NEW YORK -- Libby Langdon, expert commentator on HGTV's 'Small Space, Big Style' and former host of FOX's 'Design Invasion,' has come up with a few easy-to-do decoration ideas sure to dress up any Thanksgiving celebration. Whether you are entertaining a large group or having a quiet dinner with your family, Langdon's tips will help you add some panache and cheer to your home.

Place cards

Pinecone Place Card Holders:

Collect pinecones from your, or your neighbor's, yard and place a single small card with the guest's name on it at their place, resting it on a folded napkin. It's simple but adds a special touch.

Indian Corn Husk Place Cards:

Buy Indian corn cobs, making sure the dried husks are still attached to the top of the cob. With a quality black or dark green pen, write each guests name on the husk. Place them on each place setting at the table.

"Thankful" Stone Place Cards and Centerpiece:

Buy a bag of smooth river rocks from your local garden center or home improvement store. Write each guests name with a black marker pen on a stone and place them on napkins at each table setting.

Fill a large glass bowl or vase with the remaining river stones and a glass of black sharpie pens on a buffet. When guests arrive, ask them to write what they are thankful for in one word on a stone (they can do as many as they like). Have the table set with a runner down the center, and put patches of moss on top of the runner. Ask guests to place their "thankful stones" down the center of the table in and around the moss.

Complete the table setting by adding loads of little white votive candles in clear glass holders to create a warm glow. This is a fun idea because the stones double as place cards. It's also a conversation starter that gets people talking at the table about what they are thankful for.

Candle decorations

Artichoke Candles:

Snip one and a half inches off the top of a green or purple artichoke, trim the sharp pointed edges of the outer leaves, and cut the base stem so the artichoke will sit on the table. Push open the leaves at the top with a fork and nestle in a votive candle with about three-quarters of an inch of the candle sticking out the top of the artichoke. Place several of them down the center of the table for a centerpiece or incorporate them with another centerpiece. The next day, you can cook the artichokes so they don't go to waste!

Cinnamon Stick Candle:

Take a low pillar candle and stick two rows of clear double stick tape around it. Then surround the candle with whole cinnamon sticks placed vertically side-by-side (the tape will keep them in place just long enough for you secure them with a ribbon). Tie a rust orange satin ribbon around the candle to secure cinnamon sticks and nestle in a sprig of fresh rosemary at the knot of the ribbon. This fragrant candle is wonderful for your table but is also great on a side table in the living room or entryway. This also works well substituting small twigs or brightly colored fall leaves around the candle in place of the cinnamon sticks.

Ribbon Pillar Candles:

A fast way to dress up plain pillar candles is to wrap it first with a wide solid satin, grosgrain or plaid ribbon with fall colors. Then secure the wide ribbon with a narrow, single-knotted ribbon, nestling in a sprig of wheat or dried grass at the knot.

Centerpieces

White Pumpkin Centerpiece over a Woven Ribbon Cloth Cover:

Place a table protector or mat on your dining table and set your tablecloth over it. Buy rolls of ribbon in various widths and in different fall colors. Cut several long pieces of ribbon the same width and length of your tablecloth. Lay out the ribbons one at a time length ways and width ways and spaced apart on the tablecloth about five to seven inches. Weaving the ribbons over and under each other until you have a large woven ribbon pattern that goes on top of your tablecloth. Secure the ribbons at the edge of the table by pushing straight pins (with the small colored heads) through the ribbon, through the tablecloth and into the table protector or mat.

For the centerpiece, set out white pumpkins and gourds of various sizes, and weave pepper berry vines between them. Place lots of glass white votives in and around the pumpkins. They will reflect a glowing white candlelight and be a wonderful contrast to the bright woven ribbon runner tablecloth.

Fall Feather Swags and Centerpiece:

Group together magnolia leaves, pepper berries and pinecones (they can be wired together or simply arranged together on the table in three places -- one large grouping in the center and two smaller "swags" on either end). Once they are arranged on the table, insert brown and tan feathers, all lengths, into the groupings. You can also add in sprigs of dried wheat or sea grass or use an eggplant-colored felt runner under the centerpiece and swags for an extra hit of contrasting color.

Modern Fall Table Bowls:

Fill low glass or silver bowls with baby artichokes, acorns and polished stones (you can also use pinecones or moss). Intersperse natural vines between the bowls on the table and add lots of white votive candles.

Quick and Easy Leaf Garland:

Send your children outside to gather lots of dried fall leaves that still have the stems on them. Have them attach the stems of the leaves to narrow chocolate brown or dark green ribbon with small gold brass paper clips. Hang the garland over a mirror, fireplace, or attach it to a chandelier over the dining room table.

White Pumpkin Vase:

Cut a five- to six-inch opening in a medium-sized white pumpkin and scoop out the pulp. Place a small vase, plastic cup or tall, quart Tupperware inside the pumpkin and fill with water and add bright-colored lilies or flowers, fall leaves and twigs. The contrast of bright fall colors against a gleaming white pumpkin is bea.jpgul.

Natural Fall Runner Centerpieces:

Buy a few long, narrow trays that fit under a window box planter at your local garden store or home improvement store. Line the bottom of the trays with a layer of greenery or moss. Layer pomegranates, pears and pinecones on top of the greenery, and place pillar candles of varying heights between them. Garnish the rest of the tray with uncracked nuts, acorns and kumquats. Place the trays in the center of your table to add color and warm candlelight to your meal. They can later be re-used by setting them along the top of your fireplace mantle for instant, dramatic decor.

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