How to Make a Holiday Centerpiece for Under $20

When it comes to a centerpiece for your table during the holidays, you have thousands of choices. But why pay for someone to assemble one for you when you can make your own for less than $20. Here are some of your options.

Mirrored

This type of centerpiece is both elegant and eye catching. Circular, oval, or octagonal mirrors can be purchased at craft stores for $5 or less. Purchase the same shape mirror as your table, as this will accent it best. The mirror is simply put in place in the middle of the table, and you can add whatever you'd like on top of it; from candy to a wooden snowman, keep with your theme. A simple arrangement of poinsettias placed on the mirror will give this centerpiece a beautiful sparkle.

Glass bowl or Oversized Champagne Glass

If you have an heirloom candy dish, this can make a great centerpiece with a few additions. How about filling it with miniature ornamental Christmas balls, and attaching a few bows to the base? Plastic fruits can also make a great filling for your dish. Plastic is more versatile because they can be decorated with glitter without posing a health problem. Encircle the dish with some berry or pine sprigs and you have a central attraction.

Oddly enough an oversized champagne glass can also make an impression. Tie a complementing bow on the stem and fill it with similar items as mentioned before. These can be placed on either side of a floral arrangement centerpiece if you have a very long table, or as the main centerpiece on a side table.

Candle

Candles are very seasonal and make attractive centerpieces. A thick, wide candle can be accented at the base with pinecones, plastic fruit, berries, raffia and flowers, and even small amounts of garland. Candles are very easily transformed into a centerpiece without any adhesives at all. Match thin candles with thick ones and create a tapering look to your oval-shaped tables. Smaller candles can be placed around bouquet tables without intruding on the food presentation. It is best not to light these centerpieces unless you are using a glass base that has a stem, or it will pose a fire hazard.

Flowers in Ceramic or Metal containers

Ceramic or metal containers for floral arrangements can be found at craft stores for $10 or less. Purchase one that is low to the table if you want a wider arrangement or a taller one for elegant height to the middle of the table. If there will be people seated around it for a length of time, you might want to buy a container that will keep the flowers low so that conversation can easily take place. The festive flowers are poinsettias, of course, but you can use roses or any other type of flowers to match your decorum. Silk poinsettias come in many different colors at craft stores and can be accented with berry stems, pine, and sheer ribbon. Simply insert the silk flowers in green floral foam, with the larger ones placed in first and filling in the spaces with the smaller flowers and greenery.