I made a centerpiece last month. I had noticed this on Pinterest and I thought it was cute. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for though, so I adapted, and imagined, and shopped my house until I had this.
I had that vase in the center from when we had a little fish to swim in it. The fish died and the vase remains. I bought four small pumpkins to stack inside and spray painted each one in black or white. I had to remove the stems on three of them so they would actually stack and all of this was a learning process. One of the pumpkins started leaking when I ripped his little stem off, so I cut the other two off, just to be safe. The nice thing is that they fit just snug enough inside the vase that I didn’t have to pierce them or anything to stack them…just dropped them in very carefully after the paint dried. I purchased two different kinds of decorative moss at Hobby Lobby and placed some in the bottom of the vase before the pumpkins.
Then I needed to add some fun. I envisioned an ombre pumpkin but wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I pulled out my favorite square cake plate and put some nice green moss on it. I taped off the stem of my pumpkin and sprayed the top half of it white and let it dry. When it was safe to continue I put the pumpkin on a little Lazy Susan (used for cake decorating by normal people) and started spraying the black paint as I turned the pumpkin with my other hand. This enabled me to get a more even effect with the ombre. I think it’s my favorite part.
I love candles, smelly ones especially and I love the clear glass containers that smelly candles come in too. I have a couple of square candle jars that weren’t busy, so I put some other black and white things I had on hand inside them. This one I simply poured dry navy beans into, flattened and then poured a thin layer of dry black beans on top. I laid a little tea light into it and then poured more black beans around it to surround it and level it all off. I had this green ribbon and as I had purchased a couple of green apples to go with the display, I decided it was perfect. My photography isn’t though. Sorry this one is a little blurry.
The other square candle container was a little larger so I just poured a layer of black beans in it and laid an apple on top. Simple, but I like it. With enough of these square containers you could alternate the bean color and set them in a row along the table with candles or fruit in them. That would be fun.
I had also seen this little plaque on Pinterest and I actually used it as a craft with the MOPS group at church. I love the printing as the backdrop for the silhouette and thought it would be a great addition to my pumpkin display, so I adapted it as a standing piece and tied a little green bow around it to go with the apples.
The one I made for MOPS is hanging on the wall nearby.
The green tie in seemed to be growing so I went with it. I pulled out my green pedestal dish, layered it with moss and set this lacy looking gourd (purchased at Hobby Lobby this season) on top. That made me happy.
I went looking around upstairs and found this little porcelain canister that I have had for several years. I loaded it with moss and then plopped my other green apple inside it. I really like it.
In the kitchen I grabbed my favorite little green creamer, an antique store find, and off of the buffet I took the middle of my three tiered set of porcelain apothecary jars. They mixed in nicely and I didn’t have to do a thing to them.
So…why is it “already over” as my title suggests. Simply because my pumpkins rotted. The bottom black pumpkin in the vase went first and I had to take them all out. Then my ombre pumpkin started molding on the bottom. I couldn’t leave him sitting there like that, so the feature of my fall centerpiece is GONE, but I loved it while they lasted and the little supporting pieces are still there, cheering on this incredible time of year. I theorize that the paint sealed the pumpkin too much and didn’t allow it to breathe, so it molded and rotted inside. Just my theory…I haven’t asked any pumpkin experts about it.
Next time…I’m buying the fake ones.
Seems to me that they should not have gone bad so fast, so maybe they were getting old when you got them, or maybe there is something to your theory of being smothered. Anyway, i love your designs and creativity, and its time better spent than sweeping, etc.
Love it its simple but creative.
I love it, especially the pattern gourd- and the green. I love traditional autumn colors a lot so a white or mercury glass pumpkins(purchased this year) is about as far as I’ll stray but I appreciate variations on that theme.