Thanksgiving Countdown Day 4 | Pumpkin + Flowers Centerpiece

Thanksgiving Countdown, Day 4 : The Centerpiece

Thanksgiving is special, and the centerpiece of the holiday is the table (ok, maybe the turkey, but really the table).  Fresh centerpieces can be a big part of making the day and meal feel special.  They provide a sense of "this moment is special."  Did you know that flowers stir and intrinsic emotional response from humans reminding us to celebrate the moment, as it is fleeting, as flowers are only fresh and beautiful for a short time.  When you sit around that table, taking in that moment, enjoying the company and being in awe of the feast, the fresh centerpiece will help your guests feel that, too.

See the rest of the Thanksgiving Countdown, here >

Of course, I'm a fan of the homemade versions.  While florists centerpieces can be wonderful and beautiful, we enjoy making them ourselves.  This is the Pumpkin Floral we created for our Thanksgiving last year.  I loved the soft pinks and orange mixed with the deep brown, purpler and rust colors.

Emma loves to help make floral arrangements and I love watching how she carefully and thoughtfully places each stem and gathers things from around the house and yard to decorate the table.  For family holidays, I'm not as interested in perfection as you might think.  In fact "perfection" is one of the words I loathe the most!  Ugh.  When I watch her create something that she thinks will be beautiful and make the holiday special, I know we're doing it right.  As long as she sticks with my color scheme.  Joking!  Sort of : )  

These flowers can easily be found at a good grocery store or Trader Joe's.  The small spray roses are very easy to work with and stay fresh longer than large roses.  Here are the florals we used : 

Spray Roses : Blush & Orange

Berries : Hypericum Berries in a Deep Red/Rust

Dark Purple & Green Leaves

Broom Cob

I LOVED this so much.  It was giant!  It made quite the statement on our table.

Below, is a version we made a couple of years ago, along with Step-by-Step instructions for how to make the centerpiece in a pumpkin :

I started by selecting my flowers and colors - getting a feel for what the colors will look like with the table setting, in the room.

I chose these apricot roses with burnt orange and deep red mums.  I needed something that would drape downward in the arrangement, so I selected the wheat-looking stems.

As you can see (and you might remember), we received a large collection of Spode Woodland china that I always use during the Fall and Winter holidays.  I have admired them for years and am so glad to have them - and I still LOVE them every year when I get them out.

I will use this glass vase set inside the pumpkin to make the arrangement in, so I cut the top to be sure it would fit into my opening.

I cut the opening, then scooped out the insides with an ice cream scoop.

I put the vase in with a square of oasis foam, then filled it with water.

I started by putting in the best roses, trying to achieve the shape.

And then, because flowers look best in groups of the same, I bunched 2-3 flowers next to each of those roses.  I like to use different sizes of roses in these groups to add interest - and it looks more natural.

Then, I started plugging in groupings of mums in the same fashion.

It is starting to take shape.  At this point, I realized it was a little 'tight,' so I pulled the bottom roses out by an inch or so, so it didn't look so much like a ball of flowers on a pumpkin.

To soften the entire arrangement and to add some drape, I placed the broom cob around the collar.

Done!  You can see the groupings of flowers look more appealing than if it were homogeneously arranged - it would look polk-a-dotted!

To keep it fresh, keep it in the refrigerator (or in the garage, if your garage is really cold like mine!).

See the rest of my Thanksgiving Countdown Tips, here, along with Recipes, Table Settings and Planning for Guests >