DIY Centerpiece in Fall Colors

This is a simple DIY centerpiece that can be put together with items you may already have at home. We used some gala apples, tangerine mums, burgundy cymbidium orchids, and some ferns that were dried and spray painted into a rustic brown shade.

One special note about this arrangement is that fruits do emit ethylene gas, more commonly known as the ripening hormone, and consequently shorten the lives of cut flower (as it "ripens" them faster"). Therefore, the placement of the flowers should be done just prior to the event. Simply piled up the fruit of your choice, and adorn the pile with a few blossoms, and finish with foliage if desired.

This centerpiece in the fall spectrum of yellow, red, burgundy and brown can be a quick centerpiece for Thanksgiving gathering, when there's already plenty of culinary details to take care of. All that you will need is some fruits, a few blossoms (perhaps from your backyard), and a cake stand.

Wedding Table Setting DIY

Left Image: Use multiple strips of contrasting fabric to tie up the silver wares Right Image: A simple twine + customized tag = "I didn't notice that those are plastic wares!" For a backyard or outdoor casual wedding, small details like these can really help to dress up the table setting. The right image and the downloadable flower tag can be found at Eat Drink Chic.

Light and Glass

A friend forwarded me the photos he took of this ethereal table scape from a party he attended. The illumination from the back lit table, the shapely glasswares, and scattered flowers made an unforgettable presentation.

Dining by Design 2008

We were priviledged to have the opportunity to attend the Dining by Design event organized by the Design Industrieds Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) in the San Francisco Design Center. Each year DIFFA organizes a series of Dining by Design events held in major cities to benefit hundreds of AIDS service organizations nationwide. Each design team is to create a dining space/environment for ten people. Here are some favorites.