Pine and Berry Centerpiece

These are photos of Dove Cottage accessorized in Autumn colors, and not a pumpkin in sight, proving we really can exist without magazine holders made out of scooped, dried pumpkins, and we really don't need pumpkin ravioli, LOL!

Notice the large white ginger jar behind the sofa above -- I'm about to remove the lid and use it to make a statement with a large natural arrangement that looks exactly like this:

When I was married, if my husband J couldn't find me in the house, he knew to look out back in the woods.  As a decorator, much of the decor in our homes and the homes of my clients, I gathered from the woods.  There were times we'd be driving down the road and I'd yell STOP!  J knew to pull over and indulge my fancy of gathering something I'd seen along the highway for making anything from a floral arrangement to a curtain rod.  I also dug ferns and saplings and planted them in our yard, never thinking of the legal issues, only of the xeriscaped beauty.

I went out in the woods behind Dove Cottage today
to gather a few pine boughs, branches, and pine cones to make a large decorative centerpiece for my round coffee/dining table -- it's a beautiful 40" oak parquet pedestal table that's hydraulic so the top whooshes up and down and can be locked into any height from 14" coffee table height to 29" dining height.  8 years ago, I found it in a Goodwill store in Gastonia, NC for $25, and have never seen


another one like it.  In a small cottage, its versatility is priceless.

I'd envisioned a natural arrangement, but ended up painting one element, and using one ready-made element.  But never having been one for Christmas glitz and glitter, I find the combined end result of these elements quite pleasing.  I already had gold paint and one shade of the green, so I only had to purchase a can of the second shade of green paint for $3.97.  That's the grand total of my investment.

Gold and silver painted pine cones are run of the mill this time of year, so I decided to go a couple steps further and paint them gold first, and then two shades of green over that.  The effect is beautiful, as each cone is its own unique hue of green.

I already had a red winterberry & grapevine wreath that made a perfect collar around the large white ginger jar I also already had and chose for my vessel.  I found the oversized ginger jar last fall on a thrift shopping spree with Michael and Sally Clark of English Country Gardens and Botanical Suds.

Here we go....

First, gather all the elements....

Start by placing a wad of paper into the vase.  Now place a wreath on top of your vessel.  I'm using a pepperberry wreath, and putting three dots of hot melt glue on the egde, then bringing up three wires from the wreath to the glue, to hold it in place like this:

Now I'll strip the bottom of the oak twigs and pine branches and start to place them into the vase.

Next come the pine cones. Place the cones into the base of the arrangement just above the wreath collar.  This is a general rule when arranging florals.  The base should have all the weight, and then get lighter as it goes up, until it reaches its airy height.  Keep filling in the pine cones until you've used them all.

Put a little water into the vessel,  and you're done!  Here's the finished product in place on the table in Dove Cottage.

The pine branches may shed a little like a Christmas tree.  You can either remove them and replace them with fresh ones if this happens, or by that time, you might want to replace them with only oak branches for a different look.

Other alternate suggestions: 

1) If you don't have a berry wreath, take any floral wreath that fits around your vessel or vase, and spray paint it all one color for a collar.

2) Paint the pine cones any color you like

3) If you don't have access to a wooded area, use natural-looking artificial twigs and branches or flowers.

But one thing you should not alter: BIG!  Little things don't capture the eye when someone walks into a room, they only appear as clutter.  Take it from a 35-year veteran decorator & designer:  BIG statement pieces are more pleasing to the eye -- this goes for any kind of decor.  Unless you're intentionally creating a vignette, it's better to have one BIG piece, than three or four smaller ones.


Until next time....