DIY Holiday Dining Table Centerpiece Ideas

I love decorating for the holidays! Especially this time of year. It can get overwhelming sometimes though with all the money spent on gifts to then turn around and justify spending money on new holiday decor. I love finding ways to reuse what I have in new ways along with collecting things from nature. Today I am sharing how to create holiday arrangements that won't cost you a thing! Wow your guests at your next special occasion with these DIY Holiday dining table centerpiece ideas. 

This post is sponsored by Digz Gardening but all ideas and opinions are 100% my own.

DIY Holiday Dining Table Centerpiece Ideas

Make your dining space have a whole new look with these easy to make holiday centerpiece ideas. Here's how!

Gathering Greenery

I love a wintery arrangement that is full of evergreens like pine, juniper, cedar, and boxwoods. I love using natural materials. Between my own yard and my mom's property, I was able to collect enough fresh greenery for all these centerpieces and then some!  My house smells amazing!

If you know me at all you know I am a big fan of using natural elements in all my decorating (I even wrote a book about it!) If you don't have access to enough greenery, you can buy seasonal greenery at places like Trader Joe's or your local nursery. They are a great option for very little money. 

Choose Your Vase or Container

I decided to make 3 different versions of a holiday centerpiece to give you plenty of ideas to get you started. I chose three different containers to act as the base. This ceramic candle holder that quickly became a vase with the addition of a clear glass vase. I used the stump I hollowed out earlier this year which also had a vase inside. And for my last one I chose a gold pedestal bowl that I added floral foam to.  Any large vase you have will do. You could even use jars and small vases if you wanted to make several smaller centerpieces instead of one large arrangement for the center of the table.

Add Greenery

Start out by adding the biggest greenery that will be the bulk of your arrangement. It forms the base and gives the centerpiece structure. For me it was the blue spruce and pine boughs. You are going to want to have some sharp shears on hand to trim the branches to the right size. When you are adding branches to floral foam, it is easier if you cut the end at an angle. The sharp tip goes into the foam a lot easier than a flat cut. You'll also want to wear gloves since the greenery can be prickly and covered in sap.

Once you have your first type of greenery added, you can add in a second kind. Things like cedar and juniper that drape a bit more are good options. You can also add in holly or eucalyptus that have a larger leaf shape for added interest. In one of my arrangements I used Oregon Grape since it's leaves kind of look like holly. These secondary greens also help fill in any gaps and complete the shape. 

Last of all I added in some straight greenery that kind of pokes out. If you want you arrangement to be more round and uniform you can skip adding this type of greenery or keep it shorter. Boxwood, euonymus, ruscus, sprigs of rosemary and yew are good options. 

The Finishing Touches

Once you have all your greenery added, you can add fresh flowers to create a holiday floral arrangement. I was trying to spend as little money as possible so I opted not to purchase flowers. But you can get beautiful options at your local grocery store that won't break the bank if you want more of a floral centerpiece for your dinner table. Floral arrangements are also a beautiful way to dress up your table settings. 

Instead of flowers, I decided to make my own picks to tuck into the centerpieces. To make these decorative elements I used things I had on hand like oranges, polymer clay, wire, skewers, and I even baked some gingerbread men! 

Sliced dried oranges (and other citrus fruits) are easy to make in the oven. Simple bake them at the lowest setting on your oven and turn them over every 30 minutes so they don't curl. I added the wire after they cooked but you could also add it before. 

I made red berries out of polymer clay because I always have it on hand. You can make homemade salt dough or use air dry clay. You can also find berry picks at craft stores that are inexpensive as well if you don't want to make your own. 

I cut out some stars from polymer clay, added wire, and then baked them according to the directions on the package. I painted them gold once they cooled and they made the perfect shiny addition! You could do this to create snowflakes or other shapes as well. Polymer clay is an easy way to make decorative elements for your arrangements.

I should have added skewers to the gingerbread men before I baked them but didn't think of it so I hot glued wire to them after. Pine cones also got hot glued to skewers.

I slid the wire through the jingle bell, folded it in half, and twisted it as tight as I could. My wire was 18" so the finished pick was 9" long.

The options for making your own picks is as endless as your creativity! Add things that will match your own personal style, color scheme and your other holiday decor. More ideas include candy canes, gold bells, white roses (faux flowers), clip on candles, and Christmas ornaments or bulbs. 

Dining Table Centerpiece Idea #1

Because of the tree stump vase, I wanted to make it more woodsy and natural. Pine cones were a must, obviously! I added the orange slices and the jingle bells to finish it off. This one was my husband's favorite. I was surprised that even though the oranges were dried, that they still created a hint of a citrusy smell. Mixed with the pine, it was heavenly! 

Dining Table Centerpiece Idea #2 

I was loving the blue tones of the blue spruce a long with the blue juniper berries so I paired them together. This is why I decided to buy some eucalyptus because it has a similar blue vibe. Plus the round shape of the leaves was a good contrast to the spikiness of the other greenery. I opted to not add any picks to this arrangement. I like the cool tones and winter vibe all on its own. But silver or white picks would also look good in this centerpiece. 

Dining Table Centerpiece Idea #3

With the gold base, I was originally going to make this one more glam, but I wanted to use the yummy smelling gingerbread men too. You really could take this one either direction very easily especially with the warmer greens used. The gold stars add a bit of glimmer. I was wishing I had more red berries though. I think larger bunches would have looked better. It needs a bigger pop of color. I think it still turned out to be a pretty festive centerpiece. An oh man, the smell of this one! Pine and gingerbread together is my new favorite holiday scent. 

Which were your favorite centerpiece ideas? What kinds of things would you add to your arrangement for this holiday season? 

With a little foraging and creativity, you can add some holiday cheer to your dining area (or anywhere else in your house) for very little to no money at all! Create a beautiful centerpiece that will be the focal point of your next dinner party. Add a table runner and your best place settings and you are ready to celebrate. Or add your arrangement to an entryway table, living room side table, or coffee table. 

The Perfect Stocking Stuffers!

If you have a gardener in your life, these would all make the perfect gifts this holiday season! You can check out all of the Digz Gardening products on their website.