3-Step Christmas Arrangements using Things You Already Have

Create a festive Christmas arrangement using items you already have on hand. Our easy 3-step guide will show you how to make the most of your existing decorations like greenery, ornaments, and pinecones.

Arrangements are the backbone of decorating. Just one beautiful, well-placed arrangement can change a room’s look and give it an attractive focal point. Arrangments should be a big part of your Christmas decorating. And they are so easy to put together! Let’s create a beautiful Christmas Arrangement using what you have in three easy steps.

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Decorating with arrangements and centerpieces is a must-know aspect of interior design, and you don’t have to be an experienced decorator to create stunning centerpieces! With just a few tips, you can create a Christmas arrangement like a pro that is the star of a room, adds a festive feel, and infuses a room with your personality and style.

Just remember these easy steps, and you can create countless Christmas arrangements for your home!

Before we begin to create a use what you have Christmas arrangement, here are a few things to keep in mind…

Plan Out A Few Important Arrangement Details

If you spend just a little time thinking about some key ingredients that go into the best-looking arrangements, you will find creating them so much easier!

You might want to plan…

• the color palette
• a theme
• the mood

What colors do you want to use in your Christmas arrangement that will compliment the room you will place it in? And what theme or major elements will translate the story you are trying to tell? Do you want to create a winter wonderland vignette using lots of faux snow and different shades of white? Or a merry traditional arrangement using red and green?

Lastly, what mood do you want to create with your Christmas arrangement? Nostalgic, playful, cozy?

Since you are using what you have, head to where you keep your Christmas stash and look around for inspiration. You probably have a goldmine of decor ready to be used in new ways. And an arrangement is a fabulous way to use what you already have.

Take the time to choose the color palette, theme, and mood for your Christmas decoration. It is time very well spent!

Follow The Rules Of Good Design

Following the rules of good design sounds much more complicated than it really is. You probably know them and use them already. So here is a reminder…

• Vary heights in an arrangement.
• Keep items in proportion.
• Give prominence to the most important thing in an arrangement.
• Repeat an element (color, item, shape…) for a cohesive look.
• Try to make an arrangement look balanced.
• Don’t overcrowd.

Step 1: Choose A Container

When we put a vignette in something like a basket, it gives it a boundary, and our eyes read this as pleasing. Putting a Christmas arrangement in something that contains it is so easy!

Here are some popular items to use…

• basket
• bowl
• tray
• crate
• table runner
• box

If you do not wish to use a container for a Christmas arrangement, try to clarify the arrangement’s boundaries. In other words, don’t spread the arrangement out so much that it loses the impact of the parts, making an attractive whole. Arrangements use synergy to make a big statement!

In the Christmas arrangement above, I used an interesting metal tray that keeps the vignette looking open and also creates a subtle boundary.

The low-hammered gold tray makes a perfect container for a simple arrangement.

Step 2: Use The Rule Of Three

Arrangements aren’t hard. They are prettiest if kept simple. My best “use what you have” Christmas arrangement advice is to use three different things in an arrangement.

In the arrangement above, I used a pair of candles, a faux floral arrangement, and a Christmas ornament on some greens. This Christmas arrangement took only minutes to put together.

It’s simple, pretty and festive. This is my favorite way to create a Christmas arrangement.

Here are a few items that would work together in a Christmas arrangement. Choose 3…

• greens, real or faux
• ornaments
• berries
• wood bead garland
• candles
• fairy lights
• little trees
• pomegranates
• pears
• pinecones
• snowflakes or stars
• leaves, sticks, twigs, and fluff

Can you think of more? Please tell us in the comments.

Step 3: Use Christmas Elements

I love the idea of using natural items that can be found in nature this time of year to add to a Christmas arrangement. I stay away from Christmas items that are very overtly Christmassy or cutsie. They tend to overpower an arrangement.

The arrangement above took literally minutes to style! I found the gold bowl at Target. Oops! Yes, I did buy it this year.

Here are the three items I chose to go in the bowl to make the arrangement…

• A Candle in a glass hurricane
• Garland of pinecones and pine needles
• A few citron green velvet leaves

I put the candle in the bowl, wrapped a bit of the garland around it, and finally added a few extra velvet leaves. Done! All of these items together create a pretty, natural looking Christmas arrangement.

Here is a Christmas arrangement I made a decade ago. It’s still one of my favorites! There is just something about its simplicity and the story it tells I still just love.

So super easy!

Designers know, and now so do you, how easy it is to create a beautiful, festive Christmas arrangement. Just think of all the arrangements you can make with things you already have!