the gravy and stuffing. My three favorite wines for pairing with Thanksgiving meal are a Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and a Pinot Grigio.

Pinot Noir

I tend to love red wines, especially in the Fall, a Pinot Noir that is not too fruit-forward will pair nicely with both the turkey and a flavorful stuffing. It won’t overpower your mashed potatoes and will bring out some of the wonderful complex flavors of that pumpkin pie. The LBD Pinot Noir boasts “complex flavors of cherry and clove” and the finish has hints of pomegranate to it.

Chardonnay

If I decide to go with a white wine I tend to like a good Chardonnay. If you get a Chardonnay that isn’t too oaky with some good flavors of Fall fruit it will pair nicely with many of the flavors in a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The LBD Chardonnay has a accents of vanilla and oak that aren’t overpowering. The LBD website describes the wine as “fruit forward with flavors of apple and pear.”

Pinot Grigio

Finally, I like some spice on my Thanksgiving table. My favorite cranberry sauce is a jalapeno cranberry salsa with a medium heat to it. Pair that spicy cranberry sauce with some wonderful dark meat Turkey and a glass of a crisp and cool Pinot Grigio. The LBD Pinot Grigio boasts “aromas of apple, melon and lemongrass before a zesty tangerine finish.” The not-too-sweet and not-too-acidic wine really went nicely with the cranberry sauce!

 

Thanksgiving Wine Pairings - A Well Crafted Party

 

Learn more about LBD Wines.

Need a cocktail recipe for this year’s Thanksgiving cocktail hour? See my Spiced Pear Cocktail that is easy to make in a batch!

 

What do you plan on serving to drink at your Thanksgiving?

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Spiced Pear Cocktail featuring Wild Roots Vodka - A Well Crafted Party
A Well Crafted Pantry

Saturday Spirits: Spiced Pear Vodka Cocktail

2 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

Cocktails that are easy to create in a batch, friendly to the majority of palettes, and packed full of favorite Fall flavors are perfect for serving at the Thanksgiving holiday. Wild Roots Spirits shared bottles of infused vodka so that I may share a holiday cocktail ready for your Thanksgiving celebrations. While this post is sponsored all opinions are my own. To learn more about my posting policies regarding sponsored posts please visit my policies page. As always, thank you for reading more about the companies that help support this blog. 

 

Biting into a ripe pear is one of the biggest pleasures of the Fall months for me. The bright, crisp flavor of pear combined with the rich spices that are found in so many fall foods (cinnamon, nut meg, all-spice) makes for a wonderful cocktail to serve for a Thanksgiving meal. The cocktail is a perfect start to a Thanksgiving cocktail hour or Friendsgiving cocktail party.

 

Spiced Pear Cocktail featuring Wild Roots Vodka - A Well Crafted Party

Spiced Pear Cocktail featuring Wild Roots Vodka - A Well Crafted Party

 

About Wild Roots: Each bottle of Wild Roots starts with a five-time distilled and five-time filtered grain-based vodka, infused with over a pound of natural Northwest-grown fruit. Their infused vodkas include Apple, Marionberry, Raspberry, and Pear.

 

Single Spiced Pear Vodka Cocktail:

Ingredients/ supplies: 

  • Shaker filled with ice
  • Strainer
  • Martini glass
  • 1 1/4 oz Wild Roots Pear Vodka
  • 2 oz Spiced Pear Juice
  • 1/4 oz Ginger Syrup
  • 2 oz Ginger Ale
  • Pear slices for garnish
  • 3/4 oz Bourbon (Optional) (Bourbon gives this drink great depth of flavor, but if you are looking for a little less alcohol overall then just leave it out.)

Directions:

  1. In a shaker filled with ice pour in the Pear vodka, pear juice, ginger syrup and optional bourbon.
  2. Shake until chilled and mixed well.
  3. Strain into a martini glass.
  4. Top with Ginger Ale
  5. Garnish with Pear Slice and Enjoy!

 

Spiced Pear Cocktail featuring Wild Roots Vodka - A Well Crafted Party

Spiced Pear Cocktail featuring Wild Roots Vodka - A Well Crafted Party

 

Batch Spiced Pear Vodka Cocktail:

For holiday gatherings I really like making larger batches of cocktail mixes so that myself or my guests don’t have to spend the evening playing bartender. I create the base of this recipe and put it in the fridge to chill. Guests simply need to pour into a martini glass and top with the Ginger Ale. This batch makes 8 cocktails.

Ingredients/ supplies: 

  • Pitcher
  • Strainer
  • Martini glasses
  • 10 oz Wild Roots Pear Vodka
  • 16 oz Spiced Pear Juice
  • 2 oz Ginger Syrup
  • 2 oz Ginger Ale per glass – you’ll need 16 oz.
  • 2 oz Water
  • Pear slices for garnish
  • 6 oz Bourbon (Optional) (Bourbon gives this drink great depth of flavor, but if you are looking for a little less alcohol overall then just leave it out.)

Directions:

  1. Pour the pear vodka, pear juice, ginger syrup, water, and optional bourbon into a pitcher.
  2. Stir to mix and place in fridge to chill.
  3. Serve alongside martini glasses pre-garnished with pear slices and ginger ale ready to pour.
  4. Have guests pour in 4 oz of mixture (if there is bourbon) or 3 oz of mixture (without bourbon) and top with two ounces of ginger ale.

 

Spiced Pear Cocktail featuring Wild Roots Vodka - A Well Crafted Party

Cocktail Notes:

I took the easy way out with this cocktail and purchased a spiced pear juice and a ginger syrup (found both at my local New Seasons Market) however, you could totally make your own of both. Creating simple syrups are an easy way to customize a cocktail (and many non-alcoholic beverages). For this cocktail if I didn’t have the spiced pear juice I’d make a ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice simple syrup. If you choose to do this method then reduce your juice to 1 1/2 oz of pear juice and replace the 1/4 oz of ginger syrup with 3/4 oz of this spiced syrup.

Create Your Own Spiced Simple Syrup:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cups sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • nutmeg- freshly ground when possible
  • Fresh peeled ginger
  • 1 teaspoon all spice
  • 5 cloves
  • 5 black peppercorns

Directions:

  1. Combine sugar, water, and spice items into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently.
  2. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat so that the mixture simmers for approximately 10 minutes.
  3. Turn off heat and let cool completely.
  4. Strain the spiced syrup into an airtight container.
  5. Spiced simple syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to one month.

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