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"  Keeping It Cozy author Andrea Fowler loves taking long walks in the woods near her Southern farmhouse. She basks in nature&amp;#039;s autumnal beauty while her two daughters hunt for berries, leaves, pinecones, and pods on the forest floor. Andrea then sorts through all the findings to display the fruits of their labor on the family dining table.  Here, Andrea&amp;#039;s advice for making the most of natural beauty and creating a simple, elegant centerpiece in minutes: 1. Collect what you find in the yard. Fallen nuts, changing leaves, vibernum berries, pinecones, different varieties of greenery, even bare branches look beautiful displayed indoors. Gather more greenery and pinecones to serve as the base in the arrangement. Quick tip: When displaying winter berries, remove the leaves from the branch, leaving the berries intact.2. Choose the vessel based on your collection. If the nature walk brought you all pods, leaves, or branches, use a glass base or bottle to display the elements. If you unearthed more of a variety, a wooden dough bowl (like Andrea&amp;#039;s above), shallow wooden crate, or even a rustic plank of wood works best. Spread the elements evenly throughout the arrangement.3. Edit as you arrange. Lay a foundation of greens or pinecones, then tuck in smaller elements, like berries and leaves to add color and texture variety. Use only two or three different colortones throughout the centerpiece.4. Add a hint of glamour. Andrea kept her display au naturel but suggests dressing up nuts and pinecones with glitter spray paint if you&amp;#039;re wanting a bit of sparkle for the holidays. Then, don&amp;#039;t forget to decorate the rest of the holiday table with a few of these Thanksgiving table-setting ideas.   Tell us: What natural elements have you used to create a festive centerpiece?   (Photos by Andrea Fowler)  ----- Plus: See more of our pretty handy project ideas \u00BB 101 holiday decorating ideas \u00BB35 new uses for old things \u00BB21 perfect presents for her \u00BB65 wow-worthy home makeovers \u00BB "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/how-to/a6147/easy-rustic-centerpieces/>