Tricks for Arranging a Cornucopia

  I don't really do all that much specifically themed Thanksgiving decorating. I just sort of take the obvious Halloween stuff down and leave the fall looking stuff around.

BUT.....

 The Horn of Plenty or Cornucopia is almost as iconic an image as the turkey at Thanksgiving.

I have always loved the idea of having this as the centerpiece for the table!

Look at these lovely examples:

I could never figure out how to get mine to look like this without everything tumbling out whenever I needed to move it for one reason or another!

Finally, I figured it out!
I found this great cornucopia at a garage sale a couple of years ago....

It has this great ring at the bottom to keep it upright!!!

I imagine you could attach a small grapevine wreath with wire to one if you can't find one like this.

See how the ring lets the basket sit nicely on the basket tray?

The "real" trick is putting the cornucopia on the tray!

That way everything can stay contained if you want to pick it up and move it!!!!

Next, I tucked a piece of dry floral arranging foam in the center....

cut a piece of burlap to hide this after the fruits, leaves and flowers are inserted.

Then I just started poking artificial foliage, gourds, Indian corn, and a few dried hydrangeas into the floral foam.....and around on the base of the basket until I liked the way it looked.
I was going to put some of the mini pumpkins left over from Halloween....but I had enough other stuff that I didn't need them.....
What is really nice is that this whole thing can be picked up and moved to where ever I want it!

And those little pumpkins....?
Here they are as part of the centerpiece on the dining room table...tucked in to a gathered up piece of fabric that is arranged around some magnolia leaves!
(The leaves are conditioning in some glycerin so they stay pliable...waiting to be part of the Christmas Mantle)

Then I remembered this little ceramic Cornucopia that I scored at Goodwill a couple of years ago....I can't wait to get some flowers to fill it!

And do you remember the ugly dollar store leaves that were in the grapevine wreath that I bought at GW last week?  I painted most of them....and posted about that :)

Some of the leaves were glittery and pretty gaudy....

I was ready to toss them...

And THEN....

I took out this glittered fruit wreath that still had the greenery from last Christmas tucked in....

When I swapped out the pine with the glittery leaves...

The Christmas wreath became 

Thanksgiving Decor!

In true "Sweetwater Style"

I used what I had....

I reused and rearranged....

I just "did it"!

And it doesn't look half bad!


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