Thanksgiving Centerpiece in White

Welcome to the Flower School.com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, Director of the Floral Design Institute, and today, I want to share Thanksgiving with you. Now when you look, it's white. Thanksgiving doesn't have to be yellow and orange and rust. It can be any color you desire as long as it conveys the essence of the season. 

I decided a basket was perfect for Thanksgiving. This oblong basket doesn't have a liner that fits, so I used a heavy duty garbage inside, and then it holds almost two bricks of foam, so it gives me great surface area to work with. Then Autumn, to me, starts bringing in candlelight, so I gathered pillar candles. They'll be anchored with a candle stake, and then I'm like, "Okay, I've got green, I've got white, foliages and flowers. All I need is roses, and it should be stunning." Then as I was gathering things together, I thought I need a little more texture. Let's add a pop of Baby's Breath, the unexpected that still fits this Thanksgiving design. 

These candle anchors are fabulous because they just hold the three-inch pillar perfectly, and then they're so study because you have the four feet. Now, I'm putting it clear off to the corner so actually three feet are going into the foam, and one is hanging off. Just tucking it in here, making sure I don't pierce through my bag. I want to make sure that stays sturdy and water-tight, and then straightening the candle getting it in there fully, then going back with the next one, leaving a little space between so that they don't burn each other and melt down. Again, protecting the bag, and then repeat that with all the candles just dancing across the foam. 

The candles give you wonderful vertical movement. The flowers will be all down very low, almost a pavé style, but you want it to be interesting, so placing the roses to create a focal area, the emphasis point, giving it a cut and deciding that over here is going to be a focal area, tucking it in, and then bringing another rose behind it shadowing to create a little more interest, more bulk. Maybe even another. Do three of them there. Little further apart on this one. Then doing the same thing on the backside because a centerpiece doesn't have a back. Both sides are fronts. On this side, my focal or emphasis area is going to be diagonal across. Again, placing multiple roses, clustered together. Get a little bit of impact. 

Then once you have that started, you can go back with your other materials. Maybe the Green Trick Dianthus, letting that come in. A little bit of Ruscus. Foliages are grand. Making sure you break the line of the container, cover all your mechanics. You certainly don't want them to see the bag in there. Then coming back with Hypericum Berries for yet another texture. Repeat this all the way across the front, the sides, and the back. 

As you're working, you want to balance the white of the roses with the white of the candles, so as this one is towards the front and this one towards the back, I would bring a rose towards the front on this side just to brighten, and then on the opposite side, I bring a white rose behind so it brightens this corner. Then, of course, you want to pull the eye from front to back in the arrangement, so bringing a rose down into the center, tying the front to the back visually. Then repeating, going back, adding another Green Trick filling in on this opposite side. Maybe few more of the Hypericum Berries, and just balancing your texture from front to back and side to side. 

As a final touch, just a tiny bit of Baby's Breath. A little bit of texture, a little bit of lightness. Giving it a cut, and letting it come in over the top of the other materials. Some in the front, some in the back, but not too much. Just a tiny splash of color. 

Giving thanks with flowers in any color under the rainbow. You get to choose. 

For more creative inspiration, check out the website Flower School.com. The website contains hundreds of floral design how-to videos, floral design classes, online floral classes and DIY Flowers. 

If you have questions, you can reach us through there or by telephone, 503-223-8089, and of course, you can always use my personal email, Leanne@FloralDesignInstitute.com because now, I'd love to see what colors you create for your Thanksgiving. What are you going to design? Take a picture, post it on social media, and tag #FloralDesignInstitute so we all can see the fabulous variety out there. Have fun, and do something you love.