Zen harvest centerpiece

Hands-on time: An hour and a half.
Total time: Add three and a half hours of drying time.
Skill: Easy.
Cost estimate: Approximately $35.00 to create the centerpiece and accents (pillar candle cost not included, candles can vary in price depending on how many you buy and where buy them).

Materials & Tools

• Unpainted wooden tray
• Medium grit sandpaper
• A lint-free cloth
• Acrylic craft paint in black (or another autumn colour of your choice - I used black Ceramcoat by Delta)
• Craft paintbrush 2.5 cm
• Clear varnish top coat in spray or brush-on
• 5 pillar candles and 4 votive candles in various heights, colours and aromas
• Nepal oiled rice paper with bamboo-sticks and terra cotta mesh ribbon 5 cm wide
• Scissors
• Double-stick tape (by Scotch 3M)
• Hemp cord (or raffia)
• Chinese coins (from Chinatown or from holistic shops)
• Sand
• 10 small gourds
• River stones
• Fall berry clusters of your choice as accents (I used orange bitter sweet clusters)

Add a touch of serenity and a spectrum of rich fall colours this Thanksgiving with a Zen harvest centerpiece. Spice it up with delicious aromas of Ginger Peach, Cinnamon Twist, Harvest, and Asian Spice pillar candles which evoke the senses for a soothing ambiance. This Zen candle garden is embellished with candle cuffs made with Nepal bamboo-stick rice paper, terra cotta mesh ribbon and ornamented with Chinese coins. Incorporating materials from nature like small gourds, sand and river stones add to the simplicity of the ensemble.

Prepare the surface of an unpainted wooden tray by sanding it lightly with medium grit sandpaper and wiping with a tack cloth. Using acrylics, paint the tray black. It will dry in just 30 minutes. Once dry, apply a coat of clear varnish and let it dry for at least three hours before decorating it.

To make the candle cuffs, cut and wrap a piece of the rice paper around the pillar candle overlapping the ends 1cm. Cut away any excess paper. With this basic template, make a rice cuff for each of the pillars varying the widths of the cuffs for each different pillar size. Use a couple of small pieces of clear double-stick tape to secure in place. Measure a piece of mesh ribbon by wrapping it around the circumference of a pillar candle overlapping the ends, cutting excess. Wrap the mesh ribbon layer over each bamboo paper cuff tightly at the center overlapping the edges and securing with double-stick tape. Repeat steps to cover all the pillars.

Cut lengths of hemp cord measuring 115cm. Bend the hemp cord in half and wrap it around the candle twice at the center of each ribbon, secure it with a knot. Add a Chinese coin at the center, tied on with a simple knot.

Fill the bottom of the tray with a layer of sand. Create an arrangement in the center of the tray with the decorated pillar candles and votive candles. Place decorative gourds and assorted river stones in the sand around the arrangement. Adorn the composition with small berry clusters and decorative bamboo sticks and enjoy the splendour of autumn's colours as you add warmth to your home and table.

Tips

• Small amounts of hot glue can be used instead of double-faced tape to make the candle cuffs. Use a craft stick to pat down the hot glue.
• You can use a small Zen garden rake to adorn your display or to make simple designs in the sand.

Variations

• Copper, brass or gold screen wire can also be used to create spectacular candle cuffs.
• Larger cuffs or bands (using variations of black raffia, birch bark etc.) can be created to decorate pumpkins, glass vases and jars. Use the same concept to decorate several pumpkins and squashes in assorted sizes and colours to display on the front porch.
• Decorative bamboo lengths in a dark spice colour can be used to make simple yet colourful harvest decorations in just minutes by simply filling a square glass vase or bowl with assorted small gourds lined with river stones and randomly inserting bamboo sticks at the corners or center of the vase.