Dressing Up a Centerpiece with Gold Gilt Pears

It's easy for me to get into a bit of a rut in my Dining Room with Christmas decor. If I find pieces that I like, I tend to rely on the same look from one year to the next. I have a lot of vintage "kitch-y" fun stuff that I use in the Garden Room, but in the Dining Room I like to do something a little more French Country with some "rustic elegance". Tartan plaid can still be found in here, but I've wanted to try some new and different ideas with a more frenchy country vibe.

I have an old window box that I salvaged from two houses ago. I used them the first few years we lived there, but they started to fall apart from wood rot, so we retired them. One was completely beyond hope, but my husband put the other back together for me. After a good clean out and paint refresh I used it a few times at that house for a centerpiece box at Christmas. Since we moved it's been here in my storage area just waiting for the right occasion. 

So this year I used my 3 preserved boxwood topiary trees with some faux greenery, faux hydrangeas, and then for some color I added green and gold pears.

I love the look of the pears, but they needed a little dressing up for Christmas. I first thought about using Rub N Buff, but I couldn't locate any here at the house. I searched through my paint stash and found this DecoArt metallic paint and decided to give that a try. I didn't want a solid look, but something more like a gold "wash". 

It worked perfectly, and I just used one light to medium coat of paint. These two pics are when the paint was still wet, so it looks a little more dense.

It took about 5 hours for it to dry completely, and then I painted the bottom once the main part had dried. I was really happy with how you could see the golds, greens, and rusts of the pears through the gold paint. It gave a nice metallic sheen of gold without obliterating the look of the faux fruit.

I love dried and faux hydrangeas in all seasons. They play well with fruit of all kinds for a natural look. They look as pretty with spring and summer florals as they do pumpkins and leaves in the fall and greenery and berries at Christmas and in the winter.

It's really amazing that you can now find quality faux hydrangeas with colors that coordinate from early spring to late fall. The faux greenery, boxwoods and hydrangeas all work together for a natural elements vibe.

Faux pears are one of my favorite "bowl fillers" throughout the year. I use them from late summer till late winter. They also work well as an alternative to pumpkins for Fall.

I have several of these small iron urns and a single pear is the perfect size to show off. I think these would be gorgeous with a Thanksgiving or Christmas tablescape. Actually, the little sprig of boxwood leaves is from the front landscaping. 

I think they turned out really pretty, and a little more elegant than the plain ones. A no cost (for me), easy dress up for my Christmas table centerpiece in the dining room. 

Right now I'm working on my Hearth Room mantel and it includes these same gold washed pears.

Did you catch this post?

Here's another elegant little pear.

and my Thanksgiving Tablescape with the same window box centerpiece.

Are you all decorated for Christmas?

or still waiting for Thanksgiving.

Thanks for coming by, friends.

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The House on Silverado  Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda, 

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 Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life  

 Wonderful Wednesday at Eclectic Red Barn 

Turnabout Tuesday at My Wee Abode,  

Share Your Style at French Ethereal

Centerpiece Wednesday at Karin's Kottage  

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 Thursday Favorite Things at Follow the Yellow Brick Home,  

Create, Bake, and Grow at Shabby Art Boutique,

 Farmhouse Friday at County Road 407