Here’s one last tip that will sure make your Thanksgiving table unforgettable.

Starting with terrific amber glass plates that I picked up at a discount price, all it took was a curvaceous bosc pear, a sprig of pyracantha berries, a tiny bundle of millet, and a gold trimmed place card to create what I like to call “tabletop art.”

Since pears are in the height of their season right now, you can find them at any local grocery store or supermarket. But most of all have fun with it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was recently asked by a New York bride and groom to incorporate apples into the place card display at their Manhattan reception. They had many guests coming in from out of town and wanted to visually welcome them to the Big Apple.

I filled varying size glass cylinders with small lady apples and used large deep red apples as votive candleholders. The look was clean, modern and had that person touch they were looking to include in their special day!

There’s a reason for the saying “Fresh as a Daisy”. And the gerbera daisy with its wide selection of bold colors and its long green architectural stem adds a modern funky vibe as well. Gerbera daisies look best when used sparingly with no additional foliage both as a bouquet and in an arrangement. I’ve used a vibrant striped ribbon as a band on the stems for this bouquet – perfect for the bride or bridesmaids.

I love decorating a tabletop with multiples – vases, candles, etc. The look works great on either a round or an oblong table. Choose a modern shape glass vase like the unique fish bowl shaped one I used here. Two or more work best for an oblong table. You can get a nice dramatic look by lining up candles and floral arrangements right down the center of the table. Don’t the orange slice candles look fabulous! And in this case, the oranges were a personal shout out to the groom’s home state of Florida.

To make these candle arrangements, start with varying size glass cylinder vases. Place a pillar candle in the center. Fill the remaining area in the vase with orange slices and add water. Leave at least the top quarter of the pillar candle exposed for burning.

There are a few different ways that you can go when you are doing a beach type theme. You can go tropical and colorful or coastal and serene. Here I took the serene path and worked primarily with blues and greens.

Find a floral designer and/or event planner that can be a true partner throughout the process. Talk about your vision and your budget. Show them as many pictures as you can of things that you like. One way for you to make your décor unique and economical is for you to source and buy most of the hard goods (vases, candles, etc.) for the floral designer to use.

Tabletop

Linens can add a real customized feeling to the whole look. If the reception site doesn’t have the choices that you are looking for then I recommend visiting a local large fabric store. That’s where I found this perfect seaside stripe cotton material that I had a friend sew into a table runner.

Next stop was a large discount home goods store that has many options for vases, candles, etc. The retail prices in this type of store are unbelievably low (usually below typical wholesale pricing). The total cost of the 5 containers used for my tablescape is under $20!! I chose green cymbidium orchids for the oversized shell bowls and bear grass for the smaller green containers.

If you prefer to go with more of a Cape Cod/Nantucket coastal vibe then use Nantucket style baskets filled with hydrangea. Lots of candles and randomly placed shells complete the look.

Bouquets

For the bridal bouquet I went with white peonies and green cymbidium orchids. Peonies are perfect wedding flowers – they’re lush, romantic, and fragrant. Unfortunately, they have a relatively short growing season so I always try to use them when I can.

The bridesmaid’s bouquets couldn’t be simpler or more beautiful. A few stems of blue/green hydrangea tied with a ribbon and you’re set to go!

Check back for the details on the Wedding Day Daisies – a fun and modern look for that special day. If you are in NY – look out for me on the PIX Morning News. I will be talking about wedding day flowers! Can’t wait.

Creating a decorative detail on each dinner plate is an easy and inexpensive way to add a personal touch to your Thanksgiving table. You don’t necessarily need to add a place card, especially if your family is a “first at the table gets their choice of seat” type of family! It is a nice touch though. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices going.

Savory Succulent
This cut succulent looks good enough to eat. Luckily with all of the food you’ll be serving at dinner no one will be tempted to eat it.

Krazy for Kale
This kale is grown to be enjoyed as a cut flower and really makes a statement when placed on a dinner plate. Use one of the leaves as a place card.

The Colors of the Season
Wrap a few sprigs of colorful fall flora and fauna to bring the vibrant colors of the season onto your table. A few leaf shaped cards from craft store (or you can cut them out yourself) are the finishing touch.

Zen Style
Create a sense of peace this Thanksgiving with a Zen inspired holiday table. Keep the look clean and simple with minimal elements. Now let’s mediate on all we have to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving at the Shore
Whether you’re having Thanksgiving at your home on the beach or you just wish you were there, create the mood with sand dollar place cards with a single orchid tucked in for a look that’s simple and elegant.

Picture Perfect Place Settings
Give each guest at your table their own floral arrangement with petite colored bottles holding a single flower. For a truly personal touch attach a special note to each bottle telling that person what you are thankful for about them. Add a copy of a photo of them on the front of the note instead of just writing their name. I particularly like the look of photos from the past. It adds a sweet nostalgic feeling that is perfect for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is slowly approaching and what is better than an inexpensive, easy and creative table runner. Your friends and family will feel as if they are sitting right in your backyard.

Try it out and remember, just have fun with it!

How to Create an Autumn Leaf Table Runner:

• Start with a piece of clear cellophane cut to size.
• Gather leaves from outside or buy preserved leaves at a craft store.
• Cut the leaves off of the branches and trim the stem from the bottom of the leaf. If the leaves are a little wrinkled you can iron them – it looks better if the leaves lay flat.
• Cover your work surface with newspaper and place your piece of cellophane on top.
• Have your leaves ready and spray half of the cellophane with Tack 2000 spray adhesive.
• Simply place the leaves onto the cellophane one at a time, starting at the edge and overlapping the previously placed leaves.
• Spray the other half of the cellophane with the adhesive and finish adding leaves.

Halloween is a great opportunity to have some creative fun!

Here’s a quick centerpiece idea for your Halloween festivities…

I love the purple, lime green, orange and black combination for the holiday, so when I saw Halloween M&M’s in the store, I immediately bought a few bags. Just another reason to buy candy! I developed a nested vase for one of the products in my collection, The Sweet Heart Bouquet, and knew it was the perfect container for this M&M project.

You can make your own by putting a narrow vase or glass inside of another large glass container. Ideally, you would want both glasses to be the same height, but if not, the inside glass can be slightly shorter then the outer one. For the floral, I used shamrock spider mums and purple statice. Both flowers are hardy and will last about two weeks.

Would you believe it, right after I made my arrangement, a crow flew in the window and started eating my M&M’s! I named the crow Russell and told him he could stick around, so look out for him in future images!

If you are running low on time, check out a similar product here from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM.

Here’s a “spider tree” that is very simple to make and will look great in a picture window, on a table in the foyer or as a centerpiece for a Halloween party. I started with a store bought tree made from papier-mâché and pipe cleaners. Then I just glued black feathers, green millet and green spider mums to the pipe cleaner branches. I used a floral adhesive for the spider mums and it looked great, without water, for over a week!

If you want to turn the creepy scary up a notch wrap the entire tree with spider webs. These spider webs are so easy to make and can be put almost anywhere. Just take two small pieces of Styrofoam – just about 3” – 4” in size – and put a dollop of hot glue on one of the pieces. Put the two pieces together and slowly pull apart. You will see the spider strings start to form. Take your arms and go around the tree and press the two pieces of Styrofoam together again and then pull apart and bring your hands back around the tree and meet again in the front. Continue to do this until you are satisfied with the amount of spider webs you have created. To remove the spider webs, just spray with a hair dryer and they will melt away!

In addition, you can find a great alternative here.

This original papier-mâché pumpkin from the 1950’s is my favorite Halloween decoration. My mother-in-law gave it to me a few years ago. She finds the best stuff and knows my style to a tee!

With a few cuttings from your fall garden – here I used dahlias and asclepias – this old pumpkin becomes the happiest jack in town! While not vintage, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM offers a great alternative here.

You can carve more than just a happy faced Jack-o-Lantern into your pumpkins. Why not use these ubiquitous fall orange squash to spell out a special message? I set this vignette up to congratulate my niece and her then fiancé on their engagement.

Not up to carving your own? Find a great alternative here.

Sweet Treat Indeed

Who says that a floral arrangement should be just a feast for the eyes? This arrangement not only looks great but satisfies your sweet tooth too. I placed a smaller vase inside of a larger vase and filled the space between the two vases with Halloween M&M’s. Another great seasonal candy choice is candy corn. The arrangement features chartreuse speedier mums and purple statice.