If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year (or just want to set a pretty Fall table), I’m sharing a simple centerpiece you can throw together in just a few minutes, using items you may already have around the house.

I always like to start with a dark table cloth. It’s an instant dramatic backdrop for whatever you later on top–and works great with everyday white plates.

I started with an inexpensive garland I picked up at Target. (It’s no longer available on their site but I linked to some other pretty Fall options near the bottom of the post.) I like to run it the width of the table so that hangs down and so that it doesn’t get in the way of place settings at the ends.

The garland was a little sparse, so I tucked in a few magnolia branches. (You could really use any green from your yard or just buy some filler at the grocery.) I then strategically placed apples and pears for more Fall color.

I finished up with a couple of taper candle holders. So simple and you can actually leave everything in place while you eat and converse across the table.

Here’s the quick step-by-step process:

See more of our dining area and the lighting update we recently did here.