Colors

• Fall colors include vibrant oranges, yellows and deep reds. Golds and light browns are used with the fall colors when decorating for Thanksgiving. The colors used for Halloween are darker, such as browns, black and orange. Blood red and green are also used for this holiday. Use the colors appropriate to what holiday you are celebrating, or use colors directed more toward the season.
  
  

Basic Materials

• A clear vase is a good start. Choose ribbon to match the colors for the desired centerpiece, and take a walk in nature to find the other basic materials. (Reference 2) Fallen branches, cut to size if needed, will be used for the tree. Dark colored small rocks, tiny pine cones or acorns will be useful as well.
  
  

Fall Centerpiece

• Fill the bottom of a vase with small pine cones, and tie a ribbon into a bow around the top portion of the vase. Place the branch or branches into the vase and trim them to the needed height, being sure to leave plenty of off shoots for decorating.
  
  Make small leaves out of craft foam, using a variety of autumn colors, and string these to hang from the branches of your tree centerpiece. Create small turkeys, as well as a cornucopia from the same material, using markers to fill in the details.
  
  

Halloween Centerpiece

• Place small pebbles, collected during your walk, into the bottom of the vase and tie a ribbon of black or orange around it, in a knot rather than a bow. Put a branch or two with off shoots into the vase, trimming it to look slightly sparse.
  
  Use a number of small Halloween items to decorate the tree, such as little plastic skulls and spiders. Ghosts will also work. Tie small pieces of ribbon to a few of the branches, again in knots rather than bows.
  
  

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

• Use a tall vase for this centerpiece. Fill the bottom with acorns, either fully intact or just their tops. Tie a yellow or gold ribbon around the neck of the vase, and place tall branches within. Trim the off shoots, making sure that the tree seems full.
  
  Make ornaments for this tree from construction paper, in the shape of leaves. Tie string to an end of each leaf for hanging, but do not put them on the tree yet. Take a pen and write something you are thankful for on one of the leaves, and sign your name on each leaf that you fill out. Keep leaves on hand so that each of your guests might add a blessing of their own. Have them hang their own leaves on the tree. (Reference 3)