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15 Creative Centerpieces

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It may still be the middle of winter, but that doesn’t mean that the dreary weather of the outdoors should affect the inside of your house. One surefire way to cure the winter blues is to make an effort to brighten up your home. You can do this with all sorts of home decor crafts and DIY projects. This week, our favorite way to spruce up your house is with these creative centerpieces!

A centerpiece is a very underrated and yet vital piece of home decor. With just one simple statement, the right centerpiece can pull the entire room together. A centerpiece placed on the dinner table can make a normal and rushed weeknight meal feel like an actual sit-down dinner. You’ll go from rushing through the meal to watch TV, to a family that takes the time to sit down and talk about your day at the table. And even if conversation doesn’t flow easily at first, at least the centerpiece can become a talking point!

Creative Centerpieces

Centerpieces are also a great accent to bring out around the holidays. A fun “lucky” centerpiece for St. Patrick’s Day, or a beautiful Easter centerpiece of flowers will help you to fully celebrate the holiday. If you’re hosting guests for any upcoming holidays, the right centerpiece can pull your whole room together and make your house look elegant and festive.

We’ve rounded up a collection of our favorite unique and creative centerpieces for you to explore. So get creative and brighten up your home this month!

 

Creative Centerpieces

Simple Easter DIY Centerpiece

Cute Spring Doily Table Runner

Hanging DIY Flower Chandelier

DIY Cement & Copper Candle Centerpiece

Tea Light DIY Centerpiece (shown)Tea Light DIY Centerpiece

Elegant and Easy Succulent Table Centerpieces

Paper Flower Centerpiece

Elegant White Rose Centerpiece

Let Them Eat Cake Centerpiece

Sentimental Glass Centerpiece

Flowered Flute Centerpiece

Daisy Duck Spring Centerpiece

Upcycled Light Bulb Centerpiece

Pallet Wood Box DIY Centerpiece

DIY Geometric Candle Holders

 

Comment below and let us know, on what occasions will you use your centerpieces?

DIY Centerpiece Ideas for Spring That Will Brighten Your Home

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Nothing says spring like fresh, vibrant decorations around the home. The ultimate spring centerpiece brings together the best and brightest elements of the season in a creative way and places itself proudly in the center of the home.

Whether you have time for complicated centerpiece creations or want a simple yet classic statement piece for dinner parties, brunches, and celebrations, there are plenty of ideas for unique pieces of seasonal crafty goodness.

Traditional Floral Centerpieces

At the top of most crafters’ lists for centerpieces is a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Not just any old flowers will do for springtime, though. Make sure to source the freshest, best varieties for the season to create the most appropriate centerpiece with real wow factor. Which flowers are best for springtime, you ask? Here are a few firm favorites:

Daffodils

These practically scream springtime and look and smell fantastic. For an extra punch of color, throw in some other varietal narcissi in white and pale yellow.

Tulips

Also indicative of spring, tulips can be dressed up or down to create whimsical or formal centerpieces. Mix colors together for an even brighter statement.

Muscari

Also known as Grape Hyacinth, this sometimes overlooked flower is often planted with daffodils and tulips and packs a punch of purple.

Iris

This bright purple flower has a whimsical, almost animal-like face that wows in any bouquet.

When arranging your flowers, try to think outside the box for a better visual effect. Blunt cut bunches of tulips and tie with twine, or get creative with pots, Mason jars, milk jugs, planter boxes, and other unconventional vases. Want something even more eye catching? Add citrus fruit to a glass vase or bowl and arrange your flowers on top.

Non-traditional Floral (Living) Centerpieces

If you’re wanting something slightly less typical for your floral bouquet, don’t forget varieties such as pussy willows (a personal family favorite), poseys, sweet peas, or flowering lavender. Kick it up a notch by adding tall grass or wheat grass to a rectangular planter or terracotta pots and mixing and matching colors and textures of plants.

 

Craft Centerpieces

Sometimes a bouquet of flowers just won’t cut it when it comes to a stunning and creative centerpiece. If you’re looking to take the creative road less traveled and to make your own showstopper, try one of these innovative pieces.

Bird nest

A DIY bird nest (not a real bird nest, obviously) comes together with very little effort, using only twigs, a hot glue gun, and some bobby pins, according to Kate’s Creative Space.

Crepe paper flowers

If you want the floral look without worrying about watering and wilting, try making your own everlasting floral bouquet with a bunch of flowers like these from Oh My! Handmade:

Candle arrangements

Sure to light up your dinner parties in more ways than one, spring themed candle arrangements give a meal a soft, romantic feel. Who doesn’t love dining by candlelight? Use a giant statement three wick candle on a glass platter or wrap smaller votives with lavender.

Still looking for more inspiration for the perfect spring centerpiece? Head outside and let nature be your guide. Focus on colorful, fresh, and seasonal flowers and pair with quirky accessories, or take even more time to craft your own handmade piece and your guests will be sure to appreciate your creative flair.

Which centerpiece idea is your favorite?

 

By Kaitlin Krull. For more design ideas and inspiration, head to Modernize.com.

How to Make Glue Yarn Balls

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You can see this project and more wedding ideas on FaveCrafts.com!

If you can remember about a month ago, I alluded to a Part 3 to my centerpiece saga. If you’re just joining me, read about the paper globes and the crepe paper pomanders I made for my wedding centerpieces. And for all of you who waited patiently for part 3, here it is: Glue Yarn Balls!

I’ve seen this idea all over the place, and I decided it would be a cute addition to my centerpieces, to give them some variety. So half of the tables will have paper globes, and half will have these yarn balls.

To be honest, this project was a little bit of a craft FAIL! But I’ve learned a few tips and tricks that I’ll share with you, and hopefully my next round turns out better.

Materials:

  • Yarn (I bought a skein of gray and a skein of yellow. I’m not sure how many yarn balls this will yield because I haven’t finished yet.)
  • Elmers Glue
  • A tray to mix the glue and water in
  • Balloons

Instructions:

  1. First mix some glue and water in a tray and stir it (I stirred with a straw so I could throw it away when I was done.) I’m not sure of the preferred glue to water ratio, to be honest. I might have used too much water, because my yarn wasn’t very stiff at the end (see? Craft FAIL!).
  2. Then blow up a bunch of balloons to your desired size. Here’s another failure: I first bought water balloons, but they were very difficult to blow up and ended up making egg shapes instead of balls. Then I bought regular balloons but some of them deflated over night. I’d say either type of balloon could work. Some of my balloons didn’t deflate, so I’d probably go with the regular ones, since they were easier to work with.
  3. Next, wrap some yarn around your hand (I did about 50 times).And soak that yarn in the glue mixture.
  4. Then ring out the yarn and start wrapping it around a balloon in a random pattern.

    5. Here’s a tip: When I popped my balloons at the end, I noticed the yarn was stuck to the balloon, so my yarn balls deflated a little bit. I’ve heard that if you cover your balloon with Vaseline before hand, this won’t happen.

  5. When the balloon is sufficiently wrapped with yarn, cut the yarn from the rest of the skein, tuck the end in, and roll the entire balloon around in the glue mixture again to make sure the yarn is coated.
  6. Then lay the balloon on a piece of wax paper to dry overnight. Tip: I had to dry mine for about 2 days, flipping the balloon over after the first day.
  7. When you’re sure the glue is completely dry, go ahead and pop the balloons and pull them out from the inside of the balls. You should have round, hollow yarn balls when you’re done.

Here’s how the yarn balls look inside my “vases”:

So that’s all, folks! How do you like my centerpieces? Do you have any tips on how to make this craft work a little better? What should I do about my deflated balloons problem??

How Do You DIY Candle Holders?

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Have you noticed how much different a room looks when you add the flicker of candle light? Candles make all the difference, don’t they? And they’re cheap too! I like to use candles in my centerpieces at every dinner party and family get together, and of course weddings just wouldn’t be the same without the ambiance that candles bring. But you can’t just stop at candles–you’ve got to make decorative candle holders to go with them! I just put together a list of some cool (and better yet, cheap!) candle holder projects. Check out 19 Cheap Votive Candle Holders. Here are my faves:

These Mercury Glass Candle Holders from Mark Montano are made from odds and ends from a thrift store. I love thrift store crafts! And the finished result is gorgeous:

Another fun way to show off candles is by hanging them up! These Under the Sea Hanging Votive Holders are made out of jars and can lend a nautical vibe to your party:

Since 4th of July is right around the corner, I included these Patriotic Candle Holders in the mix. Wouldn’t these be cute for your 4th of July barbecue?

You can see the rest of my candle holder picks in my article, 19 Cheap Votive Candle Holders. And here are some cute, cheap votive candle holders I found online.

Martha Stewart strikes again! Why is it that everything on Martha’s website is absolutely fabulous? Just check out these lacy votive holders–you’ll be surprised at how they’re made!

These Shabby Chic Rose Votives are made with rose petals from the dollar store–the same petals I used in my petal skirt, in fact!

Check out this post to find not one, not two, but three patterns for crochet jar cozies to use as candle holders. These would make such a great handmade touch at a wedding.

Which one is your favorite? Do you know of any other candle holder projects you’d like to share? Don’t miss 19 Cheap Votive Candle Holders!

DIY Weddings: Paper Globes

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You can see this project and more wedding crafts on FaveCrafts.com.

I’ve been sharing my wedding crafts with you guys the past few weeks–check out my charming heart straws and “Will you be my bridesmaid?” cards. Today I have another to share! I’d been searching all over for affordable vases to use for my centerpieces, and I finally found a solution last night. Instead of vases, I bought candle hurricanes. The only difference I can discern is that the hurricane doesn’t have a bottom. But I don’t need a bottom on my vase, because I’m not putting any water in them. What am I putting in them? These!

If only I were better at taking pictures (and didn’t craft at night)…Anyway, I found the idea at Sweet and Lovely Crafts, where the photos are a whole lot nicer. I’m so glad I found this idea because it’s thrifty and easy, and it satisfies by affinity for paper decorations. Want to make your own? Here’s what you need:

Materials:

  • Colored Paper
  • Brads
  • Scissors and/or a paper cutter
  • Hole punch (I used my Crop-a-Dile)

Instructions:

  1. The paper I used was standard 8 1/2″ by 11″ so I trimmed thin strips from the short side and then cut each strip in half–so each strip of paper was about 4 inches long and about 1/2″ wide. When I make the rest of my centerpieces, I think I will make the strips of paper even thinner, perhaps 1/4″ wide.
  2. Next I punched holes in both ends of each strip so that I could fit the brads through. I wouldn’t recommend punching several at a time (although you know I did!) because my strips were not uniform widths, and some of my punches went off the edge.
  3. Once each strip has a hole punched on either end, insert a brad through each strip, and lock it in place by spreading the back flat.

  4. Then it was time to spread the strips apart to make a globe shape. This part’s pretty self-explanatory–you just fan the strips out and arrange them evenly, with the brads on top and bottom.
  5. Repeat steps 1-4 until you have made a million paper globes. Then you can get married!


I got kind of artsy with my photos.

What do you think of my paper globe centerpieces? Would you make these for a wedding or party? Stay tuned for part 2 of my centerpiece saga…

Have You Ever Made a Topiary?

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I was browsing around FaveCrafts the other day (as I often do!) and came across our large collection of topiaries. I had never even heard of a topiary until recently, but I’ve been seeing them more and more at crafty parties or as garden and lawn decor. The cool thing about topiaries is that you can make them out of pretty much anything (foam, paper, fabric, foliage) and they are still considered a topiary. That’s why these cute little crafts are so versatile.

I recently rounded up a collection of topiary projects on FaveCrafts in an article, 27 Topiary Craft Projects. There are ideas for spring and summer topiaries, fall and winter topiaries, topiaries for weddings and party centerpieces, and more! These are my favorite ones:

From the spring and summer topiary group, my favorite DIY topiary project was the Gerbera Daisy Cube. I just love Gerbera Daisies, and this topiary is so colorful! Arranging them in a cube shape is so modern too.

My favorite winter topiary is the Green and Red Topiary Spires project. I love the creative use for extra Christmas ornaments! This looks so easy to make, and it would look so festive for Christmas. I bet you could use pastel colored ornaments to make one for Easter too.

One of the major trends in crafting that I’ve been noticing a lot lately is crafting with candy. I’ve seen crafts with candy corn, candy canes, peeps, conversation hearts, etc. These crafts are perfect for inedible candy, which pretty much all of the above are! Candy is usually pretty cheap, and if you use unwanted candy that was given to you, it counts as a recycling project too. This Pastel Candy Dream Topiary is a great idea for candy crafters!

And here are some of my favorite homemade topiaries from around the craft blogosphere:

  1. Jelly Bean Topiary from Gum Drops and Truffles
  2. Ribbon Topiary from May Arts
  3. Candle Stick Topiary from Stay at Home Artist
  4. Cupcake Topiary from Miss Prissy Paige
  5. Brooch Topiary from Naughty Secretary Club

Don’t forget to check out the 27 Topiary Craft Projects article for even more topiary ideas! Have you ever made a topiary? Do you have even better ideas to share?

New Pattern Monday: Hidden Gems

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Today we’re doing things a little differently. Since we literally have thousands of craft patterns and projects, I thought I’d go through and find some of the projects that don’t get as much attention as some of our more popular crafts. I came across a few gorgeous centerpieces that I wanted to share with you, even though they’re not specifically “new” to FaveCrafts. We’ll call them NEW to ME crafts for our New Pattern Monday feature.

Hot Pink Centerpiece Pots – Great for a summer wedding, start preparing now!
hot-pink-flower-pot

Paper Flower Centerpiece – For a sleeker look, this centerpiece is elegant and modern.
paper-flower-wedding-centerpiece

Tissue, Tulle and Floral Cube – Use for home decor in the spring and summer, or brighten up the gift table at an event.
tissuetulleflowercube

Beautiful Hydrangea Spheres – A classic centerpiece with a classic flower, use this one year-round.
hydrangea-spheres

If you like these projects, check out more of our Special Occasion Centerpieces.

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