October 29, 2013

Fall Tablescape Using Magnolia and Spray-Painted Hydrangeas

Fall Tablescape Using Magnolia and Spray-Painted Hydrangeas
 
Fall Tablescape
It’s fall.  The mornings and evenings are cool and the days are beautiful.  The stores place their Halloween candy strategically where you pass it a hundred times as you walk down the aisles.   Butterfingers!  Aghhhh.

My friend Valerie had a big birthday recently, so some friends and I had a surprise luncheon for her.  For the table, I had picked up some artificial, mini pumpkins/gourds.  They looked so real that the lady in the checkout line behind me asked me if they were real or not.  Now that’s a good fake.  I also picked up some burlap garland because HELLO – burlap is IN.  I found some glittery leaves … and what girl doesn’t appreciate a little bit of bling?
Fake gourds, Burlap Garland, Glittery Leaves


I also stumbled upon CARVABLE, fake pumpkins and picked up one of those.


Ironically, it is my friend Valerie who told me that almost every year, she lets her hydrangeas dry on the plants, cuts the stems, spray paints them gold and silver, and decorates her house and table with them. 

Most of my hydrangeas weren’t dry enough at the end of September, so I cut them and dried them on my porch.  I have a great piece of furniture for drying flowers… all I need are clothespins!

Drying hydrangeas on my porch


When spray-painting the limelight hydrangeas, I purposely didn’t cover every square inch because it gives them more texture and you can tell they are real flowers.
I used Krylon ColorMaster Gold, Metallic Spray Paint (WalMart)


I cut a hole (the size of an old glass of mine) in the top of the carvable pumpkin.  I use the word carvable very loosely, because I will be honest – this thing was hard to cut.  Even using one of my new, colorful, sharp knives that I bought on sale from Costco recently, it was HARD.  I stuck the old glass in the hole, glued it in, and then I glued Spanish moss around the edge.  In the future, I can use this for real flowers with water.




It helps to have a sister like Jill who brings magnolia leaves that she has cut from her yard OR from the entrance to her neighborhood...  mum’s the word… what the HOA doesn’t know won’t hurt them…  Jill cut the magnolia so that there were about 6-10 leaves per cluster.
Sweet sister Jill

After putting the magnolia on the table, swirl the burlap ribbon throughout the magnolia leaves.


Add the mini gourds and the glittery leaves.  I used 10 gourds, but 15 would have been better.


I know that the magnolia swallowed up the base of the center arrangement – but I didn’t care – because the magnolia was so pretty.


The finished table

Three things I did after the party…

I couldn’t resist buying this red Glitter Paint.  It doesn’t go on very heavy, so I would suggest using a cheaper spray as a base coat, and then spray this as a top coat.  Love this for Christmas!
LOVE this Krylon Glitter Blast spray paint for Christmas! (Cherry Bomb)

I dried and then spray-painted about seven tardiva hydrangea stems.  I put them in a vase with 3 dried pussy willow branches.
Tardiva hydrangea stems (dried, spray-painted) with dried pussy willow branches

After the magnolia dried, I spray-painted it and I love it!!  I will use it later this season.
Magnolia, dried and then spray-painted

Happy fall! 

...and that's my 2 cents' worth, Cheryl


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