Spring Tablescape

Easter is over and I have 2 months until I decorate for Memorial Day.  So, I had to figure out a Spring tablescape for my formal dining room table.  I have a gorgeous solid black 8 ft. table and needed something that would stand out and say "Welcome Spring".

I purchased 3 yds. of burlap at Hobby Lobby.  I never used burlap before and really liked the color and texture against my table.  I trimmed it down to about 6 ft. and cut in half lengthwise to make it a runner.  It was pretty wrinkled so I lightly ironed it.  It didn't get everything out, but it helped.  

I have lots of milk glass dishes and pulled out some matching pieces.  But the table still needed more color.

I made another trip back to Hobby Lobby (on a different day) and found some colorful flowers that were actually on clearance!

I snipped off most of the stems.

Then, I cut down a styrofoam block to fit into the dishes.

I poked the flowers into the styrofoam until just the petals were sticking out.  I also pulled a few green leaves off the leftover stems and stuck them into the styrofoam as well.

And my Spring table is complete. Simple, yet colorful.

I may go back and iron out some more wrinkles and even do a stenciled design.  For now, I love the way it looks and it was so easy to put together. Welcome, Spring!

Flower Pens

It's Teacher Appreciation Week for us and we came up with some creative gifts.  The first day was "Bring A Flower".  My friend, Tammie, suggested making flower pens.  It's cheap, easy to make, and the flowers won't wilt!

These are the only supplies you need:  fake flowers, floral tape, and pens.

Trim the flowers.  The stem only needs to be a couple inches long.

Place the flower against the end of the pen and then wrap with the floral tape.   For added durability, add a dab of hot glue between the flower stem and pen.  Be sure you don't wrap the floral tape all the way to the end or the lid won't go back on.

And that's it!  You can make several to make a "Pen Bouquet" or they look pretty on their own.