It’s DIY week on my bloggity and while I’m not one to suggest DIY florals for your wedding (as evidenced in yesterday’s post) and I almost never use carnations, I do know that some people are brave and determined enough to give it a go so here are some tips for a super easy, cost effective tabletop design.
I think if it’s a DIY project it should also be budget friendly so I’ve combined Burlap and Carnations for a shabby chic tablescape–or barnyard chic if you prefer to Vermont-it-up! You’ll need to get yourself: some burlap + a pair of sharp fabric scissors for the place mats; approximately 12-15 carnations per table + floral clippers + containers for the centerpieces; some ribbon + shipping tags for the place cards.
To make the place mats: Simple. I used a place mat that measured about 18″w x 14″ h as a pattern. I had a bolt of burlap and cut out a rectangle. Simple. After cutting the fabric I pulled on the horizontal threads to fray the ends–the same way I used to fray the bottom of my cut-off jean shorts in middle school. This gives a bit of a finished edge and you can trim the fringe to make it neat and tidy. A nice sharp fabric scissor will make this much easier and you can probably double up the burlap to cut 2 place mats at a time. Use leftover scraps instead of ribbon on your favors or invitations or to tie silverware together. I tucked a piece of eucalyptus in there, too.
For the centerpiece: I cut 6 carnations super-short (these are about 3″ tall) and put them into small white ceramic vessels. On a rectangular table you’d make 2-3 vases per table and on a round table I’d suggest doing one 5-6″ round container with 12-15 carnations to create a more full look.
Pricing: Assuming you buy the carnations for $1.00-1.50 per stem {depending on the source and the quality–yep, just like steak and diamonds there are different grades of carnations!} you could recreate this centerpiece for around $25-35 per table. If you use containers you already own, then it could be as little as $12 per table. Design tip: I open my carnations by “fluffing” them a bit; I gently brush the center petals toward the outer edges with my fingertips.
{For any carnation naysayers out there take a closer look at these creme carns.}
For the place cards: This is pretty obvious, but these are just simple shipping tags with a ribbon in lieu of the white string and a lovely script detail.
Does this seem like an easy DIY project you’d try for a wedding or dinner party?
