Thank you to our Preferred Shoppers for providing me with the inspiration for this blog. We had an overwhelming request to hear about unique centerpiece ideas…so here you go!
These are a few of the ideas that I have been cooking up for a while…. Let me know what you guys think and of course I would love to see the photos of some of your creations!
Lets make this holiday season one to remember!
Christmas Card Centerpiece
Use dried branches to display your favorite holiday cards. Tape a loop of ribbon to the back of each card and hook them onto the branches of your arrangement.
Bell Jar Centerpiece
This is one of my favorite centerpiece ideas, because it is just so simple. Start with a bell jar, a display dome or even a clear glass cake stand. Flip the top over and fill it with your favorite ornaments. Then put a plate (or the stand) under the dome and flip it over gently, just as you would a cake. Flip it gently, you don’t want to break your fragile ornaments. Then you can dress it up with evergreen sprigs or ribbon, or leave it au natural.
Sweet Flower Arrangements
Line up candy canes around a vase and tie with a big bow. Put red and white flowers in the vase to really make this centerpiece sweet. Kids love this one!
Red Delicious Centerpiece
Spread a few evergreen boughs on your table where you would like to create your centerpiece. Use Magnolia, Holly or Bay leaves as padding on top of the evergreen boughs. Then layout cored red delicious apples, try 12 apples, 3 X4, or less depending on your table size. Push a few evergreen sprigs into each of the cored apples, then put one tapered candle into each apple. Light all of the candles and you’ve got a dramatic centerpiece.
Ornaments & Evergreens
This a nice one to throw together in a pinch. Nest some of your over sized candles into cuttings of evergreen (the cuttings from your tree perhaps?) And place these onto a festive metallic holiday platter or stand.
Tiered Centerpiece
Tiered trays can be a wonderful framework for beautiful holiday centerpiece. Fill each tier with ornaments in holiday colors, glittery pine cones, nuts and sprigs of herbs. If you don’t have tiered trays use plates in three different sizes with cups in between.
Citrus Centerpiece
This is a fresh and unexpected centerpiece idea. Suspend limes in water in a beautiful clear glass jar, top it off with a red bow or leave it unadorned. Either way a really refreshing addition to any holiday table.
Cranberries & Crystal
Make an easy mantle or tabletop centerpiece by using crystal glasses, or champagne flutes, putting cranberries, fruits and nuts in them and topping them with a votive candle. They can be lined up down the mantle or down your holiday table.
1. Hello Evette,
I absolutely love all these ideas. I want to use them all, but I’m almost decorated this year .But, I’ll find a place for a few of them. Love their simplicity and elegance . You don’t need elaborate displays to make a big statement. Many people don’t realize the glassware, plates, or bowls they have in their homes can make beautiful displays by just stacking different pieces and glue gun them together. Add, friut, candies, ornaments etc. The glue rubs or peels off after. Also just turn over stemware and you have instant candle sticks for votive candles.
So many great ideas out there. Love yours.
Cathy
by Cathy — 12/4/07 at 12:47 am #
2. Good Morning Evette,
I was just browsing through your Christmas ideas and again I loved everyone. I want to say thank you for all your wonderful tips. They are so simple yet elegant and most important inexpensive. With gifts and food to purchase for the holidays it is wonderful to have ideas for things that you have around the house or at your nearest grocery store. Thanks again.
Tammy
by Tammy [...] — 12/5/07 at 9:09 am #
3. Hi Evette,
My two favorite holiday centerpieces are the Bell Jar Centerpiece for my buffet and the Ornament and Evergreen which I will be using for my dining table.
Thank you Evette for all your great and cost effective ideas. I am very exicted and look foward to decorating this weekend.
Happy Holiday to All
Norine
P.S. Evette, I have seen and enjoyed your calm and upbeat spirit on Free Style.
by Norine [...] — 12/5/07 at 9:13 am #
4. Such wonderful, simple, elegant ideas. I don’t have much creative imagination but I love it when I can borrow others ideas and incorporate them into my home. I already know where and how I can use several ideas you have shown.
by Rosalyn [...] — 12/5/07 at 10:23 am #
5. Evette,
These are absolutely beautiful!! I can’t even choose the one I like the best! They are suitable for almost any decorating style. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful ideas!
Deb
by Deb — 12/5/07 at 1:45 pm #
6. Hi Evette,
You gave us wonderful decorations for Center Pieces that are easy and quite beautiful. Congratulations! These will be integrated on many tables very soon.
Great ideas! Have a great and rewarding Christmas.
Betty
by Betty — 12/5/07 at 10:29 pm #
7. Thanks for the ideas. Flower prices become so inflated at the Holdays that one is forced to be inventive. I would rather spend my money on something I can use again.I use my Waterford and Beleek china mixed with new finds from Home goods to achieve a unique effect. I am addicted to Home Goods.
by Pat — 12/6/07 at 8:52 pm #
8. Hi! So many wonderful ideas you’ve shared! Thank you all…I have one idea that I came up with for our foyer. We have skylights in our condo & one is above the foyer at the entrance of our unit. We have a large (4-5 ft.) pencil -type cactus that does beautifully there & greets you as you enter our home. I had picked up an adorable tree skirt on clearance last year that fits perfectly around the base of the plant & drapes nicely over the sides of the flower pot, hiding it under the festive skirt. I then hung small ornaments, all within the same approximate size range on the finger-like branches of the cactus! Not too many, just enough to give it that artistic look. Well, between the inexpensive tree skirt, which I’m sure was made for a small table-top tree, & the ornaments? It looks great! The minute you open our door, you’re in the festive spirit! I have received many compliments already. Happy Holidays to all!
by Nancy [...] — 12/7/07 at 5:31 pm #
9. I love the bell jar idea. I did something similar, I took a big footed crystal bowl ( I think it’s a fruit bowl) and filled it up with plai red (really bright and shinny red) ornaments, and on the top I put some of the really nice ornaments, the mantel is gold, with a runner that has holly & berries on it. It looks beautiful and I did not have to spend a penny, I had everything in the attic and in the china cabinet. Of course, I also set the table with red charges, plain white/gold plates and a sald plate in silver, with a gold fabric napkin on top. I Loved your ideas, it shows how if you look around your house, you have what you need to make it look beautiful
by Rossy — 12/7/07 at 5:47 pm #
10. I bought a flower holder that was a wrought iron, rectangular, with 7 test tube type clear glass holders down the center. It is only a few inches deep and about 18 inches long. You can alternate pointsettas, greens or other types of flowers in it. It is a good centerpiece as it is so thin that you can leave it on the table and still have room for food. It is quite beautiful.
by Arlene [...] — 12/7/07 at 8:03 pm #
11. Simple, but eloquent!
by Aida — 12/7/07 at 9:18 pm #
12. Thanks Evette for the very creative ideas, I love each of them. I’m sure I ‘ll use at least two of them, but haven’t decided.
Theressa
by Theressa J. — 12/7/07 at 9:32 pm #
13. Hi,
Home Goods is one of my favorite stores. I can always find something perfect , different,and so well priced. We’re having a holiday party and I love all the ideas you posted. This is our first Christmas in our new home.
I’m excited to show our friend all the goodies I’ve found at Home Goods.
I really get so many compliments on all my treasures.
Thanks for the ideas. I’m looking forward to getting more.
Evelyn [...]
by Evelyn [...] — 12/7/07 at 9:48 pm #
14. I have a lot of great candles i have recently purchased at HomeGoods, but some of the holders for some lovely smelling votives are not producing the effect I was hoping for, and in some cases, I misjuged the sizes. The votives fit in the bottom of the holders, but have just slight enough of an upward taper that they don’t fit in the uniform straight in order to fit in the recepticles of some pretty tall stained glass towers. Additionally, they don’t provide the twinkling I anticipated from the candles i just tried that fit in dancing on and off the stained glass. Running out of time now, with a promising gentlemen from Europe who will be spending the holidays and longer with me, and not doing these decorative feats I once did with my hands behind my back, just out of this life loop for awhile, I’m rusty, …. PLEASE sister friends, help! I need to set the right mood here with lights and candles and scent . I have a lot of votives I love the scent of for example, and a lot of candles with some nice holders of various heights that are similar. I also have a lot of mini votives enclosed in frosted glass.
I do remember years ago floating votives in a big round glass dish, I think I uses water in? Not sure, but it was lovely. Meanwhile, these things, and using white mini lights around decorative door jams and some silk trees, and faux garland.. dry air here, and a place with a shortage of plugs.. well, any and all ideas to set the holiday and lighting mood are so welcomed and appreciated by this siter rusty and long enough out of the game are going to be hugely appreciated. Tick tock is no friend either. THANKS for anything you can share in advance! :))
by holly [...] — 12/8/07 at 6:47 am #
15. Hello Evette,
I am fairly new to this blog but love everything i have read so far. My only concern is that i love to decorate,but i just don’t have that EYE for it like you do! So my concern would be,if possible would you or could you include a few more PICTURES along with your wonderful and unique idea’s?this would really help me SHINE when company comes over(smile).
by Michelle [...] — 12/8/07 at 11:01 am #
16. Hi Holly.
Which brand of candles did you buy? I LOVE the Chesapeake Bay Candle brand. The fragrances are so strong and they burn so well. My favorite fragrances are Bamboo Jasmine and Sparkling Delight. I also LOVE their wine collection. They are usually in a 8 piece set and they have large and small sizes. They are a great decoration!!! Good luck and you should definitely try the Bamboo Jasmine!!!
Amanda
by Amanda — 12/18/07 at 7:23 pm #
17. Holiday? I am sorry, but what holiday do Americans commemorate? Where I come from (Latin America) we commemorate CHRISTMAS. Why the heck don’t you guys call it what it is, CHRISTMAS? Jeez, so much for politically correctness.
by Milla — 12/29/07 at 6:01 pm #