If you saw our Brand Spakin' New post featuring the lime centerpiece and thought, "I really want to get that look," then today is your lucky day! I'm going to give you a tutorial on creating a funky summer centerpiece with lots of colors - and the best part - it smells just as good as it looks! This DIY floral lime centerpiece is made with flowers in fuchsia and maroon. We simply bought a couple of bouquets from Trader Joes - you can choose any flowers you like for yours.

Materials: 

• Limes
• Vase
• Flowers

Step 1:

Choose your centerpiece vase. We had this tall, skinny one sitting around the office. It was perfect for the long-stemmed flowers we purchased from Trader Joe's.

Step 2: 

Slice your limes. Depending on how large of a vase you use, you'll need more (or less). For this particular centerpiece, we used about seven limes. Thicker slices seemed to work better for me than thinner ones.

Step 3: 

Line the bottom of your vase with your first layer of limes. Pull together your bouquet - you can use it as-is from the store or if you're brave, arrange one all on your own.

Smarty Tip: When cutting flower stems, submerge them in room-temperature water and cut them while submerged. They will last longer. Always use a clean cut with a good pair of scissors, and cut at an angle if possible.  

Step 4:

Once you've bundled your flowers to your liking, use a rubber band to secure the bouquet tightly. Since these are taller flowers with long stems, I'm using two - one at the top and one around the bottom.

Step 5:

Slide your bouquet into the vase and start stuffing with lime slices until you reach the top.  Once there, you might want to use half slices to fill in the gaps at the edge.  Last, add water.

Smarty Tip: Try not to create your centerpiece too far ahead of time, the water will drain the color from the limes.  If you need to make a centerpiece (or centerpieces) further in advance, you can use flowers that have the small tubes at the bottom and not worry about filling the vase. 

Surround your centerpiece with these colorful beauties - Smartyware Square Plates:   

SM Fuchsia Plate	SM Tropical Blue Plate	SM Burnt Organge Plate	SM  Yellow Plate

Party on, Smarties!