How to Make a Christmas Centerpiece With Boughs
Nothing makes a more beautiful centerpiece for a holiday table than one of lush, green tree branches. Add a few candles and embellish them with holiday ornaments and decorative treasures from nature, and your centerpiece will be the crowning glory of your holiday table this year. You can use boughs from any of your favorite evergreens to make a centerpiece, such as fir, spruce or cedar. With some florist's foam, you can keep your evergreen boughs fresh for approximately four weeks. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Decorative serving platter
- Shallow dish
- Florist's foam
- Florist's tape
- Candles
- Evergreen boughs
- Pruning shears
- Florist's wire
- Optional embellishments:
- Pine cones
- Berry bunches
- Flowers (real or silk)
- Cinnamon sticks
- Dried fruit
Instructions
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1
Take a decorative serving platter. It can be round, oval or rectangular. Place a shallow dish of the same shape on top of it that is an inch or two smaller than the platter. The dish need not be decorative, it will not be seen.
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Use a serrated knife to cut a piece of florist's foam to fit inside your shallow dish. Soak your florist's foam in water for at an hour or two before proceeding.
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Secure the foam to the shallow dish with florist's tape, which sticks even when wet.
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4
Decide where you want your candles. If you have an oval or rectangular tray, you might place them in a row, with one in the center an inch or two taller than the others. If you have a round tray, you may wish to surround one taller candle in the center with shorter ones, or you might prefer to space a few candles in a circular shape.
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Mark the spots you want the candles to go with a pencil or knife. Push your candles into the foam once you are sure of their placement. Once you push in a candle, leave it where it is. Removal and replacement will weaken the foam's hold.
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Snip branches from your evergreen boughs with hand-held pruning shears or a pair of strong utility scissors. Stick the cut end of the branches into the sides of the florist's foam, spacing them evenly around it.
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Create another layer of evergreen branches, this time pushing them into the foam at a 45 degree angle, about an inch above the initial row of branches.
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Add some decorative embellishments if you desire, such as pinecones, berries, dried fruit, bundles of cinnamon sticks or small ornaments. Twist floral wire around them and stick the end into the foam. You can also cut short lengths of floral wire and use it as a skewer. Add flowers to the arrangement by sticking stems into the foam.
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Continue adding evergreen branches in rows, working your way toward the center of the arrangement. Intersperse with decorative embellishments for splashes of color. Add branches and embellishments until you have a full arrangement and cannot see the shallow dish or florist's foam from any angle.
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Add water to your shallow dish. Check and refill with water periodically to keep the foam wet so the branches will stay fresh.
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Tips & Warnings
Never leave the candles in your arrangement burning unattended.
