Elements d'Art - "Grateful" Centerpiece

Happy Fall, fellow Bad Girls!

Can you believe we're already in November? Thanksgiving is, of course, one of my favorite holidays because well... turkey. And mashed potatoes smothered with delicious gravy. And stuffingcranberrysaucesweetyamsbroccoli&pumpkinpie! :) Most of all, it's about getting together with family and expressing what we are grateful for.

This year, I wanted to "count our blessings" in a different way... in a way that can be documented while also serving a purpose (to sit there and look pretty-like) so we'll always remember what we were thankful for this year. This is what I came up with - a Thanksgiving centerpiece!

 
  
The best part about this is that you can get the whole family involved! I had each member of my family write down what they were grateful for on some Scenic Route journal spots and used them as part of their special "leaf". My youngest even helped with her own!

The possibilities are endless as far as what supplies you can use. Of course, you would want to use colors/products that would best match your decor. :)

SUPPLIES:

* LARGE "leaves" (floral picks) from your local craft store floral dept. (dry leaves work best, as they are sturdy and easier to work with.)

* An existing or purchased vase or container with floral filler of your choice

* Low temp glue gun

* Solid/Patterned paper

* various embellishments (ribbons, buttons, flowers, journal tags, etc.)

I used the Vintage Yummy line by Sassafrass Lass for the base of my leaves.  To get the shape, you can trace a rough sketch of your leaf onto a plain piece of paper and then use that as a template for your patterned paper.

 
  
I LOVE to use stitching of some sort on all of my projects, but stitching on these dry leaves was not an option so to achieve the look, I sewed my paper pieces together, as well as some lace, before adhering them to the leaves.

 
Once you have all of your paper "bases" complete, you can begin to adhere them to your leaves with a low temperature glue gun. And then the fun part begins... adding your photos, journal spots & dimensional elements to each leaf. Let your creativity soar!

When you are done, you will have a set of beautiful (and meaningful) floral picks to add to any arrangement you'd like, year after year.  

Another idea for this would be to have your "leaves", including photos, completed with just a spot left for a journaling tag. As friends/family arrive, you can give them each a journal tag, have them fill it out and then just add it to their leaf! It will be a centerpiece to be cherished for years and years to come.

Wishing you all a wonderful (& creative!) holiday season.

xoxo

Angie

Comments

[Karen Dodson]

GORGEOUS!!!!!

[Holly Hanks]

Now, THAT is a fab idea, Angie! Love it! Thanks so much for sharing. :0)

[Linn]

this is so great!
thanks for sharing :)

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Angie, this is awesome, thanks for the inspo!
I love this blog!

[Jen M]

What a cool idea! I'm gonna do this for this year! Thanks for the idea!!!

[Rachel Killpack]

Absolutely STUNNING! Thanks for the inspiration!

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Yay!! They look awesome. I love how you framed them up. I'll have to do some on paper.

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Hello Wendy,
Your art is looking awesome. Really It's amazing I like it very much! I think you are not a bad girls you are a GOOOD Girl..... :-) :) Thanks for sharing such an amazing information and Pics.

Keep it up.
James, NY

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