It's the Holidays - Make a Tablescape

It's almost Thanksgiving and Christmas will be right around the corner as well. You can make a gorgeous centerpiece for your table that can work for both Holidays. Wow your company with your talblescape or bring it as a hostess gift if someone else is preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

Start by checking your newspapers for the sales in craft stores.

Supplies Needed:

Evergreen bough,
Plastic fruit,
Orange and yellow Mums
Pine Cones
Florist Wire
Glue Gun
Glue Sticks
French Ribbon
Leaves

Most of the stores that sell crafts already have greatly reduced seasonal merchandise. Michael's and JoAnn's have their Holiday items reduced already. You can pick up a evergreen spray for $1.99. For the Thanksgiving theme Michael's has it's orange and yellow mums at 70% off. If you can't find any left there go to The Dollar Store. You can also pick up plastic fruits and spray them gold. Wire these to your Evergreen spray. If you want you can glue gun them to the bough instead. If you live in an area where you get fall leaves, pick the prettiests ones and iron them between 2 sheets of wax apaper then you can glue them into your arrangement for more color.If you plan on using it as a wall hanging make a little loop of wire in the back. Add a long length of French ribbon tied in a bow and it willlook great on a wall or leave the bow off to use this on your table. You can make two of these and have them pointing in opposite directions if you have a long dining room table. If you live in the country snip your own Evergreen boughs and pick up some pine cones to add to the creation. If you have odd ornaments aruond these wowrk well with the Christmas themed arrangements.

For a similar theme buy a styrofoam cone and glue the fruit and pine cones all around the cone. Either glue the cone into a base or let it stand on it's own.. You can get a tall , medium and short cone and do a centerpiece of three cones. Encircle the project with nice French ribbon tucking the ends in at top and bottm. You can use a straight pin to keep the ends if the ribbon secure.You can use fake Mums again, snap or cut the head off the stems leaving a short piece to simply push into the foam.

Supplies Needed:

Styrofoam Cones
Straight Pins
Plastic Fruit
Pine Cones
Fake Mums
French Ribbon

To transform these Thanksgiving creations into a Christmas centerpiece, remove the Mums and if the ribbon has an Autumn feel, remove that as well. Replace the ribbon with a Christmas themed length of ribbon and put artificial Poinsettas in place of the mums. The artificial Poinsettas are on sale at MIchael's right now so thes projects will be extremely inexpensive. While shopping for the styrofoam check out the different shapes, it might give you even more ideas.

Both these concepts can be applied to wreaths as well. Craft stores sell simple styrofoam wreaths. You can also use styrofoam balls decorated for the season. You can pick up a large one and apply the same look to this for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Cover the ball with small pine cones using a glue gun. Wrap your French ribbon around the ball leaving a length at the top for a loop and a bow. If you have time on your hands you can make a few of these and put them in a nice bowl in the center of your table. Make enough so that each guest can take one home. Use cool glue , it's easier to work with.

If you can find a long branch of Evergreen take about four or five of these if they are thick enough. Wire them together with the woody bases overlapping. COver this with French ribbon. Glue in your pine cones or wire each pine cone to a stick and then wire this into the branches. Glue your fruit or Mums on the branches (Poinsetta if you're doing Christmas) and you have a beutiful piece to hang above a doorway.

Many dollar stores and craft stores carry tiny Christmas lights that run on batteries. If you can find these you can run them through these creations and give them a real sparkle.

Anyone you make these for will be truly impressed. They will really impress as part of a tablescape. They are easy, clever and make a statement without being too pricey..