Table centrepieces

Is on my mind... Christmas is coming soon, I will have 7 guests crammed into the house for a week, sleeping on pillows and mattresses in every area. And every other unoccupied area will have large suitcases. So I can't have a huge Christmas tree... or be too particular about having a perfect home (I never have it anyway!)...

But I have been thinking about how to have small Christmas touches around the home without too much of a large budget.



I have a large dining table usually littered by junk but we've managed to keep it clean for 2 days and am hoping this trend continues (unlikely). For a change, I wanted to create a centrepiece that manages to be simple yet festive.

I found a few images in my inspiration file that inspired me to come up with my own:

Collection of blue and clear glass bottles arranged on a tray

Martha Stewart

My version:

Selecting a few pieces here and there in the house... glassware, a treasured blue depression glass cake plate, another treasured light blue milk glass Avon perfume jar, some blue and green coloured water and the finishing touch: a rose from my garden, all arranged on a white wooden tray.

What do you think?



May resurrect this again nearer to Christmas someplace else, maybe the guest bedroom!

Anyway, this arrangement lasted half a day, way too much high maintenance - it's only November! Plus my lovely pink rose quickly turned blue from the blue coloured water in its vase! After an hour, I decided to go on my fortnight thrifting run... and scored these two gorgeous glass pieces:



After some thought:

A bit of blue tinsel, white and glass Christmas ornaments from my Christmas ornament collection and I have me a simple, but stunning festive centrepiece!



In detail:



I'm actually quite pleased!



Other ideas inspired from my inspiration files:

For a simple, pretty display, I thought I'd line the table with pink pottery/ceramics/porcelain I have collected over the years.

One of my favourite tablecloths arranged diagonally with a pink glass comport with pink, red and white Christmas ornaments.

Or just the tablecloth... Pardon the un-ironed condition, didn't want to waste time ironing if I wasn't going to keep the tablecloth on the table for longer than 20 minutes!

Or just the pink glass comport with pink, red and white Christmas ornament.

And lastly, how about this great idea from Racheal Ray, via GlamNest for a really stunning simple centrepiece:

Racheal Ray

I have found out that only certain teapots/teacups/plates suit this style and the two choices I have don't look good this way...

Maybe when I can afford a pink Limoges set one day!


Wow I had some good ideas in my Centrepieces post 2 years ago!

Here's the list again:

Bridal shower

• arranging porcelain teacups and saucers in the middle with tealights in them. Better if the teacups are slightly translucent, like the Shelley range.


• filling oil perfume bottles with coloured water (use a plastic syringe or straw)


• mini mannequins with a vintage op-shop-find brooch on each one, one for each guest!

Thanksgiving: arranging orange-hued candleholders with tealights in them.

Beach house style: buying some coral or large shells and spray painting them in striking colours, I'm liking white, hot orange and black now with a casual arrangement on a low comport or tray.

Dinner party: surrounding copper-coloured baking/jelly moulds (upside down) with simple tealights

Spring celebrations: filling white glasses/cups with sand and sticking a cherry blossom sprig in the middle (or any blossoming twig from your garden).

Going away dinner: a melee of vintage and inexpensive model cars, Vespas (LOVE) and bicycles on a mirror-turned tray

Baby shower: purchase some vintage and old biscuit tins of diff sizes/shapes from op-shops and paint them a glossy colour - they make useful storage for mum-to-be.