Katie Saro has spent her life thrifting, hunting through garage sales and antique shopping, so it was no wonder Joanna Gaines picked her for the Magnolia Network's The Art of Vintage program. It also made her a great person to share her top budget decor tips for the holiday season with HELLO! for our Thanksgiving issue, starring Prue Leith on our digital cover.
Read more from our Thanksgiving digital issue about Al Roker's family reunion
"Thanksgiving is all about entertaining," Katie told HELLO! She suggested fresh flowers and smaller items from thrift stores. "I always say that your home should be your canvas - and composing vintage in a room is an art."
Think of the little things...
Even on a budget, little things can make a meal feel special. Cloth napkins with napkin rings and a tablecloth with simple candlelight can go a long way.
Katie shares her top decor tips
Dress up a simple linen tablecloth with thrifted lace curtains as an overlay, to create a creative and unique first layer of your table.
Since everyone will use the water pitcher, make that experience special with a beautiful vessel and fresh cut lemon and mint. (Or better yet, a funky vintage jug that’s both art and useful.)
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Pick what you're drawn to...
I'd encourage you to just start; thrifting is an art, not a science. The best thing about thrift stores or flea markets is that the vintage is inexpensive, so there's little risk to experimenting.
In a new furniture showroom, the store is trying to tell you what kind of furniture and decor you like. But not in a thrift store! There you have the freedom to just pick out what you are drawn to without any sort of assumptions or rules.
Maybe you found a little old chair but you thought it was a plant stand and now you have a cool old plant stand. Maybe you found an amazing burlwood conference table that was once sold at an office supply store decades ago, but you think it's lovely and now it's your new dining table and you don't care that it was meant for an executive boardroom in the 1980s.
Vintage Large Desimone Sunshine Jug, $165, Chairish
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Remember the guests...
Thanksgiving is all about entertaining. I think fresh flowers or fresh cut fall branches add so much to not just the way a room looks, but the way a room feels for your guests, (which is more important than looks!)
I love to thrift any sort of vintage vessel or cup or pot that I think is beautiful, and on holidays I set them all out and fill them with simple arrangements. Then I can give them to the guests when they leave as a vintage keepsake of a time well spent.
Magnolia Antiqued Metal Taper Candelabra Brass Finish, $29.99, Target
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Have one big moment...
One big statement centrepiece doesn't have to be expensive. Place a candelabra surrounded by a wreath of foraged greenery for a simple and inexpensive look.
Just make it interesting and bold enough to spark conversation.
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