WFMW: Elegant Centerpiece for Under $5

Here is my WFMW (Works For Me Wednesday) Tip of the Week. For more great tips visit Rocks in My Dryer.

This past weekend I hosted a table for the annual Ladies Christmas Tea at my church. As a table host I was responsible to provide the place settings and decor for my six person table. My table colors were blue and white. My centerpiece (inspired by Martha Stewart) cost under $5 to create. This was my third year hosting a table and I have never received so many compliments before. Here is how I did it. I used a pretty crystal vase and filled it with artificial snow ($1 from the dollar store). I took a quick trip to my backyard and picked out a few interesting branches. After I let the brances dry out overnight (they were covered with snow) I used plain white school glue to decorate with blue and silver glitter (1 container each of glitter for $1/a piece from the dollar store). I stuck the dried and glittered branches into the vase with artificial snow and attached a pretty white dove ornament on a branch. As a final touch I hung miniature blue and silver ornaments from the branches. TaDa…out of pocket expenses totalled $3!

Tips for next time… There were two overlooked details that I would change if I used this centerpiece again. First, the vase was large and the branches were long which resulted in obstructing the view of the table guests. I failed to follow the rule that the centerpiece is not to large to “talk over”. It was not a huge deal but enough to be annoying. A lesson learned for next time. On the other hand the size and height would have made it a perfect decoration for a buffet table. My second mistake was not to attach the ornaments by a ribbon or hook. I lost two ornaments from accidentally bumping the table. The ornaments were glass and broke.