I love changing the decor in my home according to whatever season we are in. I really just do three 3 big changes a year; fall, Christmas/winter, and spring/summer. I don’t do anything for say, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or St. Patrick’s Day.
Even though I enjoy decorating, I always struggle with centerpieces for my dining table or tabletops. Lately, I’ve been using a 3-tier tray for both the dining table and the table in our living room. But I have been wanting to change it up with something different and fun, but most importantly, QUICK!
I saw a picture online of a pretty fall display built on a long charcuterie board and I knew this was what I wanted to try! I didn’t have a board like that at home and so the search began (shopping is the best part, isn’t it?!) I found what I was looking for at Target from their Magnolia line. It’s 40’ long and fits the dining room table perfectly.
Next, it was time to gather my supplies: a garland of greenery, one medium-sized pumpkin, a few smaller pumpkins, a couple of small candles, and a pair of wire cutters. (If you don’t own a pair of wire cutters, get a pair ASAP! You’ll thank me when you realize how much easier it is to trim faux greenery!))
To create the centerpiece start with the bottom layer of greenery. I laid the leaf garland down the center of the board and using the wire cutters I trimmed it to just a bit longer than my board so there would be enough to wind in and out of the other items I planned to add. Then I placed the larger pumpkin in the center and a jar candle on each end.
All I had to do after that was fill in the spaces with the smaller pumpkins, tucking the leaf garland in and around everything, until the board was as full as I wanted and I liked the way it looked!
Presto, a centerpiece!
My sister, Doe, thought a smaller board would be cool for the table in my living room, but I didn’t have one and didn’t want to go buy one. So my husband came to the rescue.
He had a piece of 1X8 out in his shop leftover from another project that was just shy of 24”. He milled the edges so that they were slightly rounded, sanded them, and I stained it. Once it was dry we added handles.
This was a fast project and I was thrilled with how it turned out. I wouldn’t put food directly on it, but it’s perfect for decorating.
I gathered a new group of supplies: some faux fall flowers I had purchased on sale at JoAnn’s, a variety of jars and vases in different sizes, some battery-operated votive candles and holders, and more pumpkins.
This time I wanted flowers to be in the center of the tray so I chose a jar that was a good height for the scale of the board, with a broader neck opening. The clear glass of the jar didn’t offer much impact on the tray, but I didn’t want to go buy a different vase. I remembered I had a can of gold marbling spray paint leftover from another project so I simply used that to spray paint the jar–it was just the thing it needed to add a little visual weight!
I added the flowers to the jar, trimming and arranging them so that they would just sit on the rim of the vase, using only enough stems to fill the opening but not needing to squish them in.
Next, I added a couple of pumpkins I found on sale at Hobby Lobby and a few small gourds from the grocery store. My mom always said that when it comes to decorating, a good rule of thumb is: work in odd numbers and keep things in the shape of a pyramid. So, I kept the larger pumpkin closer to the center and the smaller gourds spread out toward the edges. As a last touch, I included two LED, battery-operated candles in small glass votive holders.
The completed board looked great on the table, but it still needed a little something to make it pop. I had just the thing! A piece of flannel in yellow and cream. The flannel layer works like the mat inside a framed picture creating movement and layers for our eyes to follow.
I’m so happy with the simple little boards that I have plans to make more of them in various sizes! If I decide to use them for food I’ll simply lay down a piece of parchment paper first.
You could easily recreate these centerpieces yourself using whatever you have at home. If you don’t want to buy or make a board, a tray, mirror, or even a picture frame would all work as your base layer. Look around your house and see what things you could gather together to display on top. If you (or your husband) are handy with tools, whip up a quick board yourself!
If this post inspires you to put together a centerpiece for your table we’d love to see it! Post it to your Instagram and tag us.
Happy decorating!
XOXO,
Shan