How to create a holiday centerpiece

It is important to pick a vessel that fits your centerpiece space. Ours is an antique wheel oiler, which gives us a great long and thin shape for our centerpiece.

Find a vessel that is unique, but yet conforms to your decor. If you have a long table, choose a vessel that is similar in shape.

In contrast, if you have a round table, select a tall urn. The rounded shape of an urn will work seamlessly with the shape of the round table and will help draw the eye upward.

Your yard contains many of the "fillers" that can be used in this arrangement. Cut a handful of winter berries, holly, and evergreen. If your yard does not have these items, check with a friend!

Find free "fillers" and spend your cash on some red roses. We purchased two dozen beautiful red roses from Costco for $16.99. Chose whatever color will complement the theme of your centerpiece.

It is important to prep your centerpiece vessel before assembling. Mix some water with some floral food and add to the bottom of your vessel. Before adding, make sure its waterproof!

Most flowers purchased from a store will come with floral food. If not, pick it up from your local greenhouse, grocer, or hardware.

Always start an arrangement with the perimeter! Use evergreen leaves to form a "wreath" around the edges of the vessel.

After adding your evergreen leaves, the vessel should be full, but not overly crowded. There are still a number of items to add, so make sure to leave some room.

Add in your holly and winter berries towards the center of the centerpiece.

Start with all the "cheap" extras before moving onto your flowers. Placing more of the inexpensive (or free) items will ensure that you do not need as many of the higher-priced flowers.

Before adding the roses to your centerpiece, make sure to strip the stem of any leaves. There will be enough greenery in the arrangement without the rose leaves. Plus, it will make arranging easier!

Personally, we like to place the roses throughout the arrangement in small bunches. If we were to space them all evenly, it could start to look like a funeral spray.

The end product is simply gorgeous and only takes a few minutes to complete!

Feel free to choose any color you want. We chose reds, but greens and whites would also look wonderful for the Christmas season. The options are endless!

For more, check out The Gray Boxwood's blog. Link located in our profile.