How to Make Christmas Centerpieces With Candles

Add poinsettias to your candle centerpiece.

Set an elegantly refined mood during dinner with three simple candle Christmas centerpieces---each with a poinsettia theme. Make one Christmas candle centerpiece using pillar candles and silk or plastic poinsettia heads. Make another candle centerpiece using taper candles and the leaves from the faux poinsettia plant. Finally, make a third coordinating centerpiece with votive candles and poinsettia print fabric. Place all three Christmas candle centerpieces on one long table or separate tables for a glowing touch to your Christmas dinner.

Things You'll Need

• To make the Poinsettia Candle Centerpiece:
• Square, glass baking pan
• 3 white pillar candles, 3 inches wide wide in short, medium and tall
• Decorative glass marbles (white or red)
• 24 stems red or white silk or plastic poinsettias
• Scissors or wire cutters
• To make the Taper Candle Centerpiece:
• Silk or plastic poinsettia leaves
• Scissors
• Newspaper
• Gold and silver spray paint
• Floral foam brick
• 3 red taper candles, 10 inches
• To make the Votive Candle Centerpiece:
• 6 votive candles
• Poinsettia print fabric, 1/4 yard
• Marker
• 8-by-10-inch gold picture frame

Instructions

Poinsettia Candle Centerpiece

1. Arrange three white pillar candles---3 inches wide in short, medium and tall---inside a square, glass baking pan. Place the tall candle in the back, the medium pillar in front of it to the right, and the short pillar to the left of the medium one.

2. Fill the glass baking pan with white or red decorative glass marbles. Fill halfway to the rim.

3. Cut the heads from 24 silk or plastic poinsettia stems about 2 inches below the heads, leaving a portion of the stems.

4. Stick the poinsettia heads into the glass marbles. Arrange the poinsettia heads so the petals overlap each other and the edges of the pan.

Taper Candle Centerpiece

1. 

   Make a second centerpiece with red taper candles.

   Remove the silk or plastic leaves from a faux poinsettia plant. Cut each leaf stem about two inches below the leaf.

2. Spread the poinsettia leaves on a sheet of newspaper. Spray paint half of the leaves gold and half of the leaves silver. Let dry then spray paint the other sides. Let dry.

3. Insert three 10-inch red taper candles into a floral foam brick. Line them up with equal space in between each candle, pressing the candles in as far as they will go.

4. Insert the leaves into the top of the floral foam brick. Alternate the gold and silver leaves. Spread the leaves out so they drape around the candles and over the sides of the floral foam.

Votive Candle Centerpiece

1. 

   Use votive candles for a third centerpiece.

   Remove the cardboard insert and backing from an 8-by-10-inch gold picture frame. Place the picture frame with glass face down on the table.

2. Place the cardboard insert on top of a 1/4 yard piece of poinsettia print fabric. Trace the cardboard insert with a marker and cut out the fabric.

3. Lay the poinsettia fabric rectangle---with the printed side showing through the glass---inside the picture frame. Replace the cardboard insert and frame backing.

4. Turn the picture frame back over. Place six votive candles on top of the glass, lining up three candles on each side.

Tips & Warnings

• Unless you are concerned about allergies or reactions to poinsettia plants, you can substitute real poinsettias for the silk or plastic ones in the Poinsettia Candle Centerpiece. Contrary to common worry, poinsettia plants are actually not poisonous, according to the Mayo Clinic's online article "Poinsettia Plants: Are They Poisonous?"

• Don't leave lit candles unattended.

References

• Mayo Clinic: Poinsettia Plants---Are They Poisonous?