Fall — Blog - Parsley and Pom Poms

This Thanksgiving season I have spent time working through a few ideas to complete a beautiful tablescape for Turkey Thursday. A few original ideas each year can really make a difference in updating your table and making the holiday feel unique compared to the year before. The smaller details, such as napkin rings, can be the updated touch that can make each place setting feel special and new. My craving to escape the Florida sun and travel back to my northern roots, which is exactly what I am doing for the holidays, has inspired me to create napkin rings out of more fall-like, natural greens, and harvest wheat materials. The rings take little work and fit perfectly in with the warm rustic farm fresh appeal that is planned for our family's Thanksgiving table in Jersey. xo RCN

What you need:

Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks

Faux/plastic wheat bunch (one 6" stem per ring)

Natural dried wheat bunch (one 4 inch stem per ring)

Natural dried rosemary bunch or similar natural dried green (three 2-3" stems per ring)

Natural dried bunny tails (Lagurus) bunch (two bunny tail tops with 1-2" stem per ring)

Red or green protea fresh leave bunches (three leaves per ring)

Note: All dried bunches of naturals were purchased at Michael's and natural protea leaves purchased at Whole Foods Market. The protea leaves were living when rings were crafted, and dried up after a few days of sitting out. Leaves vary in color from green to burgundy and will turn darker once they are dried out.

Take plastic wheat stem and overlap ends, one and a half inches on both sides. Hot glue overlapped ends with a small squirt of glue. Secondly, take natural wheat and attach to about 1/2 to 2/3 of the plastic ring's surface. Adhere with another small dab of hot glue on each end of the dried wheat. Press and hold dried wheat to plastic wheat firmly until glue drys (about 30 seconds or less).

On the 1/2 side not covered with natural wheat, glue the rosemary in 3 layers, overlapping each a slight amount, starting with the longest of the three and placing it towards the top. It helps to bend and make the stems flexible in order to mimic the shape of the ring.

The last two steps include glueing the bunny tail tops beside one another at an angle below the rosemary and layering the three protea leaves on the back side pointing upward between bunny tails and rosemary. Remove all extra glue hanging from rings and you are done.

Enjoy xo RCN

Step 1. Purchase large to medium artichokes and 2.75" diameter pillar candles from grocery store.

Step 2. Cut the stems off artichokes so bottom of artichoke is flat and stands upright on own.

Step 3. Open up artichoke and spread out leaves. Artichoke leaves are relatively flexible and you can pull open by starting from the outside leaves and working your way in. Once you get to the very center you may want to wear gloves because the core is sharp and can cut your fingers.

Step 4. Once you have separated the leaves and opened up the artichoke to fit the size pillar candles you are using, pull out the very center leaves to create space for the candle to sit. Leaves should rip out by pulling pretty easily. Be sure to keep tearing the center leaves out until the center is as flat as possible.

I am always up for different ideas to make a table or vignette look natural and new for an occasion. As Thanksgiving is just around the corner I thought I would pull out some easy ideas for dressing up the table. Pumpkins and gourds are always nice, of course, but it's cool to throw in another element that is not as expected. I am going with artichokes. I love the way they look and how their leaves appear like petals. The cone shape and frosty green color pairs well with a mixture of assorted gourds and pumpkins. Having seen ceramic candle holders that were designed to be artichokes in the past, I thought what better way to incorporate real artichokes into the table decor. I purchased a few of the larger artichokes I could find at Whole Foods Market and turned them into medium size pillar candle holders. The best part about this DIY, is that it requires minimal prep that can be done the day before Thanksgiving.

Note: You will not want to prep much farther in advance than that, as the artichokes will wilt and not appear as fresh. However, if you would like the artichokes to last longer you can always use clear shellac. In that instance, you will need to paint, with a paintbrush, at least two coats of clear shellac all over surfaces of the plant. The shellac step will add on a day to the DIY project.

xo RCN