Autumn entertaining

With the long, hot summer behind us, it's time to move indoors. This means you'll probably have plenty of time on your hands. So put your time to good use by tackling one (or all!) of these great projects. You'll be thrilled with the results and with your own handiwork.

1 Sunflower votives
At your next dinner party, forgo the standard glass tea-light holders and impress your guests with a striking display of sunflower holders. Trim the stalk off a sunflower so that the flower sits flat on a table. Remove the candle from a tea light and use the metal container as a cutter to create a hole in the centre of the sunflower. Clean the edges with a knife. Place the candle back in the metal container and insert the tea light into the sunflower.





2 Leafy candle vase
Get into the fall spirit with this leaf-and-rock candle arrangement. Layer river rocks in a ring around the bottom of a large glass vase. Place a smaller glass vase inside the ring. Arrange autumnal leaves in the space between the two vases. Insert a pillar candle and river rocks in the small vase.






3 Gourd vase
Take your fall flower arrangements one step further by using a gourd as a vase. Clean out the inside of a medium-size gourd. Fill the bottom with floral foam and create a plentiful bouquet with the beautifully rich colours the season has to offer.







4 Sunflower place card
Continue the sunflower entertaining motif with handsome place cards. Trim the stalks off sunflowers so that the flowers sit flat on a plate. Create name tags from card stock, writing one guest's name diagonally on each card. Insert the bottom tip of the cards into the centre of the sunflowers.

 

 

 

Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden