Vintage Thanksgiving Decor: Accessories

In the last post I presented a total mid century Thanksgiving decor immersion.  The colors and styling of Early American decor (and shaggalistic 1970s) is spot on Autumn.  Clearly we can't ( and don't want to) fully redecorate our home, furniture, rugs, and wall coverings but we can certainly work some of the small details to our liking.
During the 1950-60s, there were a lot of cook ware and kitchen accessories that had a copper color to them, which is very autumn looking to me.  These West bend canisters seen above take it up an Early American notch by having colonial clip art on them!  I could see repurposing the canisters as vases or to hold flatware and napkins for Thanksgiving dinner.

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Of course I love vintage Paint by numbers!  Any with fall scenes would be perfect.  I also see reproduction prints/paintings of cabins and fall landscapes from the 1970s at thrifts.  Amateur paintings are nice to mix in there also.

These two samples of Early American fabric are adorable for little table covers or to place under centerpieces.

I am sure we have all seen mid century massed produced wall decor just like these and passed them by at thrifts.  But oh my gosh, now my eyes are open to the possibilities!  I have also seen wall plaques (plastic and chalkware) like these of butter churns and bellows.

And since Thanksgiving is really about eating why not serve the meal on vintage dishware that is Autumn themed/colored?

Libbey "Golden Foliage" glasses are Fall perfect!

Corelle "Butterfly Gold" print dishes from the 1970s  would be excellent to serve your Thanksgiving oink fest on.  There are also pyrex bowls, mostly from the 1970s, that have perfect fall colors and themes (cross stitch, wheat stalks), but because it's pyrex it may be harder to come across at a good price.  I do see singly pieces of interesting vintage dishware at thrifts and estate sales all the time that could work for Thanksgiving dinnerware, whether it be colors or prints. I say mix and match!
During the month of November display the dishes or use them as creative decor, a platter full of pine cones as a centerpiece or make a pedestal out of a plate and mug.  Using the pieces as decorative accents could fill in the time until you thrift enough pieces for all the place settings you need.


  I mentioned in the last post that I wrote up a list of  Thanksgiving/Autumn objects and themes to help me grasp the look.  Here is my list for you to ponder as well:

Items:
Corn stalks, acorns, leaves, pine cones, straw,  pumpkins, sweetgum balls, wicker, wood, bark, burlap, nuts, scarecrows, crows, squirrels, woodland critters, Indians, tee pees, pilgrims, turkeys, wish bones, cornucopia, fall colors, granny style (quilts, crochet)

Other themes include:
Macy's Parade, Feast accoutrements (turkey, cranberry, pumpkin pie, etc.), farms, mountains, cabins

Now let's apply all of this inspiration and get to decorating!
 First start with what you already have on hand that's vintage and fits the bill.  Next see what you can scrounge off of Mother Nature.  Then visit thrifts to pick up interesting Fall bits.  Some may be vintage such as dishes but they also have items that while modern they are classic and timeless (such as artificial Fall leaves).  If you are able to pull together enough awesome stuff then you can go forward and decorate your home all up turkey town.  But I still feel we are left with two last considerations: DIY and buying true signature vintage pieces.
There are some super cute vintage Thanksgiving crafts out there that can still be made today with some ingenuity.  As for buying vintage Thanksgiving just head over to ebay or etsy and see what they have.  I do this a lot for inspiration for stuff I may be able to make myself or just to keep an eye out at estate sales or thrift stores for.  Finally, pick out a few signature items that really speak to you (and are reasonably priced!).
I know that by the time you are reading this post it will be kinda too late to gorge yourself with Thanksgiving vintage decor, but that's ok, because you don't need another thing to do at this time of year.  Save this idea and work on it all through the next year. It takes time to seek out these pieces.   In those regards I am actually hipping you to this a year early! Nearly all estate sales will have a holiday decor area no matter the time of year and keep your eyes open for Fall themes that are not necessarily Thanksgiving, such as Melmac dishes with Autumn leaves decorating the rim!

Study Guide:
{Check out my Pinterest section Gobble, Gobble Decor Accessories for a ton more inspirational items and ideas!}

Next up a few Fall Crafties!