Karen Cumming
- Nov 25, 2022
- 2 min read

12 WEEKS OF CHRISTMAS - TABLE CENTREPIECE

To make a festive centrepiece for the buffet table, I wanted something natural and a little rustic.

I picked up some branches while I was out walking. Easy, right? Bundle them together with a bit of ribbon and voila, a rustic tree!! I used the Snowfall Accents Puff Paint on some of the branches. But be warned, this stuff is unpredictable. The trick is to use a very thin line of paint. I'm a bit slapdash and was squeezing a thick line out of the bottle, but then it takes ages to heat & therefore puff up, by which time you've started a small fire!!

Next to find a vase......I have a plain cylinder vase that is so versatile, and can easily be stamped for a particular occasion. I've used Stazon in Merlot (not from SU) to stamp the poinsettias from the Merriest Moments stamp set. If you haven't stamped on glass before, it's really easy. The biggest challenge is not to slide the stamp. So be sure you're working on a solid table, and keep your stamp steady. Because of the rounded nature of the vase, you'll find it easier to use smaller stamps. You've got more chance of them sitting flat in one go. The larger poinsettia was a little harder because I had to stamp the centre then carefully roll the stamp left and right, but without sliding, to capture the whole image.

Beach stones - previously collected from a holiday, and sitting in the drawer waiting for this project ;) work nicely to keep the "tree" upright. First I tried stuffing the jar with raffia, but it wasn't the right look. You could crumple cellophane, tissue or brown paper. Sand would look good too.

I used the Delicate Ornaments Dies and Season of Style DSP. Both are long retired, but as they're favourites, I've never been able to part with them. The message here is to use what you have in your stash. You could also use a punch. Or how about some snowflake dies? And some shimmery paper? The possibilities are endless.

To attach the ornaments - I punched a small hole in the top of each one - it's the 1/16th" hole punch I think. Find the finest thread you can so it's kind of invisible. Mine is a metallic blending filament. I have no idea what that actually means. It's been in my twine drawer forever and it's perfect for this project. I don't sew, so it's a mystery how I even came to have this thread in my stash!