"Design Happens"

Thanksgiving is this Thursday. Not much time left before guests arrive. I have a few ideas for simple centerpieces that are big on style but can be put together using elements gathered on a walk through the woods or from your own backyard.

Okay, in all truth, these hedge apples (a.k.a osage oranges) didn’t come from my backyard. A neighbor has a well-established tree that dropped fruit the size of softballs onto the sidewalk. I just slowed down on my walk and scooped em up. Placed in an antique brass urn, they add a bright chartreuse pop to my dining room.

I made this stoneware vase in college and it’s always been one of my faves, filled with an assortment of clippings it adds the perfect fall touch.

Another example of how beautiful leafy branches in a vase can be — who needs flowers! Easy-peasy, I stepped out my back door (scissors in hand) and clipped any branches that had a blush of fall color. The dark purple/russet leaves are spirea, the dark green are loropetalum aka Chinese fringe flower and the hot pink is a creeping ground cover that volunteered in a wild area of my backyard.

So, take a stroll outdoors and see what you can come up with. We’ve added a holiday category to Rate My Space, share your fall centerpiece photos with us; we’d love to see them!

H. Camille Smith is a contributor to Design Happens.