Christmas Decorating - Table Center Piece

The holiday season is here and we are all pulling out our decorations from last year.  Some things we like and other items we vowed not to use again.  I thought I would give you a few of my ideas for holiday decorating over the next week. 

One of the easiest ways to decorate the kitchen or dining room is to add a center piece to your table.  Actually, you cold do it on a large coffee table too.  This provides a lot of holiday impact for the room without lots of little things that clutter.  Everyone's eye is drawn to your center piece.  In the picture above, I have arranged 3 large, but varied sizes of urns on a velvet throw for a dining room table.  The urns have the look of mercury glass that is chipping away from the sides to give them an aged look and a little sparkle.  The velvet throw has beads sewn to the edges, also giving them a little glitter.  I have gathered up the throw to create a circle of fabric around the urns in the center.  This creates some movement and places for the light to reflect and it also allows you to see your table

  

Once you have found one or three objects (always good to work in odd numbers) and some type of fabric, throw, table cloth, etc... you can create your center piece in a few minutes.  Place the throw on the table and center it flat.  Now arrange the objects in the center of the table, most likely in a triangular shape (if using three things).  Finally, push the sides of the throw/fabric toward the center without covering the bases of the decorative pieces.  This creates the crinkles and folds of the fabric and your center piece is complete. 

Finding items to create the center piece can be a challenge, but just keep your eyes open.  The objects you select do not need to be in the Christmas section of the store.  They just need to have a little shimmer or shine and be large.  The throw or fabric could be what makes the center piece more appropriate for the holidays.  Also, try using items you already own and mix them with velvet or silk.  The urns I selected are from Christmas Tree Shop and the velvet throw is from Pier 1.  Try to experiment and have a good time.  Remember it is only temporary.

Dotty Wyman is the principal designer at www.dottywymandesigns.com.