Pumpkin centerpiece

Making a pumpkin centerpiece for your Halloween, Fall or Thanksgiving table is so easy to do. Pictured above is a centerpiece made from a pumpkin we grew this summer, in our garden.

I have always been interested in decorating with everyday things so it is just the kind of centerpiece I like -- cheap and made from something that is organic and fresh. Children enjoy making these kind of things and I would recommend making this with a child because it is easy to do and the results can be good. Just take care when using a knife with children and give them plenty of supervision or cut the hole in the pumpkin before allowing them to help with the project.

To make the arrangement: First take a pumpkin, of any size. Cut out a hole for a glass or vase, depending on the size of the pumpkin.

I used a small plastic glass for mine. I then put water in the vase, set the pumpkin in a container of some kind (I used a glass dish.) and add flowers. I purchased a small bunch of flowers from my local grocery store but cutting your own from your garden would be even better. It is the time of year for carnations, but flowers like zinnias are still blooming.

You may decorate the base, if you wish. I used leaves from my garden.

One reason I decided to use the vase inside the pumpkin was that I want to bake the pumpkin to use later for pumpkin soup or a pie. If I had just put water and flowers into the vase, it would not have lasted very long and reusing the pumpkin would not have been an option.