Autumn Decorations – Candlesticks, Displays and Wreaths

Set the mood for autumn with seasonal candlesticks, creative displays and fall wreaths. See the detailed steps for making these decorations in this Pottery Barn video:

1. Embellish Your Glass Candlesticks: To decorate a grouping of glass candlesticks, start with handfuls of small pine cones, small pruning shears and branches of tallow berry.

Gather up pine cones and place loosely around the candle or stem of the candlestick. Make sure there are enough to grab attention, but don’t be fussy about placement.
Branches of tallow are available at florist and craft stores and have pretty white berries which stand out against a dark background. Trim off the little clusters of berries and drop onto the beds of pine cones. The berries on their stems will have a dazzling and effervescent effect, and when this simple combination is presented in repetition, it will unify the various sizes and shapes of glass used in the display.

2. Use a Turban Squash as a Candlestick: Pumpkins, squash and other edible botanicals can be put to work as candlesticks. Turban squash lends itself perfectly to this task. Using an apple corer, make sure you’ve got a plumb vertical line at the center of the squash and bore a hole. Insert a tapered candle, and use a colorful ceramic vase to display the candlestick or just set it down on its own for a fun, economical, seasonal display.

3. Inspire a Thankful Toast: This year, raise a thankful toast with a gathering of friends and family. You’ll need buff colored card stock, a leaf and scissors.

Start by finding a favorite literary passage or a poem appropriate to the occasion. Copy the text onto the card stock and consider enlarging the words in the process for graphic impact.
Next, use the leaf you selected as a tracing tablet. Position the leaf to frame your writing selection and trace its edges onto the back of the card stock. When cutting out the shape of a leaf, it’s helpful to hold the scissors relatively still, and turn the card stock while cutting.
Erase any trace line and place the leaf into the glassware you intend to use for the toast, along with a pencil for each guest. When the moment arrives for the toast, ask your guests to write out on the back of the leaf a thing for which they are especially thankful, and to place the leaf back in its glass. When everyone raises their cheer, it will be with glasses full of thanks.

4. Embellish Your Platter Collection: Here’s an easy way to dress up a collection of platters for autumn. You’ll need a spool of twine, a pair of scissors, thick rubber bands, plate hangers in appropriate sizes, and cards drawn with individual letters to spell out a word. The coarse material of sisal twine contrasts with the glossy smoothness of the platter.

Begin with one of the platters in your collection and cut a length of twine. Anchor the length of twine with a finger or thumb and wrap several times around the middle of the platter. The best results come from allowing the twine to overlap and crisscross when wrapping.
Once the twine is wound around the platter, select a thick rubber band, tie one end of the wrapped twine around the middle of the rubber band, and trim off the excess twine. Thread the other end of the wrapped twine through the rabbit ears of the rubber band, pull the twine until it’s taut, and secure with a knot. If this is done correctly, the twine will be elasticized so as to better hold in place the cards you will insert there later.
Making sure you have an appropriately sized plate hanger, finish off your prep by mounting the hanger to the back of the platter.
Finally, insert one of your letters between the wrappings of twine.
Now, to hang your collection of platters, you’ll want to start by organizing a composition on the floor before you begin making nail or screw holes in your wall. Once this is done, start hanging by marking on the wall the point at which the plate hanger meets the wall surface and drive in a screw or nail. Repeat the process for each platter, replicating the composition you organized on the floor.
Photographs of family and friends copied onto card stock will finish this project with a perfect personal touch.

5: Use a Ribbon to Hang Your Wreath: For this project, you’ll need a wreath, stiff card stock and wide satin ribbon. Satin ribbon was chosen for its sheen and drape. Using card stock underneath gives the ribbon a clean appearance without bulges or underlying contours. If the wreath has a wire loop, work on the opposite side of the wreath.

Cut a piece of card stock to the width of the ribbon. Folding the card stock in half will double its effectiveness in backing the ribbon.
Find a good spot on the wreath and place the card stock where you want to wrap the ribbon. Find the middle point of your length of ribbon, place over the card stock, and draw the tail of the ribbon through the center of the wreath. Make sure to align the ribbon and card stock so that the card stock is completely obscured, and then turn over the wreath and secure with a square knot.
Once the wreath is prepared, have on hand some aluminum-headed push pins. Center the wreath on a mirror, flip the tails of the ribbon over the corners of the mirror, and secure to the back of the frame using the push pins.
You can add photographs or holiday cards to the wreath for a beautiful and memorable bit of seasonal decor once the wreath is hung.