9 green Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas

Thanksgiving Day is around the corner! Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.

Article taken off mnn.com

9 green Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas

Dressing the table is as important as dressing the turkey on Thanksgiving day. Try one of these easy, eco-friendly ideas for your holiday feast.



You can’t enter a store this time of year without being bombarded with holiday music and tacky decorations. As an interior designer, those tacky decorations really get my goat because I know that simple decorations look so much nicer. Contrary to what’s sold in the stores, there are many easy and elegant holiday decorations that can be made from things we already own, or can be easily purchased and reused. Here is a group of natural Thanksgiving centerpieces that look elegant and don't cost much.

1. Put leftover clear glass florist vases to good use by filling them with mini-pumpkins, pinecones or berries. Often, these inexpensive vases get tossed out or pushed to the backs of closets, but they can definitely be put to great use. Small vases can be clustered together or use a large vase for a singular statement. If you’re looking for a crafts project, you can wrap the vases with raffia or cornhusks and glue into place for a customized look.

2. Hollow out a smallish pumpkin to create a beautiful, seasonal vase. Fill with seasonal flowers such as mums or red and orange gerbera daisies.

3. From the pages of Better Homes & Gardens: Hot glue the heads of mums directly onto small pumpkins for a unique look. Place a few down the center of the table in different color combinations. These will make easy-to-see-over centerpieces and you can use less -than-perfect pumpkins to boot!

4. Also from Better Homes & Gardens: If you have an acorn tree in your yard, start collecting the fallen acorns early in the season. These can be hot glued onto an old basket or dish and used as a natural-looking container for a centerpiece. If you wish, you can also gild the lily by spray painting the acorns with a metallic paint and filling a clear glass bowl with the tiny golden nuggets.

5. From Fresh Home: Scoop out a round shallow hole in apples or pears and place a tea light candle inside for some festive lighting around the table. These are so tiny that each guest can have their own.

6. Fill a vintage metal pie plate or baking pan with apples and cinnamon sticks and a few flowers. It's an easy and quick centerpiece that can eventually turn into a real pie!

7. An idea from Southern Living: If you’ve had a relatively small tree come down in your yard, don’t just send the logs through the chipper. Cut 4-6” rounds for natural looking bases of varying heights to prop up centerpieces. Just make sure the wood is free of insects and is relatively clean.

8. From Good Housekeeping: Create a citrus-scented centerpiece by thinly slicing lemons and oranges, drying them in a 250 degree oven and then apply to thick pillar candles with hot glue. The warmth of the candles will release a gentle scent throughout the evening.

9. Also from Good Housekeeping: For a down-home, rustic-looking centerpiece, empty out a box of Clementines and loosely wrap the box with natural burlap, stapling in the inside base to secure. Spike the fruit with whole cloves in the manner of an old-fashioned pomander and refill the box. A spicy orange scent will fill the air nicely.

Decorating Centrepieces With Flea Market Finds

Learn how to find and use centerpieces from flea markets to decorate your home!

Fresh Fruits As Centrepieces

Simple, nice to look at, plus, they're actually good for you.



Article taken off interiordec.about.com

How To Use Fresh Fruit For A Centerpiece

Difficulty: Easy

What You Need:

Container
One or many types of very fresh fruit
Leaves
A small towel or foam pad
Scissors or clippers

Here's How:

Look at your room's or table's color scheme and decide what fruits will look best. Citrus run yellow, orange, and green. Apples, grapes, persimmon, pomegranates are reds, purple, and pink.

Select a container that will allow the fruits to show. A clear footed bowl will stand off the table and the fruits will show through the glass. A decorative bowl will allow the fruits to show only at the top. You decide what will be best for your setting.

Measure the height and width of the container. You'll need to buy enough fruit to fill it generously.
Select the chosen fruit at a grocery store or farmer's market. Stick to inexpensive basics for filling the container. You might see some unusual fruits that you had not thought of, like star fruit, kiwi, or mangoes. If there is something interesting that will enhance your color scheme, buy one or two for accents.

Find fruit with leaves or cut some greenery from bushes around your home. You'll use these to fill in the gaps between the fruit. Be sure to rinse and dry the leaves before placing them in the arrangement.

Place a small pad or small folded towel in the bottom of your container to protect delicate fruit. If the container is clear, be sure to camouflage the pad with leaves. If the container is opaque, you can build up the bottom to save on fruit.

Carefully arrange the fruits in the container. Save the best looking pieces for the top where they'll show the most. If the pieces do not stay in place, secure them to each other with a few toothpicks.

Arrange sprigs of leaves between the fruits at all layers and insert some nice sprigs between the fruits on the top.

Place the finished arrangement in its intended place. This type of arrangement can be easily moved from room to room as needed.

Check the arrangement regularly and replace rotting or withering fruits as needed.
Do not eat the fruit when you disassemble the arrangement. Dispose of the pieces as they age.

Tips:

Select fruits that coordinate with your room or table linens.

Make an arrangement of all one type of fruit for a color statement or select different varieties of fruit for extra interest and texture.

If you can do it easily, place the arrangement in a refrigerator or other cool place when not on display. This will keep it fresh longer and retard rotting.

Check daily for freshness and replace the fading fruit.