Easy Centerpiece Idea

I love table centerpieces, and I have an assortment to suit the changing seasons. When there are just two or three of us at the table, none of those centerpieces obstruct our view of each other, but with a large gathering, a big centerpiece can make conversation across the table difficult.  I remember one year when I hosted Thanksgiving dinner, and my brother-in-law suddenly hoisted my big autumn flower arrangement (a gift from my father’s funeral) in the air and sat it on the floor behind him! He had no interest in craning his neck to see family members around the table!

Has that ever happened to you? It’s funny now, but I was flustered and embarrassed then. You want your table to be festive, but at the same time, you want your dinner guests to feel comfortable at the table. As I was glancing through some old Christmas snow photos this morning, I realized I was looking at a creative centerpiece idea that will solve both problems for your December entertaining.

You lay a wreath in the middle of your table and pile ornaments in the center. Ta-dah! You now have a low-lying centerpiece that won’t block anyone’s view around the table. (If you still want a bit of height, add a candlestick to the center and pile the ornaments around it.)

I have a collection of wreaths in traditional greenery, grapevine, and shimmering tinsel. You can choose whatever suits your decor or personal style. Your ornaments may be elegant or fun, one color or a kaleidoscope of colors, plastic or glass. For a dinner party, you might invite guests to choose an ornament from the centerpiece to take home!

Centerpieces don’t have to be towering monuments to the Christmas spirit, and they don’t have to break your budget. Play with what you already have, visit a thrift or consignment store if you must, and enjoy an easy holiday centerpiece at every meal served at your table.

July: Star Stuff

Clearance sales this month feature lots of left over USA Independence Day items. Some items can easily transfer to Christmas, like the red and silver star-emblazoned paper goods, table centerpieces, and other decorations. Would you be interested in a patriotic-themed Christmas tree this year? If so, scope out the clearance sales for things you can use to decorate your tree!


If you (or your kids or grandkids) need a fun summer craft, check out this wire star craft at Wired-Star. Make sturdy new Christmas ornaments!


Or, you could make the easier, rustic, cinnamon star ornament. Directions are here: Cinnamon Christmas Star. You could even attach these to your wrapped gifts for added interest. Add a small banner with the recipient's name on it, and it becomes a gift tag!


For something intricate made of paper, see the woven star ornament tutorial located here: woven-star-from-vintage-book-pages.


Hmmm, now where did I put my wire cutters?

Christmas Memory Tree

As a special holiday treat, my daughter and I recorded ourselves decorating our memory tree and explaining the tree and the ornaments. This is something I started last year because I suddenly had an extra tree (small), and I just hate to throw anything away. I realized I could get more use out of it, damaged as it was. So going with the memory theme, I pulled together some of my handmade ornaments and photo ornaments so that we could hang our memories on this little white tree. Watch!

Here's a link, just in case ... Brenda's Christmas Memory Tree

By the way, it's less than three weeks till Christmas! Are you ready?

Don’t throw out your damaged decorations just yet!

So, have you started decorating your home for Christmas yet? I love digging into my many boxes of decorations – collected over the span of 27 years! Because I shop the after-Christmas clearance sales, I always find surprises that I don’t remember—they’re like early Christmas gifts for me and my family! Those are fun, but I cherish the old ornaments—those that have been handed down from my family, those I bought new, and those “antique” ones I bid on at an auction long ago. So many memories are held in those old ornaments—even the whimsical plastic and Styrofoam ones of the 50s and 60s!

As you unpack your ornaments and decorations, you may come across some damaged ones—broken, dented, chipped, or just loose. You may be tempted to toss them in the garbage. Don't be so hasty! Damaged decorations still may have life in them. Look at them with a creative eye. Can pieces be glued back together? Can they be touched up with permanent markers or even nail polish? That cheap nail polish at the dollar store isn’t just for nails, you know! The metallic shades are great for covering tiny blemishes on ornaments. Maybe a damaged decoration can be taken apart and re-purposed. Could parts of a damaged decoration or ornament be used in handmade Christmas cards or to decorate your gifts to make them look extra-special under the tree? Can pieces be attached to a Christmas wreath?

Hmmm, that reminds me … I have an old, brown plastic candle ring that was in a box lot that I got 27 years ago. I’ve held onto it because it’s old and isn’t taking up too much space in my box of retro stuff. Every year I glance at it and wonder what the manufacturer was thinking, making a brown Christmas candle ring! I think I’ll spray paint it silver and put a red candle in the center—or a glass globe filled with candy. I already have those things, so it won’t cost me anything to create a new end table centerpiece!

If the effort just seems too great, maybe you could give the project to someone artistic in your family. If that person simply doesn't exist, then please donate your old decorations to the local thrift store where I might find them. *grin* Crafty people will be on the lookout for them! Better there than in the landfill!  


Happy Creative Christmas!