You don’t need to spend a fortune on a formal Thanksgiving centerpiece for your holiday table…just be a little brave and do-it-yourself. I am lucky and have a garden full of flowers, but the frost has gotten them now, so I’ll do what you can do. Every grocery store and discount store has a flower display with bouquets under $10 — buy one or two. While your at it pick up a few of those cute little mini pumpkins.
You don’t need to just stuff them into a vase and be done — boring and too tall for your table anyway. I am a big fan of little buckets, mason jars, and even using a small cleaned out pumpkin for my vase. Don’t worry about being to formal in how you arrange the flowers, but here are a few tips to help you.
- Make sure your vase or the vessel you are using for your table is low — no one likes to have to look around flowers that are too tall — save those for a buffet table.
- Don’t let your flowers sit around after you bring them home create your arrangements right away if possible — if you need to trim the bottom of the stems and make sure you get them in cool water ASAP.
- Fill your sink with water when you are ready to start — I put my flowers in the water when I cut them.
- Fill your vase, jar, pumpkin or other vessel with water and add some flower food to make them last better.
- Don’t be too fussy about the exact length to cut your flowers — I use the vase or vessel as a guide as to how much to cut. You want an uneven, loose arrangement.
- For a more formal look cut all of your flowers so that the blooms rest on the lip of a short square or round vase packing them tightly. Ribbons and/or lace tied around the vase are a nice addition.
- Work in uneven groups of 3 or 5 — depending on how big your table is 3 or 5 low, small bouquets will balance your table.
- Use mini pumpkins, gourds and candles for additional decorations for your table.
- If you use a small pumpkin as your vase — after you have cleaned it out you may want to use a small round container inside to avoid leaks — which I didn’t do last year and regretted.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!
Keep it simple and enjoy!
-Mary
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