Art in Entertaining by Cindy Rippe: Centerpieces

Showing posts with label Centerpieces. Show all posts

Designer Craft Connection - Bright Floral Decor

This month's theme for the Designer Crafts Connection Blog Hop is Picnic. A gathering of artificial flowers glued to a styrofoam ball would add a bright pop of color to your party decor. This grouping, from the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, would be perfect for a Wedding Shower or Tween Birthday party. Add a few butterflies on wires and hang a grouping of three or more with ribbon from a trellis or chandelier. It would also be a great project to brighten up a corner of your enclosed porch for the summer if you don't have time to care for live plants.

Make sure you hop forward by clicking on the DCC logo in the column on the right or go directly to the next Designer, here. Have fun!

"When bright flowers bloom
Parchment crumbles, my words fade
The pen has dropped ..." - Morpheus

Mother's Day Centerpiece - Designer Crafts Blog Connection Blog Hop

I don't drink coffee myself and don't have a set like this but wouldn't a vintage coffee set make a great centerpiece for Mother's Day? This one was part of a display at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show recently.

The theme for posting crafts this month at the Designer Crafts Connection group is "Fun and Easy Mother's Day gifts". Most of the designers are focusing on jewelry. Since that's not something I craft I decided to share this simple floral arrangement. A tray, lined with a vintage doily and acrylic gems, creates the perfect base to showcase a few perfect roses for your perfect Mom!

As for the jewelry part, here's a jewel of a quote.

Who can find a virtuous woman? She is far more precious than jewels...
Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
He husband also praises her:
Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. ~ Proverbs 31:10, 25-30

Be sure to click through all the Creative Blogs this week at:

Designer Craft Connection
[ hop back ] [ hop forward ]

and:

Pumpkins are not just for Jack O Lanterns

Happy Halloween!
Did you know that you can decorate a pumpkin with flowers by poking holes in the sides and sticking the stems in?


Mumkin Pumpkins - Flower Shop Network

5 Easy Ways to Decorate Pumpkins - Southern Living Magazine

These would make a lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece as well. I wonder how this would work with those artificial pumpkins from the craft store and silk flowers? I'm sure the pumpkins will be on sale tomorrow!

Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries. – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Hop along with me at: House of Hepworths and Between Naps on the Porch this week.

How long does a Sunflower Centerpiece last?

Sunflower Centerpiece

I picked up this small bunch of Sunflowers at the Farmers Market over the weekend. So cute, just trimmed the flowers and placed them in a vintage blue Ball jar! I did add a loose rubber band around the stems, near the top, to hold them together.

The Bunny likes it too. I think I'll paint this grouping some day.

So... back to the question in the title of this post. Just how long does a Sunflower Centerpiece last?

"I didn't do it!"

About 24 hours if you have a hungry Squirrel! I thought heard him knock it over this morning, the little troublemaker. Should have checked to see what the noise was.

Flowers whisper "Beauty!" to the world, even as they fade, wilt, fall.
~Dr. SunWolf

September Flower of the Month - Aster

Asteraceae -anythingwithplants.com

The Aster is September's flower of the month. The name comes from the Greek word for Stars which is perfect for this delicate little flower. There are more than 600 varieties available in almost every color except bright yellow and orange. The violet, pink and white shades are most popular.

The Aster symbolizes afterthought, daintiness and love of variety. In China they symbolize fidelity. They are also called Star flowers or Frost flowers (probably because they are one of the last to bloom before the autumn frosts).


Kim Willis - life123.com

The butterflies can't get enough of their tasty nectar that's hidden in the tiny yellow flowers clustered around the flower's center. This row of flowers separates them from the chrysanthemum family.

Beautiful in an Autumn bouquet

Their long stems and full flower clusters make them perfect as a filler flower in large bouquets. I love the cool touch of lavender amongst the warm autumn colors in this bouquet.

"A late summer garden has a tranquility found no other time of the year." - William Longgood

Baptism Decor using Photos and Clip Art.

I'm a member of the Designer Crafts Connection Blog group and we post projects on the First Monday of each month. Click the 365 Days of Crafts Logo on the right to see all the creative ideas that we have to share. To celebrate we also have a giveaway! Read through to the end of the post for information on how to enter.

The theme for the month of September is parties, baby showers, wedding showers, etc., basically anything to do with decorating for a celebration. I chose to share the quick and easy decorations that I made for my nephew, Cash, at his Baptism party. This was a picnic and the decor was casual but I still wanted it to be special for Cash and his family.

I saved a small picture of Cash, added wings with Photoshop, and printed a whole sheet of them. After cutting out circles of glossy blue cardstock, I layered the photos (cut just a bit smaller) and cardstock with Glue Dots.

I printed a Bible clip art image for some of the flower centers to reinforce the blue and white theme. After all the circles were finished I glued them to the centers of inexpensive daisy flowers with Glue Dots. The daisies were sold as a bunch and I just popped them into the vases. Light blue twin sheets from Walmart ($4.00 each!) worked perfectly for tablecloths.

I used the same card stock to make the cupcake toppers. Again, I used Glue Dots to attach the images. This time I glued them to lollipops after trimming the excess cellophane around the candy. So cute! I wish my cupcakes were as tasty as they were beautiful. I tried to be creative with the recipe and they turned out to be more like heavy brownies than light and fluffy cake. Lesson learned ! Test and Taste before you serve dessert to a large group of people!

SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY!

We have something special this month - a set of Scrapbook Soup, Series 100 DVDs! Scrapbook Soup is now airing on your local PBS TV channel. Check your local listings and if it isn't listed, call the station and request it! Program managers always like to hear what their viewers want to watch.

TO ENTER: Visit all the Blogs on the DCC Hop and stop at Life in the Craft Lane for the details on entering for a chance to win this wonderful set of DVDs.

I'm joining A Stroll Thru Life: Tabletop Tuesday and

this week. Stop by for a visit!

Gladiola Centerpieces

Continuing with my August Flower of the Month post.

After I purchased my Gladiolus from the Farmer's Market I arranged them in a huge vase.
Did I remember to take a picture? No... sorry. Here's a photo, from ftd.com,except mine were all a soft peach color.


White Gladiolus in a Glass Vase - Traditional arrangement

Loved it - Enjoyed it while it lasted- but I know that you can do so much more with Gladiolus. I've used the single flowers before. Most of the time I float them in a shallow bowl. I took a trip around the internet today and found a few great ideas to share.

In this arrangement the Gladiola leaves were left on and large leaves were added around the base for a nice full look.


www.weddings.theknot.com

The addition of Gerbera Daisies around the base really updates the look.

www.laosflower.com

You've probably seen orchid submerged in a tall vase of water. Gladiolus are just as beautiful but cost less. You'll need to wire the stems to putty on the bottom of the vase so they don't float.

www.mocharosedesigns.blogspot.com

Since the flowers are so beautiful you can use them individually in small arrangements. Love this DIY project for decorating the vases with printed papers.


www.oncewed.com

And finally; this pretty red and white arrangement. Just fill vases with fresh cranberries and water and tuck in single white Glads. A beautiful look for your holiday table or contemporary dining room.


www.tothegathering.blogspot.com

Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. ~The Koran

3rd Birthday Princess Party Theme

Isabella's 3rd Birthday party had a Princess theme. Surprise, surprise... she's a girl, she's 3, she loves Disney Princesses. She loves to act out the stories, recruiting willing family members to play the all the parts. "No...you need to ride in on the horse please." "You are Prince Phillip, Grandma Cookie is the Queen, I am Aurora"

She waves her magic wand

Sarah's Mom and Dad really wanted to keep things simple this year. They served sandwiches, salads and fruit which was perfect for a hot day. We used her Birthday Banner again this year. (see last year's post) It has become a nice tradition to use it every year (well, so far - until she reaches that age where it will look too "pretty" :)

Fruit on Fairy Wand skewers made by Aunt Karen

Favor Bags

The paper bags with handles that were decorated with Disney Princess Stickers were a hit. A few of the guests continued to call themselves a Prince or Princess after they went home. Of course everyone got a Glittery Star Wand to create their own magic!


Star Wands from Oriental Trading Co

I decorated with Pom Pom's made from tissue paper and ribbons. They looked so pretty as a chandelier in the center of the tent. Inexpensive and easy to make too.

Pom Poms hanging inside tent and out.

The left over scraps of tissue paper tucked into a pink glass bowl and topped with a plastic tiara and jewels worked out great for the inside table centerpiece.


I twisted two squares of tissue together at a time and tucked them in the holes along the edge of the bowl.

For the tables under the tent I used the cases from our Disney VHS tapes, (I guess they're Vintage now) pom poms, a tiara and a Star Wand.


Close up of the centerpiece and a vintage VHS case.

Prince Cooper peeking from behind a centerpiece. Isabella cuddles with Suzanne while waking up from her nap.

Blog Parties I'm attending. Come on over and join me!

4th of July Flowers


Sunrise Seeds American Flag Mix - Botanical Interest

I found this mix of Larkspur colors that would be perfect in a patriotic garden! Now I wish I would have grown them for a 4th of July Centerpiece.

Here are a few other ideas for Red, White and Blue Centerpieces. Click on the photo for more information.

I hope this inspires you to dress up your table with flowers that have a little Patriotic color. I found the perfect quote for this post! Enjoy!

Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Happy Easter - Spring Planter Box Centerpiece

I hope you have a blessed Easter Day. We are lucky to be spending it again with family and realize what a treasure that is. No completely decked out tablescape this year but I did create a centerpiece that I thought you'd like to see. It's been a while since I've dabbled in floral arranging but am pretty happy with how this turned out.

Easter 2011 Tulip and Hydrangea Planter box centerpiece - Cindy Rippe

The arrangement was inspired by the tablescape that I fell in love with at the International Housewares Show last month featuring Paula Deen's new dinnerware by Meyer. You can see a picture of it on her facebook page.

After finding a bargain on a flat of tulip plants ($4.00 at Lowes) and Hydrangea bushes (Michaels - 60% off) I was good to go! Spring is my favorite time of year and the "New Life" theme worked out pretty well.


Afternoon Shadows on the centerpiece - Cindy Rippe

Dinner will be served buffet style with disposable dinnerware. We've all been going through some crazy, busy times around here and decided that easy cleanup would be the way to go for a change. (After my concerns about using disposable products I was reminded that they will be recycled) I found these at Party City. We'll use my stainless flatware instead of plastic and I chose the hand towels instead of napkins because of the way they are folded and the size is just a bit larger. We'll alternate napkins and plates to make it easy for guests to pick them up in the buffet line.