Turkey Thursday: Part 2: The Decor

For my next installment of Thanksgiving previews, I am turning my sights on our Thanksgiving Day decor. A few weeks ago, I whipped out some fall-themed decorations that are still on display and will remain there through Thanksgiving. So, my sights are primarily set on the table decor. My color scheme for this Turkey Day is going to be orange, plum, white, green, with a tiny bit of brown. I chose those colors because we already have an art piece from CB2 in the dining room that has those colors in it, so I figure buying things that supports that color scheme is the most practical in the long run. From Thanksgiving past, I already have some brown napkins that I will again use. I also have our white china and additional white dishes that will be the plates. I have already bought some green (think olivey green) chargers from Target for $5 for 4 of them, so they will be the bases under the plates. Which means, essentially, I need some sort of centerpiece, napkin rings, and maybe a table runner.
Here are my ideas so far:

1. CB

2. DIY napkin ring from Making It Lovely

3. Pier 1

4. Crate and Barrel

middle image: Hostess with the Mostess

With an occasion like this, I attempt to divide our needs into three categories: things I can DIY, things that I should go ahead and purchase so I will have them for future occasions, and things that I should just let go! Right now, I am thinking I am going to purchase the placemats (#1) becasue I think they are things we will most likely and most frequently use. I am hoping to make my own napkin rings, maybe something like #2 or something even easier by covering toilet paper rolls segments with scrapbook paper. If I run out of time, Pier 1 it is for something like #3! Finally, I want a plum table runner of some sort, but could not find one anywhere. For now, I have thought of buying a few of these Crate and Barrel napkins and putting them together to form a runner. Honestly, this seems like the most wasteful project, both time and money wise, so I am really hoping to find some fun scrapbook paper that I could use instead.

Finally, my centerpiece...I love the idea of using candles. I don't know why. It just seems so cozy. While I like the look of the above image, I am currently leaning towards not using letters on my candles, but instead just wrapping each candle with a pretty paper and ribbon in my color scheme. My logic is purely economical; by doing that, I will not have to buy nearly as many candles. White pillar candles are always a necessity, so I can justify buying a handful or so, but I don't know if I need 12 of them sitting around...ya know?

So, what do you all think? Do you DIY your entertaining or buy whatever you need?