Things You'll Need:
- a hollow pumpkin
- Oasis flower foam
- plastic dish
- flowers
- fall leaves
- sticks and floral tape
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Step 1
Think about the size you would like your centerpiece to be and get a pumpkin that looks good on all sides and will sit straight on the table. Hollow out the pumpkin so that it is fairly clean inside. Scrape the inside bottom until it is flat so that it will hold a plastic dish steady.
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Step 2
Take a piece of Oasis floral foam (or similar) and place it in water until it is soaked. Choose a plastic dish that will fit inside your pumpkin. Set the floral foam into the dish so that it will stay in firmly. Place the dish with the foam into the pumpkin. I should sit straight without wobbling.
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Step 3
You can choose whether or not to use green leaves with your flowers. If you do choose green leaves, put them into the foam first. You can try to use green leaves from your garden, but they may not stay fresh looking for very long. Test your leaves first by cutting one and leaving it in a vase of water overnight. Cut each leaf stem at an angle and push it about 1/2 way into the foam. Do this sparsely so that you have plenty of room to add flowers.
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Step 4
Choose the flowers you want to use. Fall colors such as yellow, orange, bronze and gold are usually used. Chrysanthemums are a flower that lasts a long time and come in all the fall colors. Carnations also last a long time. Think of the shape you want your finished arrangement to be. A nice shape is a "puff ball" coming out of the top of the pumpkin that is about 1-1/2 times the size of the pumpkin. Choose one kind of flower to start with and cut the stems at an angle to help with water absorption. Place each stem about 1/2 way into the foam. Put them all the way around the "puff ball" shape with space in between each one for other flowers. Repeat this with each kind of flower.
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Step 5
Find fall colored leaves around your yard to finish the centerpiece. The stems may not be long enough to push down into the foam. You can use a small stick from the craft shop and tape it to the bottom of the leaf with some floral tape or a small wire. Then you can push each stick into the foam around the flowers. If you do this more than one day ahead of time you may have to refill the plastic dish with water. Be careful so it doesn't leak out of the pumpkin. You will be proud of your creation!
