9 green Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas

Dressing the table is as important as dressing the turkey on Thanksgiving day. Try one of these easy, eco-friendly ideas for your holiday feast.

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Networx.com

Mon, Nov 14 2011 at 12:47 PM

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Thanksgiving

Photo: davidandbevtravel/flickr

You can’t enter a store this time of year without being bombarded with holiday music and tacky decorations. As an interior designer, those tacky decorations really get my goat because I know that simple decorations look so much nicer. Contrary to what’s sold in the stores, there are many easy and elegant holiday decorations that can be made from things we already own, or can be easily purchased and reused. Here is a group of natural Thanksgiving centerpieces that look elegant and don't cost much.

Put leftover clear glass florist vases to good use by filling them with mini-pumpkins, pinecones or berries. Often, these inexpensive vases get tossed out or pushed to the backs of closets, but they can definitely be put to great use. Small vases can be clustered together or use a large vase for a singular statement. If you’re looking for a crafts project, you can wrap the vases with raffia or cornhusks and glue into place for a customized look.
Hollow out a smallish pumpkin to create a beautiful, seasonal vase. Fill with seasonal flowers such as mums or red and orange gerbera daisies.
From the pages of Better Homes & Gardens: Hot glue the heads of mums directly onto small pumpkins for a unique look. Place a few down the center of the table in different color combinations. These will make easy-to-see-over centerpieces and you can use less -than-perfect pumpkins to boot!
Also from Better Homes & Gardens: If you have an acorn tree in your yard, start collecting the fallen acorns early in the season. These can be hot glued onto an old basket or dish and used as a natural-looking container for a centerpiece. If you wish, you can also gild the lily by spray painting the acorns with a metallic paint and filling a clear glass bowl with the tiny golden nuggets.
From Fresh Home: Scoop out a round shallow hole in apples or pears and place a tea light candle inside for some festive lighting around the table. These are so tiny that each guest can have their own.
Fill a vintage metal pie plate or baking pan with apples and cinnamon sticks and a few flowers. It's an easy and quick centerpiece that can eventually turn into a real pie!
An idea from Southern Living: If you’ve had a relatively small tree come down in your yard, don’t just send the logs through the chipper. Cut 4-6” rounds for natural looking bases of varying heights to prop up centerpieces. Just make sure the wood is free of insects and is relatively clean.
From Good Housekeeping: Create a citrus-scented centerpiece by thinly slicing lemons and oranges, drying them in a 250 degree oven and then apply to thick pillar candles with hot glue. The warmth of the candles will release a gentle scent throughout the evening.
Also from Good Housekeeping: For a down-home, rustic-looking centerpiece, empty out a box of Clementines and loosely wrap the box with natural burlap, stapling in the inside base to secure. Spike the fruit with whole cloves in the manner of an old-fashioned pomander and refill the box. A spicy orange scent will fill the air nicely.