Thursday, April 05, 2007

Uncommon Spring Tablescape

We have several azalea bushes that are presently in full bloom, so I decided to take advantage of that and use them for a spring tablescape. I wanted to use clay pots instead of vases, so I pulled out some old ones and decided to paint them. It turned out to be a great project.
Items needed:
flowering stems in varying lengths
clay pots (old or new)
oasis
acrylic paint
disposable sponge brushes
moss (Michaels or Hobby Lobby)

I started out by painting the pots. I diluted the acrylic paint with water, making it somewhat translucent. I started with a green and wiped it down with a damp cloth. I repeated that same process with white, and then ended with brown. It gave the pots a funky look. You could use whatever color you want. If you don't like your result, simply wipe it off and start over.
This is how they turned out: I soaked the oasis in water for a few minutes:

The oasis easily slices with a knife to fit into the pots. I used a large piece in the middle and small pieces on the sides for stability:

I combined the stems I had into groupings according to color. I pushed the stems into the oasis, then covered the oasis with the moss.
The flowers in the middle pot (pictured below) had particularly long stems, so I pulled off the leaves and tied them with a ribbon, giving it the look of a topiary.

This is an easy and inexpensive way to create a very colorful tablescape.
Note: Azaleas wilt a little after 24 hours, so if you use them, put it together the day of your event.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cute, I will definitly try that one. Well, once some flowers bloom around here.

Anonymous said...

You continue to amaze me! I'm so glad we're related. Do you think if we spent more time together that some of you would rub off on me?

Vickie said...

Maybe you need to relocate. We could have way more crazy fun that way.