Embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving with a low-cost, custom centerpiece that highlights fall colors and symbols. With some creativity and shopping smarts, your fall centerpiece will look like a work of art that features flowers and foliage in shades of amber, gold, orange, crimson red, sage, brown and peach. Save money by purchasing realistic silk fall flowers, leaves and other materials, rather than breaking your budget on fresh flowers and expensive vases. Guests will have no idea you spent next to nothing to create a colorful, yet elegant Thanksgiving display. You’ll stay on budget in future years by re-using your silk flowers and other items, when the holidays arrive again
Items Needed:
Pumpkin: Pumpkins go on sale halfway through November as fall gradually turns into winter. Buy your pumpkin within a few days before Thanksgiving to get the lowest cost. You’ll need a medium-sized pumpkin costing $3.50 or less. Stores often mark down blemished pumpkins, so consider purchasing one of these. You can easily hide the blemishes with other decorations. 10 Silk Roses: Look for discounted silk flowers at the craft store or Walmart. Silk Leaves: Buy 10 or more silk fall leaves or collect real fall leaves from outdoors. Glue: Any type of household glue will work, but if you need to buy glue you can find it for less than .89 cents at Walmart.
Gather your centerpiece essentials and get ready to craft an autumn display that makes your Thanksgiving table warm and inviting.
Instructions
On Thanksgiving, cut a circle on top of your pumpkin, around the stem about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Throw away the stem and scoop out the pulp and seeds from the pumpkin. Add this to recipes or recycle it in your compost bin. Lightly salted and baked pumpkin seeds are a low-cost treat for everyone.
Glue real or silk fall leaves in random places on the exterior of the pumpkin to hide any blemishes. You can also glue additional leaves around the border of the opening at the top of the pumpkin or scatter leaves on the table around the exterior of the pumpkin.
Use scissors to cut the stems of your silk flowers down to the desired size. You may need to cut the stems a few times and experiment with placement until you achieve the results you want. Measure twice and cut once to avoid cutting your stems too short on the first try. The bottom of the thick stems should stand firmly upright in the flesh of the pumpkin. Place each one of your flowers in the centerpiece until it’s full of blooms.
Sources:
http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/entertaining/thanksgiving-table-settings-1108
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/thanksgiving-ideas/15-minute-centerpieces
http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/holidays-occasions/pumpkin-floral-fall-centerpiece-00417000075463/