The complexity and structure of these paper parasols disguise how simple this project actually is. Your table will look sophisticated but it won't cost you much and it won't take long to create.
We had all the ingredients for a perfect weekend away near the shore: a brunch to introduce new friends to old, a menu of Asian-inspired cuisine, a selection of exotic imported teas...and a nor'easter that nearly blew the house off its foundations. It could have been a disaster (and it very nearly was) had my friends and I not taken it as an opportunity to slip off our wet shoes, run around in our socks, drink cups of hot tea, and enjoy the warmth of being inside while the weather raged outside.
We had originally intended to cut a handful of tulips from the garden to use on the table, but the high winds and pelting rain all but destroyed them before we got a chance to gather them. With very little time to make other plans (and no flowershop within easy reach of where we were), we headed to the grocery store to see what we could find that would suffice as table decor. On a low, dusty shelf in the paper products aisle, we found a box colorful cocktail parasols. On the way home, we stopped at a tiny local craft and fabric store where we were lucky to find two styrofoam standards (on sale!). With these goodies in hand, we headed back home. A neighbor offered us two clay flowerpots to complete the project.
All told, I spent about 25 minutes making these cheery centerpieces (and 10 of those minutes were spent photographing the process for this post). Those few hurried minutes brightened the entire day for us and our guests. Again, paper came to my rescue and, unlike fresh flowers, these lovely creations won't disintegrate into a pile of wilted petals, so I plan on using them again in the future.
So, unlike some of my previous posts (many of which take hours and hours and hours of time and effort to complete), today I offer a down-and-dirty, quick-and-easy project that you can use all summer long.
Craft on!
Materials:
Two styrofoam standards (overall height 18 inches with 6-inch-diameter globes)
Box of paper parasols
It proved difficullt to keep each of the parasols fully open, so I decided to insert them all in a partially open postion, which made the finished piece look wonderfully textured and dimensional.
I inserted all of the orange, pink, and yellow parasols first and then "covered up" the areas between them (where the globe showed through) with green parasols.
To add a more finished look to the stem of the standard, I wrapped it with a length of ribbon, pinning it into the styrofoam at the top and the bottom.
To disguise the green styrofoam base, I covered it with a handful of rice (of which I had plenty since my menu was Asian cuisine).
The finished pieces atop a sideboard. They looked bright, cheery, and very springlike but also slightly formal and manicured. Unlike real topiaries, which would have cost a mint, these cost only $10 for the two.
From... www.craftstylish.com
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