The Holidays Are Almost Here!

The holidays are officially around the corner, and I can promise you that they will be here before you know it. Whether you find yourself planning for it months in advance or scrambling at the last minute, there’s a lot of pressure for perfection put on people when it comes to hosting your loved ones for the holidays.

Let’s be clear, though. It’s not about perfection. It’s not about being the Pinterest perfect hostess with the perfect tablescape, the biggest centerpiece, and the instagram-worthy hot cocoa bar. Don’t get me wrong. All of that is fun, and I love it because it’s my passion (and also my job!) But in the end, it’s about gathering together, loving on one another, and making memories.  Making an impression on your guests is a lot more simple than you think.

READ ALSO: Simple Ways to Add Fall Into Your Home

A Festive Thanksgiving Centerpiece Idea

There’s just something about the level of conversation that happens and the memories made over a meal or cup of coffee that I love so much. I can confidently say that some of my favorite memories were made sitting around a table. It is always why I put a little more attention and love into the food and the table each time I host.

Setting your table is probably one of the most simple steps you can take to leave a lasting impression on your guests. It sets the tone for the meal and it’s the first thing they’ll notice when they walk in your dining room. However, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Today on the blog, I’m sharing with you a super simple DIY centerpiece idea to inspire your Thanksgiving Day tablescape.

DIY Pumpkin Vase

Materials:

• Medium to Large Plastic Pumpkin – You could easily do this with a real pumpkin as well! I opted for a plastic pumpkin out of laziness and so that I’d be able to re-use it and change out the flowers. 
• A Small Vase or Mason Jar – so you can save the mess and keep those flowers alive for longer than a few hours!
• A Knife
• Assorted Flowers

1. Carve Your Pumpkin + Place Your Mini-Vase Inside

Like I mentioned above, you could easily do this with a real pumpkin. I think this centerpiece DIY would be super pretty among a runner of small heirloom pumpkins for Thanksgiving. However, I opted for a plastic pumpkin from Target (that I paid way too much for) so that I’d be able to keep it and change out the flowers as the fall season went on. I went ahead and bought a white plastic pumpkin so I didn’t have to paint it, but you could easily spray paint your plastic pumpkin any color you want before you start this DIY. Make your pumpkin vase as unique as you are!

The first step to this DIY is to carve an opening in the top of your pumpkin large enough to fit your small vase or mason jar. Make sure that you choose a jar that is the same height or slightly shorter than your pumpkin. I did this by myself (and frankly suck at carving circles), so I went ahead and just did a square large enough to fit my mason jar so I’d easily be able to take it back out to change the water. Once I was done carving, I filled up my Mason Jar a little less than half way with water and the flower food mix.

Note: If you were using a real pumpkin for this DIY, you’d then also have to scoop out the inside seeds like you would if you were carving a Jack-O-Lantern with your kids. 

2. Arrange Your Flowers

Let’s go ahead and put out this disclaimer. I am not a professional florist. I have way too many talented flower friends to even joke about being one. But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to arrange fresh flowers for my dining room table. I simply grabbed a couple cheap flower bouquets at the grocery store to make my own centerpiece.

No matter the size, I try to create a grid at the top of my vase so that I can arrange my flowers easier and keep them in place from swinging around the sides as I place them in. I was out of clear tape, so forgive the mess that is my scotch tape that wouldn’t seem to stick to the jar. (Just goes to show – you can use what you already have!)

When it comes to actually arranging the flowers themselves, again, I’m not a florist. I like to play around, be creative, and do what I like. For this arrangement, I started off with placing in the yellow lilies in the grid lines to ‘fill’ up the vase with the flowers and its long green leaves. I then took the orange-ish yellow mums and mixed them in with the lilies to break up the color and add dimension. Meanwhile, to make the greenery of the leaves pop, I added in a few dianthus stems. (LOVE!) To finish it off, I broke up the color again by using baby’s breath and other white flower buds stuffed throughout. It was also a great filler to use at the bottom to hide the hole I cut. You could also do this last step with more greenery (my preference!)

Tip: Make sure to prep your flowers by cutting the stems and removing any leaves that would be below (or near) the waterline. I did this as I went so some flowers sat higher than others.

Another Tip: Soggy leaves in your water is going to be one of the fastest ways your arrangement dies. This is why it’s important to change the water often. When I change the water, I tend to put a cube of sugar in the vase to give them some “food” and help the flowers stay alive a little bit longer. 

There you have it, friends! I hope you enjoyed this super simple DIY idea to make your Thanksgiving table a little more festive this year. This DIY pumpkin vase tutorial could easily be used with smaller pumpkins as well to create a gorgeous bountiful harvest look over your table runner. All you need now are the candles, some delicious thanksgiving food, and the perfect company! Cheers!