No one would argue that wood can’t be turned into some very lovely things – from furniture to paper. But driftwood? A piece of wood that washes ashore from who knows where? Some would say that a piece of driftwood is ugly but others feel fortunate to find one. The lowly piece of wood has been in the sea for a long time and has deteriorated considerably. Having soaked in salt water for a period of time, the wood isn’t brown and polished, it’s grayed and gnarled. Do you own a piece of driftwood? Go get it, make it into a Thanksgiving table centerpiece, then turn it back again after the holiday. A driftwood centerpiece can be rustic and cute or colorful and elegant.
There are many different ways to make a centerpiece out of a piece of driftwood. It can be painted any color with spray paint but, if you want to return it to its normal setting after the Thanksgiving, you can leave the wood as it is. Set it in the middle of the table and you can begin creating the particular centerpiece that you want.
One thing that always looks lovely is to set candles on the driftwood. Whether tea lights, votives or tapers, the candles offer ambiance to your Thanksgiving dinner. Align them in a neat row on a flat piece of driftwood or place one, here and there, on a gnarled piece. Just make sure that the candles are in metal, ceramic, or glass containers. Or, use fake, battery-operated candles. You’ll find them at most any dollar-theme store if you’re making a centerpiece on a tight budget. By choosing candles in colors of red, orange, yellow, or brown, you instantly transform the driftwood into a fall decorator piece.
Candles on driftwood look rustic and pretty on the Thanksgiving table but you can make the arrangement much more impressive by adding additional embellishments. Things that look great on and around the driftwood include leaves – real or fake – pine cones, smaller pieces of driftwood, acorns or other nuts, and tiny pumpkins.
Although a single piece of driftwood – complete with candles and embellishments – looks great on a round table, you can do more than one arrangement, if desired, for a long, rectangular table. The greatest thing about the driftwood centerpiece is that it can all be taken apart after Thanksgiving is over. Since you use no adhesives you can easily disassemble it rather than store the entire centerpiece until next year.
Driftwood Candle Centerpiece