Fabulous Fall

Joel Koyama, Star Tribune

Metal with mettle: Ubiquitous hosta leaves do double duty as a place mat. After they're spray-painted and dry to the touch, press them flat between sheets of paper parchment and weight with books. Don't press for longer than 10 days or you'll run the risk of them discoloring and becoming tissue-thin. Once flat, they're easy to fan out beneath a plate for a surprising shimmer. Another idea: Spray-paint dried hydrangeas or branches with autumn leaves, then place them in a tall glass cylinder as a focal point for your table or mantel.shooting an actual cover photo (for most of the cover) showing a beautiful environmental of a buffet laden with items inside a beautiful old home.

Whether you're hosting a full-force dinner party or a cozy brunch for four, your tabletop can shine with these ideas for harvest decor, using unexpected items, found objects and botanicals foraged from your own back yard.

By Styling and text by KIM YEAGER, Star Tribune

Last update: October 14, 2009 - 1:13 PM

SHINE ON GILD THE LILY OR ANYTHING ELSE YOU GRAB FROM YOUR GARDEN TO GIVE A GLAMOROUS, UNEXPECTED TWIST TO THE SEASON'S USUAL HARVEST BOUNTY. WE spray-painted hosta leaves copper to tuck beneath moss nests of white pumpkins, into the centerpiece and beneath a pedestal of chocolate-dipped apples.

star power

Whole star anise ($3.85 for a 10-ounce bag from Penzey's Spices) imparts fall flair -- and a faint scent -- when hot-glued to card stock for a place card.

Another idea: Use a paper punch to put two holes in the top of your card. Thread it with a slender ribbon, tying it at the back before gluing on the anise. Now the place card has a handle to hang from the corner of a ladderback chair.

CASTOFF CONTAINERS

A found object makes for an unusual vase for flowers. This round tin, encircled with pretty fretwork, is an old heat grate (purchased for about $6 from the Olde Town Creamery in Maple Lake). We added a plastic saucer inside to hold a piece of floral foam, soaked with water, and arranged sunflowers from the garden; the center is a sunflower center freed of petals past their prime.

Another idea: Place a piece of round cardboard underneath and fill the center with acorns or dried moss for a minimalist look.

REPEAT PATTERN

Fill tin Jell-O molds (50 cents each from an occasional sale) with reindeer moss and dried seed heads picked from the garden to weave down the middle of your table.

Another idea: Elongate your display by alternating each flower-filled tin with a glass votive candleholder. Change out the seed pods for other accents, such as bittersweet at Thanksgiving or red pepperberries in December.

METAL WITH METTLE

Ubiquitous hosta leaves do double duty as a place mat. After they're spray-painted and dry to the touch, press them flat between sheets of paper parchment and weight with books. Don't press for longer than 10 days or you'll run the risk of them discoloring and becoming tissue-thin. Once flat, they're easy to fan out beneath a plate for a surprising shimmer.

Another idea: Spray-paint dried hydrangeas or branches with autumn leaves, then place them in a tall glass cylinder as a focal point for your table or mantel.

PIECES OF SILVER

Mismatched forks, knives and spoons (picked up for pennies at occasional sales and thrift stores) work as a place card when set atop a place setting. Tie on a tag with ribbon for easy change-out.

Another idea: Use the extra mix-and-match cutlery to set the table when your guest list swells for the holidays.

FREE-FALLING

Scavenge a piece of fallen tree bark to fashion a "vase" for fall flowers. A plastic bag laid flat inside makes a moisture barrier for wet floral foam, into which we tucked red-tinged Nandina branches, red Hypericum berries and green Brazilia (which also spill from a naturally occurring knothole in front). Another idea: Set the bark upright and insert a glass vase to hold an arrangement of flowers or branches.

Recent Home + Garden stories

Fixit: Dusty ducts and recycling rags - October 14, 2009

Fixit: Dusty ducts and recycling rags - Q How dirty do heating ducts get in a year? Is it necessary to clean them yearly as my wife insists? More

For recordings of bird songs, call 612-673-7800 - October 14, 2009

For recordings of bird songs, call 612-673-7800 - For recordings of bird songs, call 612-673-7800, and when prompted press the following four-digit numbers: More