In our family, we're the one who decorates the Thanksgiving table. We like to use leaves, grass, flowers and vines that we find in the vicinity. The only problem with using leaves, however, is that they tend to curl and wilt rather quickly and they can also eat up a lot of table space, making it hard to find real estate for the food...
Last Sunday we went to a wedding where they had done a beautiful job using leaves that were pressed first. The pressed leaves made a big difference in a number of ways.
One, the two dimensional shape showed off the unique shapes much more dramatically.
Two, there was no wilting or "curling".
Three, there was a lot more room on the table and we found ourselves playing with and collecting up the leaves. It was far more playful.
The fellow who did the table told us that the groom's mother had done it all at home the week before. She simply collected up a big selection of leaves and placed them between sheets of newspaper with heavy books on top. After just a few days the leaves were pressed, semi-dry and ready to transport flat to the event.
You should also note that using a dark tablecloth, particularly the deep red one above, makes a big difference in playing off the colors of the leave. Black would do equally well, and the combination of deep, warm colors creates far more drama than a typical white tablecloth situation.
Above are pics from last Sunday's wedding and below are three good links that offer more advice to this very simple process (including using a micro-wave).
Related Links
• Collecting and Pressing Fall Leaves
• How to Press Flowers, Leaves and Herbs
• Pressing Leaves and Flowers
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
why oh why: "we're the one"?
Am I the many one that find this unnecessary plural ridiculous?
view Sol's profile
I suppose it's Maxwell's editorial (or even royal!) 'we'. Does look weird, though, in a nit-picky way...
view rattus's profile
yes! the we drives me crazy. I think I understand what the idea's supposed to be -- maybe unifying the voice on AT...but it just makes for odd grammatical flukes when everyone knows that it was the person whose name dons the bottom of the post who wrote it....oh well...I like the pressed leaves!
could you iron them or would that cause problems?
view ajh's profile
Just run out and gather a variety of brilliantly colored leaves, slide them under your rug and leave them till Thanksgiving. They'll be perfectly preserved.I usually put them between the rug and the pad.
view deirdre4's profile
The appropriate use of the editorial "we" is to speak for the publication as a whole on policy matters; e.g., "we endorse John Q. Politico for President" or even "we see reddish-orange with peacock blue as the must-have color combination for 2008."
view wende in the twin cities's profile
Yeah, but you can't say "we're the one"...
Anyway, forget ironing the leaves - it would have been nice if they'd bothered to iron the tablecloths.
view cat's profile
Well, and I wouldn't have called describing one's personal activities as speaking on a policy matter, either...
I was trying to make the point that "we" doesn't fit here while stopping short of grabbing poor Maxwell by the shoulders, shaking him, and demanding: "Why must you go all twee on us? Are you planning on dressing as Martha Stewart for Halloween?"
view wende in the twin cities's profile
(The "twee" being the misuse of "we," not the leaves.)
view wende in the twin cities's profile
wende: redish orange with peacock blue is just lovely.
view Sol's profile
Sol -- And we've had ample proof of that in the Colors contest! ;-)
I wasn't kidding about its being the must-have color combo for 2008.
view wende in the twin cities's profile
My dear mother just sent me some faux leaves for my thanksgiving table so this is timely. i was hoping for something a little more original than just laying them out on the table (that's what i always do, boring). and you guys are relentless....but i agree i wish they had ironed those tablecloths. (My mother would likely not speak to me the whole of thanksgiving if my linens weren't pressed).
view melissaw's profile