Natural Elements Centerpiece
4 Materials
3 Hours
Easy
Nature gives us the most awesome ingredients for home decor. It's all out there, ready to be integrated into whatever our imaginations can conjure up. Natural, wholesome, beauty.
I was walking along a path with the neighbor this past summer when we saw these bushes (above and below). Wanting to identify them, I had taken photos to use to compare them against a conservation magazine published by our state. I still have not taken the time to find out their names but immediately thought of them when this challenge came up. I had taken the "before" photos without even knowing it.
We returned to the area to get cuttings. Most of the leaves were now dry and shriveled; the stems are brown and brittle. But there were a few very interesting shapes, colors and remnants left for a little while yet before the cold rain, snow and winds come. I incorporated them into my centerpiece, along with a host of other natural items I collected or had already.
After putting down a base of the beautiful Fall red maple leaves from the tree in my front yard, these hedge apples (also known as Osage oranges) were placed in a pyramid-like pile on a lazy Susan tray. I chose the tray for its size (the only one I had large enough), but the fact that it was a lazy Susan turned out to be a real plus. Just twirl - no running around the table to decorate.
Baked Hedge Apples
I was introduced to the hedge apples for the first time last year but still didn't know much about them or if they were edible. Turns out they are not edible, are supposedly used to repel spiders, and have also been used either whole or sliced up, dried, and used in decorations. So I did both - used them whole and also sliced them up and dried them in the oven at 250 degrees for an hour. They have the consistency of a pineapple.
Decorative Grasses
Beautiful Fall Maple Tree
After gathering, cleaning and arranging the other items, I was ready to begin making the centerpiece.
I started inserting all the different items, spinning the tray as I moved along. This is a shot of the centerpiece about 3/4 of the way through. I had used an old Dollar Tree plastic table cloth on the table because the hedge apples were sticky. It helped during cleanup, although there was still a huge mess from the shedding and brittle ingredients.
Final
Here is the final product! Really pretty and rugged - and represents many elements of nature.
I had cattails and peacock feathers in another arrangement so I stole some from that piece.
I was working on a pine cone garland when this challenge came up, so I had plenty of them to use here, too.
I didn't realize how much nature provided us to use indoors. The hedge apples do deteriorate over time so this isn't a long-term piece. Next year I am hoping to find other treasures to use. I could have used the apples we picked last week - I just thought of them now. Well - next year!
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4 comments
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Wow, incredibly beautiful!
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nice!
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Thank you, Aryeh!
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