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Golden Décor
Capture the golden glow of the holidays with a bowl of greenery and gilded fruit. An easy-to-make alternative to florals, this charming focalpiece will add a festive touch to your table, mantel or windowsill.
| You'll need: All items available at most local craft stores. |
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| 10-12 | branches of fresh greenery — five or more various kinds (pine, fir, eucalyptus, etc.) |
| 10-12 | pieces of plastic fruit — apples, pears and kumquats |
| 1 | large bag of assorted nuts in shells (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, etc.) |
| 1 | White plastic or ceramic compote bowl or shallow urn |
| 1 | block of floral foam, Oasis® |
| 2 | cans metallic gold spray paint, Krylon® Crafter’s |
| Deep cardboard box | |
| Gold mesh ribbon or gold corded tassel | |
| Work gloves | |
| Scissors | |
Assembly:
- Wearing work gloves, place plastic fruit and nuts inside a cardboard box and spray paint them gold. Use light, even coats, turning each piece as you spray it to make sure the entire surface is coated. Dry thoroughly.
- Trim floral foam to fit container, and place it snugly inside. Fill container with water, soaking floral foam.
- Arrange the greenery around the outer edges of the foam, positioning branches so the arrangement is higher in the back and lower in the front, leaving the center open to create a "nest." Vary the kinds and sizes of branches to provide interesting texture and color variations, securing the cut end of each branch into the floral foam.
- Artfully arrange the fruit in the center of the foam, placing the apples and pears at the center and bottom and kumquats around the sides, then filling any open areas with nuts.
- Tie a gold bow or attach a small gold tassel around one of the side branches.
- Casually arrange a few pieces of gold fruit and nuts around the base on the front and sides of your focalpiece.
- Golden Hint: To gold leaf your greenery, mist each branch with gold spray paint before securing into floral foam.
