Easy budget DIY succulent centerpieces

I've got a private dinner party coming up and I thought I'd make my own centerpieces using succulents and found objects. I bought salvaged wooden boxes ($3 each) that I turned upside down to create a platform and spray painted the insides of short sundae glasses ($1) with a $3 can of berry pink spray paint. The succulents were about $1.97 to $5.99 a pot at Home Depot -- fortunately, succulents are very hardy and can be cut and eventually regenerate their roots so I didn't have to buy very many to make these (I just took pieces from a handful of pots). I'm pretty excited to display these! What do you think?

Cheap and easy-to-grow centerpieces

I know it's still early December but I'm already counting down the days to when daffodil and paperwhite bulbs spring up at farmer's markets and nurseries. These bulbs are so inexpensive and easy to grow (just place in a beautiful urn-style vase, aged terracotta pot with pretty gravel,or whatever vessel you choose over shallow water). They're perfect for a winter wedding!

Here are good tips for growing your paperwhite strong and tall.

From Beautiful Living Style

Fiddling with my centerpieces

Our reception hall has doors that open up to the garden outside and I wanted to bring a bit of the garden inside. While Guitar Fred and I don't have a garden, we do have lots of succulents in pots and glass vessels at our apartment. 

I've always loved the look of succulent terrariums. I planted these succulents in October and they're beginning to bloom. The plant on the right is a trailing oregano. What's missing in the photos are the vintage white milk glass -- which I'll fill with a head of hydrangeas.

I've been looking at orange pintuck linens for the tables. For your centerpieces, are you going for a single, tall/short vase arrangement, or something clustered like below?

{Photos by Vera Devera}

Inspiration #67: Hydrangea Centerpieces

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and they're super easy to make into lush arrangements. They'll go perfectly with my vintage milk-glass compotes.

 

 {Source: The Knot}

{Source: Sprout Flowers; Arrangement by Martha Stewart}

 

{Source: Bride's Cafe}

DIY: A 100% Organic Dinner Party

Originally uploaded by emilie raguso

Yesterday, I threw yet another dinner party, this time for 42 guests, in an empty Victorian in West Oakland. The menu was  100% organic and "farm-to-table" which included courses like green garlic soup and shaved asparagus with lacto-fermented beets. In line with the organic theme, I wanted to have an earthy, yet cheery centerpiece for each table. Daffodils immediately came to mind -- they're springing up everywhere -- we saw lots blossoming along the highway from and to Mendocino a couple weeks ago and grocery stores are brimming with unfurled daffodil blossoms.

I bought potted mini daffodils ($3.99 for 3 bulbs in a pot) and cut daffodils ($1.99 a bunch from Trader Joe's) and put them in vintage pots and mason jars a friend had donated to me. I scored a huge box of Spanish moss from the Center of Creative Reuse for only $4 (a teeny tiny bag at Pottery Barn would've cost me $10) and placed freshly foraged chanterelles on top so that the table looked like a forest floor. Khaki colored gift paper from IKEA (3 rolls for $1) served as a table runner to finish the look (see photo above by Emilie Raguso, reporter at Oakland Local).

Here's how we set the glasses. I found sheets of "Organic" labels donated by Whole Foods to the Center of Creative Reuse for $1. I wrote each of the guests' names on the labels and set them next to their wine glass. We held cocktail hour in the backyard underneath blossoming fruit trees. My yellow Nantucket lanterns ($7 each from a Smith and Hawken closing sale; originally $39 each) played well with the yellow daffodils!

My total cost was $42!

 {Photos above by Brittany Piehl}

Help me design an "extreme" tablescape

{Photo by Vera Devera}

I have a dilemma. Next Sunday, I'm hosting a dinner party that's going to be filmed for TV. For this special occasion, I'm feeling pressured to come up with something over-the-top, which goes against my usual down-to-earth sensibility (as seen above in a Moroccan themed party). Right now, all I've got to use are Fiesta ware, vintage linens, and yellow lanterns.

I don't know if the "goldfish-in-a-vase" will cut it (plus, who takes them home afterwards?!). What about flowers frozen in Jell-o? Or flowers covered by water goblets? Pushing daisies?

{Jell-o Flowers by Evette Rios; Rachel Ray}

{Under Cover Flowers by Pine Cone Hill; Rachel Ray} 

{At Home with Kim Valee}

or maybe, I should just stick to something pretty like the one by David Stark below.

What's the most unusual centerpiece you've seen?

{David Stark Typography Centerpieces, Bliss Tree}

Inspiration #28: DIY Tin Can Table Numbers

I went to Urban Ore (Berkeley, CA) on Monday and spotted a box of brand new paint cans going for 30 CENTS each. I picked one up, trying to imagine what I could do creatively. A mod flower pot for succulents? Hmm. I left without buying any, although spending 30 cents on a centerpiece is irresistible (btw, I'm just about to my goal for collecting the white milk glass compotes I've planned for my wedding). Jillian of 100 Layer Cake came up with this lovely idea for using tin cans, so I had to re-post. If you're local to the Bay Area, you can do this project after you buy that box of paint cans for less than $10 (there were 30 cans of various sizes, esp. quart). Woo hoo!

See how-to on 100 Layer Cake. Download stencil here.

[Photo by 100 Layer Cake]

Inspiration #21: Vintage White Milk Glass Love

One of my collectible obsessions is vintage white milk glass (e.g., above is a lovely cake stand I purchased at the Alameda Flea Market). I buy a fabulous piece every chance I get and I recently Yelped about Polka Dot Attic in Danville, CA. They had a super selection of compotes and vintage cake stands (another obsession). Another good place to find vintage milk glass is online (Ebay and Etsy). Locally, the first-Sunday-of-the-month Alameda flea market offers the opportunity to haggle with vendors for these hard to find collectibles. The typical range I pay for compotes and bowls is between $5-20.

For my vintage garden themed wedding, I've envisioned using a variety of compotes, cake stands, footed bowls, and vases in floral, geometric cut and hobnail patterns. Here are some splendid examples I found online (list of credits below) on how to pull this off:


Photos by Marion Brenner for House & Garden July 2004 as featured on the London Calling Blog | Note Songs Blog
Country Living Magazine | Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons Blog | In This Instance Blog | Life in the Fast Lane Shop on Etsy |
Vintage Glam Blog | Elsea Chelsea Blog | Elizabeth Ann Designs Blog | Apartment Therapy.com | Vintage Florals Blog | Pleasant View Schoolhouse|
Carolina Panache Blog

Inspiration #16: Non-Floral Centerpieces

If you're looking to break tradition and not break your piggy bank, consider using non-floral arrangements. Using fruit creatively or items of great sentiment to you and your fiance, such as books (see SpeakQuietly above), can be really fun!

Check these out:
Citrus Centerpiece
Lemons and grapefruits tied in yellow taffeta ribbons and piled into a glass compote make a bright, casual arrangement. The bows are secured by pins, and sheer yellow organdy drapes from the bowl. A coordinating menu card is trimmed with taffeta ribbon.


Cloche Jars with Birds' Nests | Bridal Inquirer Blog
I am a fan of dainty birds' nests in bell jars, but you don't have to limit yourself! I bought a couple cloche bell jars from A Tail of the Yak in Berkeley and have used them to display seashell ornaments to my View Master.


The Pissed Off Bride


Theresa Glen Photography as seen on eHow.com
To accomplish this look, I suggest first going to TJ Maxx or Ross and finding birdcages in their home accessories section. I've seen birdcages as low as $14.99. Save on Crafts.com also has 2 for $19.99>>