At this time of the year, one can't help but marvel at nature's bounty. Not only are we gifted with the autumn harvest for our plates, we're also given some of the most impressive ingredients for decorating our homes, easily and inexpensively.
Just take a simple, plump pumpkin for starters. Here are some ways to incorporate pumpkins into your autumn decorating scheme when entertaining:
- Use a pumpkin as a vase for seasonal flowers by cutting off the top, scooping out the insides and inserting floral foam that has been cut to fit and soaked in water prior to adding flowers.
- Create a seasonal arrangement using a pumpkin as the central ingredient and surrounding it with Indian corn, gourds, dried flowers, and stalks of wheat.
- Use miniature pumpkins as candle holders by cutting off top the top and scooping out the inside. If necessary for safety, cut off a small slice from the bottom of the pumpkins to level them before adding candles. Group the pumpkins in the center of your table, with a variety of candle heights for greatest interest.
- Of course, we can't forget the first centerpiece idea that comes to everyone's mind - the jack-o-lantern! In addition to carving pumpkins for festive decorating, there are also fun stencil kits for painting your pumpkins with either regular acrylic paint, or glow-in-the-dark paints.
Here are a few other easy autumn centerpiece ideas that you can create yourself.
Halloween Candy Corn Candle - David Fisher, About's Guide to Candle and Soap Making gives instructions for a candle that evokes the colors of a Halloween favorite.
Halloween Sunflowers in a Black Basket - Coral Nafie, About's Guide to Interior Decorating, has instructions for a simple centerpiece that will look good throughout the entire month of October.
