Deck Your Tabletops

Artichoke Napkin Rings

Materials:

shower-curtain rings
ribbon
22-gauge wire
hot glue
baby artichokes
dried cranberries

Steps:

1. Wrap plastic shower-curtain rings (snapped completely shut) with ribbon, starting the ribbon off with a little hot glue and also gluing down the tail piece.

A length of clothesline is the base to which fresh greens, fruit and flowers are wired for this unusual mantel arrangement.

Materials:

length of clothesline
24-guage florist paddle wire (wire wrapped around a wooden paddle)
lemon leaves
fresh eucalyptus leaves
fresh rosemary
St. John's Wort berries
red and green apples
wooden meat skewers
red Gerbera daisies
water tubes

Steps:

1. To attach leaves to the clothesline, take two branches of lemon leaves and arrange one going in each direction on the clothesline and wrap a few times with the paddle wire.

2. Without cutting the wire, add the next layer of eucalyptus leaves, wrapping a few times with the wire.

3. Continue adding and wrapping leaves and berries until the desired length of garland is reached. Arrange on the mantel.