Decorating a dining table-2

Perk up your dining room table by making centerpieces  using  everyday materials from flowers to sand.  You are only limited by your imagination. Perhaps you have a special occasion or a  themed dinner party, perhaps you just want a lift in the middle of a spell of bad weather; whatever your reason you can adorn your dining table. Here are some of my favourite ideas  I've collected for various occasions.

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This has all the markings of success for me.  It combines circular motifs, lime green plant and the sea.  Perfect! Put  the stem of the plant in a tall water glass and fill in around it with silica and shells.

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Forget the trifle and fill your bowl with shells and water and float candles on top.  

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A little red spray paint and birds from the dollar store adorn this white and red table setting.You could spray the branch any colour to match your decor. 

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Float flowers with stems removed in water that has been tinted with food colouring. You can colour coordinate your themes with little effort. 

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Beach rocks, orchids and floating candles in water in three vases of varying heights looks smashing .  Quick and very easy.  Substitute orchids with , roses, peonies  and change the candle colours to match. My preference is always  white . 

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 Cut chunks of lemons or limes, keep some whole and float in a covered container.  This is a great touch for a brunch.Of course finding interestingly shaped jars is the challenge.

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Tulips and jellybeans are perfect for an Easter centerpiece. While I love the look of this the logistics of it are confusing me.  I guess you don't eat the jelly beans after -this would not be a great choice with kids around.

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How Martha to use simple white paper lunch bags to enclose glass vases giving  this floral arrangement a playful twist. 

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 A mirrored tray is always a useful prop for table centerpieces.  Candles, mirror and flowers always pair up well.

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The yellow flowers are paper and you can learn how to make them by clicking on the source above.

 

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Reuse is always a good beginning to any design.  I'd skip the bedding of greenery and just use the starkness of the bottle shapes.  Think about those beautiful blue bottles used for some white wines with white callas. For a more informal and less expensive approach use daisies. It's the massing of different heights and shapes while keeping the colour constant that makes this design work.

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Partly core a green apple and presto, you have a table arrangement. Check out other ideas on this site.

Anything can be used to make an arrangement as I frequently prove at my summer house.  As fall approaches there are no flowers left in the garden or meadow so I resort to greenery and buds from the nearby woods.  

 

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And what about that china you never use?  Pile it up in interesting ways and add small scale flowers in appropriate colours to complete the arrangement. 

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Save those interestingly designed tea cans, they have many uses. You don't need a large grouping like this one to create interest.

 

 

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Check your cabinets.  Do you have a collection that never gets seen?  Arrange it along the centre of the table and use one of the containers as a vase.  Doesn't white always work?

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I couldn't resist showing these.  The pom poms are styrofoam balls covered in shredded paper.  I've used shredded paper to build up textural layers in my art work , but I admit I never thought about using it in this way.   Adapt the idea and  make varying sizes of  "snowballs" to put in a large glass or silver bowl. 

Do you have a favourite?