DIY: Christmas Centerpiece

Looking to create a centerpiece for your holiday table, but do not want tall thin candles or chunky pillar candles as the main focus as they are hard for your quests to speak around? Do you wish to have the glow of warm candlelight for your guests to enjoy? Then a floating candle centerpiece fits the bill. The project is quite simple and takes very little time to create a wonderful centerpiece for you and your guests to enjoy.

The materials needed are:

(1) A shallow bowl. Clear is best, but any color that fits your theme will also work;

(2) A dinner charger or large flat plate that your bowl will fit onto comfortably and with a bit of the edge of the plate extending past the bowl;

(3) Two or three floating candles depending on the size of your bowl - you will want enough room around each so they will float comfortably. These can be purchased at any craft store or holiday section of your favorite store. They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes from small Christmas trees to large snowflakes;

(4) Water. From the tap is fine; and

(5) assorted greenery and decorations. The greenery can either be fresh or imitation. Note the imitated greenery made today is very life like and does not deter from the creation of the centerpiece. You can also purchase florist/craft items called "picks" - these decorations come in huge variety of styles, sizes and colors and they add a bit of sparkle to your centerpiece.

To make your centerpiece [note: this is best done where you plan the keep the centerpiece so you do not have to move and risk spilling water]:

(1) Place bowl on center of charger. You can use a bit of florist clay to tack down the bowl more securely;

(2) tuck greenery stems under bowl's bottom and let drape over sides of charger;

(3) tuck in decorative objects such as the picks amongst the greenery;

(4) fill bowl half way with water. You can also add a few drops of food coloring in the water to give a festive hue; and

(5) place floating candles.

There you have it - quick, simple and elegant. The folks at www.targetwoman.com offer a few simple ideas to give a bit more sparkle to your centerpiece. They are: (a) incorporate different hues of green from different plants to give dimension and texture; (2) add small gifts such as nuts, candy or trinkets into the centerpiece so each guest can have a small something while waiting for the meal to arrive. Just make sure that the gifts come out easily so they do not disturb to the centerpiece; and (3) if using fresh greenery, make sure it is clean so it will not harm the meal.