Since the temperatures have been in the 40’s at night here in Western Pennsylvania, and I’m starting to see the leaves turning to the bright & beautiful shades of Autumn, I have to give in to the fact that Summer is over.  Fall isn’t in its full colorful glory yet, but it’s just around the corner.  Yes, I’m finally facing the fact that it’s Fall.

This is my first Fall home decor item for the season.  Most of the items for this project are from the Dollar Tree, with a very few exceptions.  And it’s so easy to put together.  Just because the items were bought at the Dollar Tree, doesn’t mean it has to look like it.  And tomorrow, I’ll be using it in a Fall Tablescape.

I started with some basic supplies.  The floral rings from the Dollar Tree measure 7 7/8″ wide, which makes a nice sized centerpiece.  The ribbon is wire edged, and there are plenty of Fall leaves & flowers there right now.

I’ve had some 8″ cardboard cake circles on hand that I’d gotten from Walmart.  These are perfect for using as a base for the centerpiece and are very inexpensive.  (the floral foam has a tendency to shed on the table)

I put a good coat of hot glue on the outer edge of the cake circle and then pressed the floral foam ring on to the glue.  There is very little of the cake circle that extends beyond the foam ring.

         

I picked up a bag of sheet moss at Walmart, but the Dollar Tree has several kinds of moss available.

Using floral pins, attach the moss to the floral foam ring.  Don’t push the pins all the way down into the foam.  You’ll be removing them later.  After the ring is covered, set the centerpiece base aside.

         

Cut the ribbon into 9″ pieces.  Fold the ribbon in half so that both ends meet.  Then fold the ends in half so that the sides of the ribbon meet.

         

Cut the ribbon ends at a slant.  When the ends are opened, there is an even ‘V’ at the ends.

         

Using floral pins, pinch the ribbon so that it makes a loop with tails.  Repeat with the entire spool of ribbon.

Using the pins in the ribbon, replace the pins that you used to anchor the moss to the floral ring.  (Make sure that you put the pins in at an angle so they don’t go through to the center of the ring.  Using all of the ribbon loops, space them out on the ring evenly and spread out the tails.

         

Clip the leaves from their stems, making the stems short (about 1 to 1 1/2″) so they don’t go through to the center of the ring.  Use the leaves to fill in around the ribbons.  I guess you can tell that I used all of my browns for this centerpiece, but you can use any color you want.  This is your centerpiece, make it the way you want it.

         

Clip the stems short (about 1 to 1 1/2″ long) from the flower bush.  Fill in around the ribbon loops & leaves with the flowers.

         

I inserted a Dollar Tree glass vase that I had spray painted with copper paint.  This will be filled with water & a floating candle once it’s on the table.

You could be done with it now.  But you know me, I can’t leave well enough alone.  Especially when I found these battery operated miniature lights!  Batteries are not included.  You’ll need 2 AA batteries.  After a simple twist of a screw to open the case, I had lights!

         

I tucked the battery pack between the vase & floral ring, by a large leaf, with the on switch at the top.

         

Turn the lights on so you can see where you’re putting them.  This makes placing the lights in the centerpiece look evenly spaced out.  Tuck the wires under the leaves & flowers.  Use the large leaf to cover the battery pack.

         

It turned out even better than I thought it would.  You know it’s okay when your son says it’s “Cool”

And this is how it looks with the room’s lights off.

You may have noticed that nothing was glued into the floral foam.  This way, the leaves, picks & flowers can be changed for another season.  How pretty would this look with holly or evergreen & miniature ornaments?  Oh my creative juices are already flowing with this one.

I hope you’ll give this a try.  It’s so easy to do, and easy to customize to any decor.

Happy Creating everyone!

 I’ll be joining:

Create With Joy for Friendship Friday #139

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Katherines Corner for Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop 158

My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday