A Fall Centerpiece

We had another beautiful, cool night last night, so now I'm in the mood for Fall! The trees in the neighborhood are starting to shed their leaves and the sound of the school bus echoes through the morning air.

So in honor of the occasion, I've been changing out some of our home decorations. All of the candles have been switched to deep colors and sweet, earthy fragrances. And this great new centerpiece sets the mood as you walk into our dining room.

The best part is, you can make this centerpiece yourself for just $5! I made a quick spin through the local dollar store and picked up six battery-operated tea lights, two floral picks and a bag of river rocks. I found this antique mini bundt pan at a garage sale several years ago, and I was finally able to put it to good use.

Cut a small circle of cardboard just large enough to fit in the bottom of your bundt pan, muffin tin, whatever you decide to use. (Just make sure it's something you never want to bake in again.) Use a hot glue gun to adhere rocks around the edges. I found it was easier to put the glue on the rock and then the rock on the cardboard. Use the candle as a guide to place each one so you still have room to nestle it in, but don't get glue on the candle itself.




Cut apart the individual stems of the floral picks and tuck them into the nooks and crannies around the rocks and candles. Remember that the pieces will fall out when you take out the candles, unless you tuck them in where they won't move.



This whole project took about a half and hour - a great quick, inexpensive centerpiece that can now be changed with the seasons, too. Take out the fall picks once winter comes and fill it with snow-covered boughs and holly. Use a larger or smaller pan and find interesting places to display it. Be creative and you'll find tons of ways to personalize this decoration.