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Foxy & Festive Centerpieces

Posted Wed, Nov 01, 2006, 6:29 pm PST
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Unless you've gone through formal training or been blessed with natural talent for floral arranging, the idea of creating a knock-out centerpiece can be daunting. And with food to make, bar to stock, and a hundred other to-do's before guests arrive, who has an hour to painstakingly prop buds in a vase? Still, you want to make a statement, so create a tasty centerpiece that may just overshadow your prize veal piccata!

Raid your kitchen for creative ways to fill a glass vase.  Use your imagination and create centerpieces that are playful and stunningly unique...red lentils, gumballs, colored rice, key limes, dried berries, and other goodies may be used to whip up a centerpiece as memorable as your meal. Since you’re not adding water, you can reuse nonperishables again and again (it's a good idea to keep materials stored with your party supplies to separate them from edibles). A few ideas:

                               
 

  • Dark coffee beans topped with several deep, rich flowers such as bougainvillea or delphinium.
  • Pink lemonade topped with floating pink orchids.
  • Pale yellow jelly beans topped with colorful snapdragons or tulips.
  • Layers of colorful spices such as sea salt and cayenne pepper topped with sunny yellow calla lilies.

Have fun mixing and matching foods and flowers. Keep buds in water and place them in the arrangement just before your guests arrive so they’ll be fresh. Or, experiment creating centerpieces without flowers -- a beautiful glass cylinder layered with colorful spices is spectacular all on its own.

photo © Karyn Millet

12 Comments

  • 1. Posted by neonatheart on Wed, Nov 08, 2006, 12:31 pm PST

    these all sound like great ideas! for halloween (yes i know it's already over, but this can be used next year) and yellow flower surrounded by candy corns! or fill the glass vase with the candy corn and place a candle on top. same for christmas, only using candy canes!

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  • 2. Posted by on Wed, Nov 08, 2006, 12:35 pm PST

    I'm trying to put together some centerpieces for my wedding reception...these are good starter ideas!

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  • 3. Posted by jennifer on Wed, Nov 08, 2006, 12:51 pm PST

    These are great ideas. Another way to keep the arrangement longer would be to use bowl type vase with a smaller cylinder vase on the inside this way you can fill the smaller vase with water and flowers and the outside of that with whatever you may choose. ( I perfer jelly beans that way I can snack on them).

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  • 4. Posted by terriesuetsd on Wed, Nov 08, 2006, 1:13 pm PST

    I was thinking of using artifical flowers with the coffee beens and spices alternated and giving as a host gift to a Xmas party I am going to. Thanks for the help

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  • 5. Posted by Jackie B on Wed, Nov 08, 2006, 1:23 pm PST

    Great ideas I am in the process of changing my room around and giving my house a face lift, thanks for the ideas.

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  • 6. Posted by miriam f on Thu, Nov 09, 2006, 5:33 am PST

    Really great ideas.I intend using a few. even for ordinary. Will give my spirits a boost.

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  • 7. Posted by sexy on Thu, Nov 09, 2006, 6:25 am PST

    These are really neat ideas!

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  • 8. Posted by star1atsea on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:18 am PDT

    I like the coffee bean idea! You can also use cinnamon sticks and other spices like whole cloves. i=Imagine what wonderful smells you'll have in the mix!

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  • 9. Posted by melissa.cruz90 on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, 11:36 am PDT

    horrible article

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  • 10. Posted by angiezim@sbcglobal.net on Sat, May 16, 2009, 9:59 am PDT

    These ideas sound fine, except for the comment you won't be using water...flowers need water like we need air! Unless you are using artificial flowers, you need wate!!! I am a florist. I use some of these things in my designs, but you still need water and you need to know how to give the flowers a water souce without wetting the coffee beans, jelly beans, etc. Visit www.doityourselfweddingflowerguide.com for some more ideas!!!

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  • 11. Posted by nnallen@sbcglobal.net on Sat, May 16, 2009, 2:24 pm PDT

    Several of these ideas will cost as much or more than having a florist handle it for you and save you the stress.

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  • 12. Posted by gem_may on Thu, Jun 04, 2009, 10:49 pm PDT

    yuck

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