Thanksgiving Day Vase

So I finished the Thanksgiving Day Centerpiece for my spread yesterday. Granted it is no Lisa Simpson Masterpiece but I think my leaf inspired vase is something to be proud of. I am no Martha Stewart when it comes to the Holiday decorating I never have table pieces or anything fancy. I am a fan of table clothes up until recently but beyond that I don’t usually do a fancy Centerpiece. This year I really, really wanted something to accent the no tablecloth in my house. I know I could try to put a tablecloth on the table and then risk my 3 days of hard work being yanked off in a matter of seconds by my little Booga (think Ghostbusters but I don’t think anything would still be standing).
I posted the other day that I started painting leaves with shiny paint to enhance the beauty of the leaf. I started doing this and sort of got a little carried away (I admit it is easy to do). I am still working on the serving dish but I need to take a break for a while just to see if it sets correctly. The vase on the other hand is finished! I added some gold and copper shiny paint to the acorn caps and hot glued it to the glass. Once the acorns cooled I added little dots of gold and copper paints around the leaves. I then Mod Podge the whole thing!

I started with gluing the leaves on with Tacky Glue – I think I was just being a tad impatient with the Mod Podge. Sorry they are so pixelated – cell phone but now I can stamp them.

Once I let the leaves set I decided (on the advice of my daughter to add acorn caps from her collection. I washed the caps the same way I did the leaves (a vinegar/hot water bath) and let them dry. Once the leaves were dry I painted them with gold and copper paint to make them match the leaves. I thought the vase needed a little something extra, so I took the tip of the handle side of my paint brush and made prefect dots around the edge of the leaves in gold and copper. Once I completed that I added Mod Podge, I needed to seal the vase somehow and I figured Mod Podge would be the best way to seal everything.

Vase covered in Mod Podge waiting for it to dry.

I have been trying to figure out what to put in the vase because I really don’t want flowers in it. It turned out too pretty for flowers so I am thinking of maybe putting some acorns and pinecones in it or I might try and put a candle in it. I know if I do decide to put acorns in it I will definitely have a helper finding the acorns Smile