Holiday Table Decor

Materials:

one pot, approximately 6" x 6"
one brick of foam or floral oasis
one 1/2-inch diameter wooden dowel
floral pins
wire picks
26" x 26" piece fabric (optional)
silk flowers and greens
spanish moss
10 yards of wired ribbon
drapery cord with tassels
floral wire

1. Paint dowel green or brown.
2. Cut block of foam in half.
3. Fill pot with half a block of foam, glue in place.
4. Place dowel in foam and glue in place.
5. Place rest of block into top of dowel, push in halfway, and glue to hold (figure A).
6. Cover top of block with spanish moss.
7. Finish all raw edges of fabric by hemming or cutting decoratively.
8. Cover pot with fabric, gather up all edges to the dowel and secure with cord and tassels.
9. Cut stems of selected florals and wire them to the picks.
10. Insert flowers into other half of block to form topiary ball. Insert the picks at various depths so the end result forms a topiary ball shape out of the block of foam. Alternate the various greens with fillers (figure B).
11. Starting at the top of "ball," loop ribbon down, tucking every few inches.
12. Make bow and place on top (figure C). Make second bow and place at base over cord and tassels. Add other floral items (fruits, vegetables, berries, etc.).

Materials:

4-1/2 yards of 1-1/2 inch ribbon
4-3/4 yards of 1-1/2 inch ribbon
14" x 24" piece grid paper
12" x 18" piece of EZ Felt
fabric glue

1. Cut 4-1/2 inch ribbon into eight equal pieces, approximately 20 inches each.
2. Cut 4-3/4 inch of ribbon into 12 equal pieces, approximately 14 inches each.
3. Line up long pieces of ribbon on grid. Butt them up edge to edge. Pin one end.
4. Weave short pieces through these, also butting them up edge to edge (figure D). The side facing up will be the wrong side. You will now finish the edges by cutting and turning under alternating strips.
5. Starting at one corner, cut the first horizontal strip to a point just short of the vertical finished edge. Glue.
6. Turn the vertical strip edge up. Cut excess. Glue over horizontal.
7. Repeat same process on all remaining edges of the woven piece. Don't worry about uniform hems or cuts--they will be covered.
8. Center and glue felt to this side now, covering all "hemmed" raw edges.