Leafing through a home decoration magazine recently, I came across an extraordinary picture of a chandelier made from minipumpkin gourds fastened between long lines of strung cranberries. A rather grand representation of what’s possible for decorating this Thanksgiving season, the image was as inspiring as it was challenging.

After all, this holiday causes us to realize nature’s bounty doesn’t only come in the form of culinary delights. Even if you have only a

few minutes to decorate your table for the Thanksgiving feast, take a moment to go out into the yard, fields and woods to collect some elements that will make your holiday more enduring than the feast itself.

Decorations can be as simple as gathering some bittersweet vine and weaving it through a few candles and gourds, or they may be more elaborate. Here are a few ideas that may can make an ordinary table more vibrant and festive:

Make a simple, quick-and-easy cone and pod wreath to be used as a wall hanging or centerpiece to surround a pumpkin or attractive flower arrangement. Start by cutting a “donut” out of sturdy corrugated cardboard. Use a large plate or a compass to draw a circle 10-12 inches in diameter. This line will indicate the outer edge of your wreath. Trace an inner hole 4-5 inches in diameter. Cut along the lines with a knife or craft blade until you have your wreath base donut.

Cover the donut with moss if you like, or leave it plain, but the idea is to cover the surface with cones, dried berries and pods found in the area around your home. Use white glue to attach the dried materials to each other and to the cardboard base. Strip off the petals from a few pine cones and glue them to the inner and outer edges of the donut for a finished effect. Build the wreath with smaller pine cones, milkweed, rhododendron seed pods, acorns, hemlock cones, teasel heads, money plant seed pods, grain seed heads and any other pleasing material you can find.

Dab each item with glue and shape the wreath until the cardboard is completely unexposed.

If you decorate your Thanksgiving table with candles, why not craft some unusual candlestick holders of minipumpkin gourds from the garden? Core a hole the size of the base of an 8-inch taper candle in the center of each pumpkin gourd. The hard little buggers will require a very sharp knife and a firm hand, since they tend to resist cutting and roll away. Leave or remove the inner seeds, whichever you prefer. Insert the candle for instant function.

If you craft these holiday decorations a few days before the feast, simply store them in a cool room or in the refrigerator to reduce spoilage. Remove them from cool storage the morning of the festivities so they will reach room temperature and avoid producing condensation during the meal.

Use acorns and seed pods you’ve gathered to accent the base of the gourds with texture. Select some colorful dried flowers – strawflowers, money plant and Chinese lanterns are excellent choices – to add color.

For added dimension, weave gold-painted jute twine throughout your work. Lightly paint walnuts and pecans with gold spray and arrange them around the centerpiece as well.

To spruce up each individual table setting, create a tentlike place card for each family member or guest with some simple materials. Cut one 4 by 6 inch piece of buff-colored cardstock for each guest. Holding the card vertically (with the 4-inch margins at top and bottom), mark a line across the middle of each card. Using a knife or razor blade, lightly score each card along the line, being careful not to cut through the entire thickness of the paper. Fold each place card along the scored line.

Using a felt-tip pen or thin marker, write the name of each guest in the center on one side of the card. Puncture two small holes in the bottom center of each card and thread the ends of a thin ribbon through each hole. Tie a bow in the center and decorate the card by gluing on small dried flowers, seed pods and berries.

With the table complete, the Thanksgiving meal will be superb. Long after the memory of delicious food and sense of overindulgence have faded, the beautiful setting will linger on.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, RR1, Box 2120, Montville 04941, or e-mail them to dianagc@ctel.net. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.