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Today I am going to show you how you can make your own Christmas centerpiece. I love having centerpieces at Christmas time, it really dresses up the table without costing much at all. When you use greens and “doo dads” in your arrangement, it will last all the way through Christmas. By making your own, you save yourself TONS of money, plus the items can be used again for many years to come. Interested in making your own? Here is what you need to do.
First thing you will need is a block of floral oasis and bowl tape. The oasis can be found at your local floral shop or craft store. It should run around $1.50 – $2.50. You will need to soak the oasis in a bucket of water for a couple of hours.
If you stop at your local flower show, you don’t have to buy a whole roll of tape, just ask them to wrap a small amount around a pencil. Just let them know you just need a small amount of tape for a centerpiece or two. Don’t forget to bring a pen or pencil for them to wrap it around.
You will need to get some Christmas greens, I was able to find everything here in my backyard. That is one of the great perks of living here in the Northwest – FREE Christmas greens. Don’t have any in your backyard? Here are a few other ideas of where you can get some:
- Cut some from a family/neighbors house
- Did you cut a fresh Christmas tree? Use the parts you trim off the bottom
- Stop by a tree lot and see if they have any you could buy or have
- You can also get some from your local florist, but I am guessing they may not be cheap
You will also need some “Christmas picks” and ribbon. I just re-use the same ribbon every year. The Christmas picks can be found at Michaels, they are really cheap, usually 3 or 4 for $1.00. By using these type of items instead of fresh flowers your arrangement will last all of December. You could also use pinecones that your find in your yard for FREE.
Next up, you will need a container for your arrangement. You don’t have to have specific arrangement containers, you can use anything you have around the house. Lots of times the arrangements are low enough that you don’t even see the container. You can even use a reusable plastic container. I even used one of our cereal bowls!
Once you have your container(s), cut the Oasis to fit and add tape across to make sure it is secure. If you want to add a candle to your arrangement make sure you do that before you start the greening.
When I first start greening, I do a row along the bottom to give the arrangement it’s shape. I usually just do one on each side of the Oasis, and then I put one in between each of those.
Next I add the greens at the top of the arrangement, around the base of the candle.
Then you just fill in between the greens you added at the bottom and the top of the arrangement. It’s nice to use different type of greens, because it will fill things in better.
Next you add the bows, when I am making a round arrangement I use 3 bows. Then add the Christmas doo dads and you are done! Make sure you add water to the arrangement, because the Oasis will continue to soak it up.
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Rachel says
My grandma and my mom used to make a centerpiece every year for their Christmas dinner tables… They have both passed away and I would love to do one for our table this year!
Christy says
Rachel – Both my Mom and Grandma did the same thing too! I love Christmas traditions, they help us feel close to those that are no longer with us.