Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadian friends and family.  In honour of our holiday feast, I am giving you all a little gift.  Instructions on how to create your own table decorations for your feast this weekend…..

Mini Gourd Tea Light Candles 

I am all about cheap and DIY.  Mind you, I draw the line at wanting to build/make my own car, it would take me an eternity and I am sure, not at all road worthy.  

But there are some things that you can create in less than 10 minutes for pennies rather than paying 10 bucks at a store for the same item.  These are the cutest little tea light gourds that are perfectly suited to gracing your Thanksgiving table this year. 

All you need are some small, decorative gourds that are in abundance now that Fall is here.  I picked these up at my local Farmer’s Market for .50 each… a definite bargain, and some tea light candles.

I already have an Ikea sized package of tea light candles.  So many that I don’t think I could ever go through the whole bag in my lifetime, of which they were $3.99 a pkg.  I could probably have made a barrel full of these candle holders for all the candles I have around.

Here is how you make these festive candle holders….

Step 1:  Wash the gourds and pat dry and place on a paper towel.

Step 2:  With a sharp paring knife, trace the outline of a tea light candle in the top of the gourd, making sure it is centered. 

Step 3:  With the paring knife, carefully poke down and slice through the skin of the gourd following the outline you traced.  Pry the top piece off making sure as to not damage the sides of the opening.

Step 4:  Using a grapefruit knife, scrape all around the inside of the gourd to dislodge the seeds and stringy pulp.  Use a spoon to help dig the seeds and pulp out.  Wash the gourd inside and out and pat dry.

Step 5:  Carefully install the tea light candle, don’t push too hard or you will shove it right down inside.  You may have to use the paring knife to make slight adjustments to the opening so the tea light fits snugly.

Step 6:  Light and enjoy your new centerpiece!

Literally, this was done in less than 10 minutes and cost me approximately about .55 each.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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