Glorious Homemade Thanksgiving Centerpieces for Your Table
Cornucopia Thanksgiving Centerpiece
1 wicker cornucopia
Styrofoam block or ball
Silk flowers and leaves in fall colors with long stems
Push the styrofoam into the cornucopia so that it is firmly wedged inside. Trim down the styrofoam if necessary, or wedge in additional small slices to keep it in place. Simply push the stems of the silk leaves and flowers into the styrofoam so that they emerge in a decorative arrangement at the opening of the cornucopia.
An alternate idea is to place fresh fruits and vegetables inside the cornucopia on Thanksgiving day. Stuff a few fruits and vegetables inside the cornucopia, and then allow some of them to spill out onto the table.
Thanksgiving Pumpkin Centerpiece
Pumpkin
Floral foam
Fall flowers
1 large spoon
1 knife
Protect your work area with newspaper. Carefully cut out the top of the pumpkin as you would if carving it for Halloween. Remove all the seeds and pulp from the interior of the pumpkin.
Let the pumpkin sit exposed to the air for at least two hours to dry. Place the foam inside the pumpkin. Trim it to size if necessary. Make a fresh cut of half and inch to one inch on the the stem of each flower. Soak the foam in water prior to putting it inside the pumpkin. Carefully push the flowers inside. Water and add plant food every other day.
Alternatively, you could use artificial flowers and styrofoam to make your Thanksgiving pumpkin centerpiece, as in the cornucopia project.
Thanksgiving Turkey Centerpiece
At least 80 chrysanthemums in different colors and types
1 16″ x 8″ tray
1 knife
1 pair floral clippers
Floral preservative
1 block of floral foam
Felt, at least 9″ x 12″, in brown, red and yellow
Wiggle eyes
Cotton or acrylic stuffing
Thread
1 wire coat hanger
1 pair wire cutters
Glue gun and sticks
Print out the template accompanying this article. Use it to create the brown turkey head, the red gobbler and the yellow beak. Cut out two identical pieces of felt for the head and beak of the turkey, but cut only one gobbler. Unbend the wire hanger, leaving the hook portion normally bent. Place the hanger in between the two pieces of brown felt for the turkey’s head. Sew the turkey head together, leaving an opening at the neck. Stuff with cotton or acrylic. Sew the beak together and fill. Sew both the beak and gobbler onto the finished turkey head.
Trim a couple of inches off the piece of foam. Mix the preservative into some water, and soak the block for at least half an hour. When it’s finished soaking, place it on the tray, and make any additional cuts which are necessary to give the foam a round shape on top. Cut the stems of the chrysanthemums to three inches long. Insert the chrysanthemums into the project to give the impression of the turkey’s body and tail feathers. Cut the stems of the chrysanthemums for the tail to six inches in length. Try using a different type of chrysanthemums, such as spider, for the tail to give the appearance of feathers. Vary the color and texture of the flowers in different parts of the project.
Finish the project by inserting the turkey head into the front of the project. Water the Thanksgiving turkey centerpiece every other day.
