Good to be a book worm.

Centerpiece.

Having a good centerpiece is an essential part of any party...whether it is a wedding or an intimate gathering...it is important to have that focal point. I think a lot of people get caught up in the idea of having an elaborate display of flowers in an even more elaborate vase. That doesn't always work.

A. A big bunch of flowers can be expensive.

B. Not everyone has a wickedly awesome vase laying around.

C. Not everyone has more than one wickedly awesome vase laying around so that you don't have to have the same centerpiece for each party.

D. It's not so easy to arrange those puppies once you have the flowers.

So I was looking around my apartment and used something that I have in large quantity to create a unique look for less - books. I chose an assortment of different sized books and covered them with some spare wrapping paper that I had laying around (thanks very much Domino Magazine). This print is pretty whimsical looking, but you could definitely do something more sophisticated or earthy to change up the look. I personally like to create different levels in any display piece, so layering the books to create "steps" for these mini vases worked really well. And then I only had to place 2 little daisies in each vase...it's hard to mess that up. But if you don't want to look for flowers, you could just as effectively use votive candles as well.

Voila! A striking centerpiece at virtually no cost or effort...my favorite kind. --a