Flowers and China---DIY Centerpiece!

My thoughts are turning to Thanksgiving and all of the preparation. I am not a person to wait until the last minute. I make my lists, purchase as much as I can ahead of time and pack it neatly in boxes for the trek back home to visit family.

For many years we packed children, suitcases, gifts and goodies into the van and drove hours to enjoy our  family holiday. We also had those years we hopped planes for the holidays. In recent years our children fondly named our busy family weekend "Thanksmas." Because the distance makes the trek more difficult in the winter, our family celebrates Thanksgiving on Thursday and Christmas on Saturday. Our daughters, and my niece and her family, require a flight to get to Mago's instead of driving like my husband and I are now able to do. The airline's love our family at holiday time!

For "Thanksmas" I am in charge of  the tables and buffet decor. My girls decorate Mago's Christmas tree and mantle, and my husband and I take care of her outside lights and garland. My mother cooks her traditional meal on Thanksgiving and we have gravitated toward a more simple Christmas dinner on Saturday. It consists of Penne pasta, sauce and meatballs, green salad, garlic bread and Christmas cookies for dessert. We did this last year and it made things a lot more simple.  It works for us allowing us more time to spend with one another instead of at the stove or with extensive cleanup.

I have been thinking of trying a few new things this year and one is the Thanksgiving centerpiece.
After perusing for ideas I came across a very simple  creative use for my "white" serving dishes that I thought I would give a try. I have a beautiful Mikasa French Countryside soup tureen that I love, but hardly use. This year I am going to use it as a vase to hold a beautiful display of bright Fall colored flowers.

Mikasa French Countryside soup tureen.

By removing the lid, adding the center vase for height, an easy centerpiece is made from a lovely piece of china.

It is so easy to create. I started by buying two bouquets of assorted flowers from my supermarket. I placed a rectangular vase inside the soup tureen directly in the center. I cut the flowers for that vase a bit higher than those I was placing around the exterior part of the tureen. Add water with a touch of Chlorox  (my daughter the scientist taught me this--it keeps the water fresh and clear for days) and that's it! It was that simple.

Take a look and see what you think. On Thanksgiving I will add some gourds scattered around the tureen and  several pillar candles placed in short candlesticks. This will allow enough room for serving dishes to be placed on the table without making it too crowded.

Why not search your home for something out of the ordinary to use for your Thanksgiving vase. It's not too early to get started planning. Who knew it could be so simple and beautiful!

Cheers to a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy!
K