Simple Centerpiece

Flowers.

For many people of my generation, the word carnation conjures up really bad prom corsages in all sorts of unnatural colors (a la 1985). But I think these simple flowers get a bad rap. They have full blooms, last a long time, and are modestly priced...all very good things in my book.

So when I had a party this past weekend, I decided to employ the lowly carnation in a way that would make it really shine. And it couldn't have been easier to do.



All you need is an assortment of clear glass bottles and glasses in different sizes and heights. Then cut the stems of each carnation so that they peak out the top of each bottle by about 3 or 4 inches, fill each bottle about 3/4 full, and remove all leaves that hit below the water line. Arrange these bottles in a staggered array down the center of the table.

Voila! An eye catching centerpiece that is cheap and easy. In fact the most difficult thing that you'll have to do is drink a fair amount of well-packaged beverages...and that isn't such a bad thing, is it?