So it’s nearly Thanksgiving and you’re hosting dinner for your family and friends. The turkey is in the fridge, your finest silver is polished and clean, you’ve got autumnal decorations strung up around the house and now you just need to think of one last finishing touch to really put the fancy in this party’s pants.

In that case, we’d like to call your attention to the noble place card. These decorative seat designators are often used for more formal events, like banquets and receptions, but recently they’ve begun to infiltrate more casual get-togethers – probably because they give hosts an excuse to show off their craftsmanship while providing guests some treats to nibble on before the meal is served. As it so happens, we came up some awesome Hay Bale and Candy Acorn place cards that you can use to impress your guests on Turkey Day this year.

These seasonal place settings are super-easy to make and are a delicious way to gussie up your already awesome Thanksgiving dinner. Here’s how you can make a set for your guests.

What You’ll Need

Rice Krispies Hay Bales

6 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
10oz Mini Marshmallows
3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Tube Yellow Frosting

Candy Acorns

1 Bag Hershey Kisses
1 Box Mini Vanilla Wafers
1 Bag Peanut Butter Chips or Butterscotch Chips

Place Settings

These Printable Place Cards (from Martha Stewart)

Cream-Colored Card Stock
Wood Smoking Planks (We got ours at a dollar store)
Red Napkins

Directions

The Krispies Hay Bales

Melt the butter in a large sauce pan on “low” heat. When the butter is melted, pour in the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are completely melted. Pour in the Rice Krispies. Continue to stir until the entire mixture is coated in marshmallow. Pour it out into a greased pan. Press with spatula until it’s smooth on top. Let it cool for an hour.

Cut the cool Rice Krispies Treats into squares. Cover them with strings of yellow icing – like really coat them. And Voila! You’ve got a hay bale. You clever farmer, you.

Note: You don’t have to use icing to make your hay bales. You can also drizzle butterscotch on the Rice Krispy Treats, or smear them in peanut butter and roll them in toasted coconut. Whatever stuffs your Turkey.

The Candy Acorns

Start by making the acorn tops. Melt a handful of your candy chips in a glass bowl in the microwave. Using a Q-Tip or a butter knife, apply some of the melted chocolate to the bottom of a fresh, un-melted candy chip. Stick that chip on the top of a wafer. Let it set for a few minutes to cool. Repeat this process a few dozen times.

When your acorn tops are cool, it’s time to assemble the final products. Reheat your chip-glue in the microwave until it’s liquefied. Dip the bottom of a Hershey Kiss in the candy glue. Attach a wafer. Let them cool in the fridge before serving.

These things are kind of a chore to make, especially if you’ve got a lot of guests attending your party, so don’t be afraid to ask your friends/family help you out with the prep before the big day. Otherwise, give yourself a few hours to make all of the acorns that you’ll need.

Note: For realistic color variation, you can alternate between using standard Hershey Kisses and Pumpkin Hershey Kisses.

Putting It All Together

Once your hay bales and acorns are built and ready to go, all you need to do is arrange them on the wood slats and then place your name cards on a red napkin directly to the right of the tray. It’s seriously that easy. You might want to consider adding a small pile of candy corn to the tray for color, but otherwise all you need to do is sit back, relax and enjoy an awesome Thanksgiving Dinner.

Share Your Thanksgiving Dinner Décor

Have you figured out a clever way to incorporate candy into your Thanksgiving dinner? Then let us know in the comments below! You could be featured on our blog and social networks, because we’re cool like that.

Happy Turkey Day,

The CandyStore.com Team