Great Table Decor

By: Colleen Mullaney

Decorate your tables beautifully this Thanksgiving season. Fruits, berries and leaves are all you need this season for an amazing looking table accent. Colleen Mullaney, author of "It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere and Faux Fabulous Florals" shows us how to make these accents.

Materials:

1 stem yellow oak leaves
3 stems autumnal berries
Floral wire
Decorative tumbler
Quick Water solution

Steps:

Cut berry clusters and gather into a tight bunch.
Border berries with a collar of oak leaves, wrapping leaves around the bunch with the right sides facing outward. Adjust the leaves so that they are symmetrical and even. Wrap tightly and secure with floral wire.
Pour Quick Water solution in separate container and mix well. Pour into tumbler slowly and fill two-thirds full.
Place in a cool dry place to set, following manufacturer’s instructions. Carefully place tussie-mussie in glass so it stands straight up.

At your place

Waste not, want not. Use your leftover blooms, berries, ribbons, vines and other materials and fashion them into napkin rings. This is a great use of blooms that have broken from their wires or stems or of small clusters of berries that were extras. Follow your theme from centerpiece to napkin rings, adding a finishing touch to your affair.

Falling leaves: Using a gold glitter pen, write your guests’ names on mania tags. Attach a small cluster of leaves together with string. Thread string, with its cluster of leaves, through hole in tag and tie around napkin.

Olives: Glue small sprig of olives and leaves to grapevine ring, with the stems facing in one direction. Trim off excess stems and glue to grapevine ring. Place second sprig with stems facing opposite direction, clip stems and glue to secure. With brown grosgrain ribbon, tie center in a decorative knot to hide stems

Berry cluster: Form a small cluster of berries and tie together with floral wire. Tie cluster to grapevine ring with decorative piece of raffia string.

Spider mum: Cut flower from wire stem just below head. Glue onto small grapevine ring.

Adding a few fall or autumnal accents to your table is easy and inexpensive, with smashing results. Florals, accents and other pieces can be found at Michaels and HomeGoods stores. Photos are available of these products.