Holiday Centerpiece Ideas for $10 or Less
This holiday season, use nature’s bounty and these charming, easy ideas to create a stylish centerpiece on a budget.
Randen Pederson/Flickr Commons
A bountiful bowl
Simply pile backyard finds like short
branches, pine cones, acorns, bittersweet berries, and more into a large bowl. Don’t fuss with the placement of your fall finds–casual is
best.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
Richard C. Anderson/Flickr Commons
Beautiful branches
Place branches of vivid fall foliage in a sturdy vase to create an eye-catching centerpiece for a large dinner table or
for a buffet table. Wait until right before your guests arrive to cut off these branches, as the leaves will drop quickly.
Source: Martha Stewart
hello-julie/Flickr Commons
Fantastic flowers
Local, autumn-hued roses,
dahlias, poppies, and other seasonal flowers create a lovely display—and are much more affordable than out-of-season or exotic blooms. Begin your arrangement by placing thick-stemmed flowers in the
vase, then fill in with thinner, more delicate-stemmed ones. And for easier
table conversation, choose flowers that are less than 14 inches tall.
Source: Country Living
JasonParis/Flickr Commons
Hurricane lamp arrangements
For a quick, memorable centerpiece, insert a pillar candle
into a hurricane lamp, then fill the base with seasonal leaves,
acorns, cranberries, walnuts, or other nuts still in their shells. For safety’s sake, pile the natural elements no higher than one-third of
the way up the pillar candle.
Source: Country Living
askabir/Flickr Commons
Grape expectations
Dusky Concord grapes
and red grapes, teamed with grape leaves, dogwood leaves or other autumn
foliage make a colorful, harvest-themed display. Paired with a selection of cheeses, this
centerpiece can serve double-duty as dessert.
Source: Martha Stewart
Alessandra Cimatti/Flickr Commons
Harvest-themed corn display
Pile multi-colored ears of decorative dried Indian corn in a bowl or basket for an easy holiday
arrangement. You can also tuck dried wheat stalks between the corn cobs.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
geishaboy500/Flickr Commons
A variety of vintage photos
A truly personal tableau can be created by copying family photos and
spray-mounting the images onto stiff card stock so they’ll stand straight when
leaned against candleholders, vases, or pumpkins. Tip: To match contemporary
photos to your images of your ancestors, print the new ones out in black
and white or sepia.
Source: Country Living
TheCulinaryGeek/Flickr Commons
Sunset-hued produce
Gather gourds, orange persimmons or kumquats, red-skinned pears or pomegranates, baby pumpkins and more for a fruit and vegetable fall centerpiece. Pile them in a big bowl or basket.
Source: Martha Stewart
Gisela Francisco/Flickr Commons
A tower of teacups and plates
This innovative idea is perfect for an afternoon luncheon— and because it requires only a few flowers, it’s very budget-friendly. Stack vintage china
plates and
teacups to create a few tiered displays. Then tuck in your favorite fall flowers–orange roses look especially lush and autumnal.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
Јerry/Flickr Commons
Gorgeous gourds
For earthy,
homemade autumn vases, hollow out gourds and place watertight containers inside
them. Fill with water and then decorate with colorful fall flowers, leaves, and berries.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
