Special occasion on the horizon? Dinner party on the cards? Love interior decor with a difference? Here’s six creative ways to create stunning table decorations for next to nothing! First, find yourself a suitable vase. Second hand shops, junk emporia and boot fairs are great places to pick up uniquely funky vases, from flowery shabby chic to smart pressed glass. Then…
- collect a bundle of dried grasses and seed pods from verges, hedgerows or your garden, colour them a cool, clean white with spray paint, let them dry and arrange them in your vase and tie with a colourful ribbon – tartan looks fabulous – for a calm, contemporary display that looks expensive and exclusive but actually costs pennies
- gather a good handful of slim twigs, collecting twigs covered with beautiful, pale green lichens if possible. Cut them all to exactly the same length with secateurs and stand them in your vase for a spare, elegant, controlled yet natural display
- forget fresh flowers. Cut a bunch of twigs with lovely, green leaves, either choosing them from the same plant or a variety of plants if you fancy varying your shades of green for extra visual interest. Sit them in water for a splendid long-lasting display redolent of spring and warmer weather to come
- common or garden ivy makes a strong design impact. Cut a loads of stems of ivy then arrange them in your vase, sitting them in fresh water. Because ivy droops and dangles, it’ll flow down the side of your vase to create a sumptuous natural, rich deep green table decoration
- gather a bundle of bamboo plant stakes, cut them to the same length and stand them in your vase. because bamboo is hollow, you can carefully drip water into the top of the stakes and pop a flower or fresh leaf into each for a truly unusual and very creative look
- Find a shallow glass dish or pretty plate. Collect pine cones, twigs with berries, colourful pebbles and even glass pebbles, stand a coloured or white candle in the centre and build your display around the candle for a rich, exciting and unusual table decoration
(Thanks to http://www.sxc.hu/profile/stay4while for the excellent free image)
