Monday, August 10, 2009

Sandblasted Manzanita Branches and Votives

The 18-24" and 24-36" sizes of Manzanita Branches are what's most commonly used for centerpieces, but other sizes can work great as well. We recently received an email and some photos from Monique S., who made some fabulous centerpieces using our Project Grade 12-18" Sandblasted Manzanita Branches:
Hello-
Just wanted to drop a note thanking you for the great quality of your products. I ordered a case of manzanita branches from your site a few months ago and was able to create beautiful, unique and relatively inexpensive centerpieces for our outdoor wedding last month using your products and suggestions from your blog. Everyone commented on them and I actually was able to sell them via craigslist to another bride! I included a few pics so you could see the end result! Thanks again!

Monique



(The pictures are by Kristin Castenschiold of B and K Photography.)

As the email and pictures demonstrate, by going with Manzanita Branches on the smaller end of the scale, you can create some fantastic centerpieces while keeping the per centerpiece cost lower than what it would be if you used larger branches. 

Thanks again to Monique S. for the email and pictures!

14 comments:

maura said...

This is lovely... For the DIY bride, we would secure these in plaster like the larger branches. Are there any special considerations for smaller branches?

Thank you!

Justin said...

Hi there - There aren't really any special considerations when using smaller branches in terms of creating the display - you just need to scale down a bit. One thing to keep in mind in deciding on the size of the centerpieces is what the size of the tables is - if you have huge tables, small centerpieces probably won't look quite right. - Justin

alisha said...

would the 12-14 inch word for a standard 8 person round table? can i find out where they got these bases from? I have been having a really hard time finding modern, inexpensive bases

Justin said...

Hello - The 12-18" size should work well - those tables are similar in size to what's shown above. As for a source for bases, Jamali Garden -http://www.jamaligarden.com/ - probably has what you're looking for. - Justin

alisha said...

thanks so much Justin :) i love you.

alisha said...

one more question. my budget allows for red manzanita, but not sandblasted. structurally and aesthetically is there a difference between the two? A lot of the red I have seen goes straight up while the sandblasted flares out.

Justin said...

Hi Alisha- I'm glad I can help! Sandblasted Manzanita is just Natural Manzanita that has been, well, sandblasted - the only difference in form is that Sandblasted Manzanita tends to be more spare as the sandblasting process removes a lot of the finer branches, along with the bark. The differences you've noticed in terms of spreading are just due to the inherent variation in the form of all Manzanita branches, not between the Natural and Sandblasted styles. - Justin

O Collins said...

How exactly do you secure the branches into the base?

Thanks,

Meg

Justin said...

Hello - Those were set in plaster - http://nettletonhollow.blogspot.com/2009/05/securing-manzanita-branches-with.html - Justin

Ivoncita o sea yo said...

TODO ESTA INCREIBLE =)

Silly Lili said...

Hi. I LOVE these! I'm using 10-60" round tables and 3-72", what's size branch do you recommend I use if I want to re-create something like this?

Justin said...

Hi Silly Lili - The 12-18 inch size certainly can work - relative to the size of the table, they won't be big and dramatic, but will provide a gorgeous focal point. If you want displays that are a bit more assertive, the 18-24" and 24-36" sizes are also good choices. - Justin

Dalie said...

Hello,

If you are using an 18-24" branch, is a 4 3/4" pot larch enough and will river rocks be sturdy enough to hold up the branch?

Thanks for your help.

Dalie

Justin said...

Hi Dalie - A 4 3/4 inch diameter vase might be a little tight, but should be large enough. River rocks will indeed hold them into place, but using plaster will make them much more secure. If using the river rocks, definitely use LED votives.