Decorate with a Black & White Autumn Door Hanging

You just never know when inspiration is going to hit you. I came up with this door hanging arrangement while standing in a field of black corn in Carmel, California. I was struck by the dramatic dark maroon tassels on the corn contrasted with white miniature pumpkins growing near by.

Not everyone has access to a field of black corn and white miniature pumpkins, but these same materials might be as close as a local farmer’s market or garden center. If not, you can also adapt this project to materials that are more readily available in your area. Substitute wheat, ornamental grass, bittersweet or evergreen boughs for the corn tassels and bundled citrus, berried branches, purple hyacinth bean pods or berried branches would be lovely in place of the corn and pumpkins.

Corn tassels are somewhat bulky so just remember to adjust the amount of material you use for the base if you select something ethereal like ornamental grass.

Materials
1 wire coat hanger, the kind with a connecting cardboard tube
6 corn stalks with tassels and ears
scissors
sharp knife
florist wire
wire cutters
small white pumpkins on the vine
ice pick

Create an Hourglass Shaped Base

Directions:
Now, the way you get started is to take a wire coat hanger, remove the cardboard bar and bend the two arms down. To me it looks something like a tuning fork with a hook on the end. You will use this later to hang the arrangement on a door.

Next make your form or base. If you are working with corn, remove the tassels from the ears. Leave a little bit of stalk on the ears. This will make it easier to attach the ear to the arrangement.

Thread Wire through the Corn
Take the tassels and create 2 bundles of equal amounts. Place the bundles on the table so the stalks overlap and the tassels hang at each end. It should look somewhat like a bowtie or skinny hourglass. If you find the base is too long or short, adjust the overlap. Wire the bundles together at the center.

Next, attach the ears of corn to the corn tassel base with wire. Pierce the end of the stalk, run wire through it and tie the ear to the corn tassel base, keeping them in the lower two-thirds of the arrangement.

Attach the Wire Hanger
Once the ears of corn are in place attach the coat hanger to the back by simply hooking it through some of the wire used to bind the corn tassels.

For a finishing touch, add the small pumpkins. It’s great when you can get them on the vine. Just cluster the pumpkins together and attach them near the top of the base so that they hang down over the ears of corn.

Autumn Door Hanging
And there you have it – a festive autumn door hanging. You know, there’s so much diversity and beauty in nature – black corn and white pumpkins!