Turn Pomegranates Into A Festive, Affordable DIY Holiday Centerpiece

Remember good ol' Sandra Lee? Much as I despise her packaged, cookie cutter approach to cooking, that lush was on to something. And I'm not just talking about her affinity for cocktails, though we do have that in common. What I dug about that batty old blonde was her emphasis on tablescaping.

Though she might have gone a bit too over-the-top for many of her themed episodes  -- her offensive mess of a Kwanzaa cake makes me laugh to this day -- there is plenty of merit to having a statement centerpiece with elements that visually guide you to it, especially during the holiday season.

For my tablescaping, I'm all about mixing colors, textures, and heights of organic materials to make to achieve a unique homespun look. I did two centerpieces for the winter holiday season: one for my steamer trunk coffee table (above) and another for my dining room table. Both of them use pomegranates, which I gave a special sheen by spraying with Krylon's new Glitter Blast spray paint in Cherry. It leaves a sheer glittery sheen that reminds me of Dorothy's slippers.

I also chromed out some pinecones in silver using Krylon's Premium Metalic spray paints, and did a hammered bronze look for a handful of other pinecones. So you have glitter, chrome, and hammered all with a pretty evergreen trimmings that not only look great and add an organic pop, but also smell fantastic. I arranged them in a wire nesting bowl that my mom gave me for my birthday a few years back; no need to buy an entire new collection for the holidays. Use what you have and save that money for holiday shopping. (Have you seen my gift guide, BTW? If not, you can check it out here.)

For my dining room arrangement, I used a mirrored serving tray from Cost Plus that I'd been eyeing for the past few months as the base, then arranged varying colors of candles on top of mismatched cocktail glasses flipped upside down.

This cocktail glass candleholder trick is a great way to utilize mismatched glassware, because let's be honest, there are times when things break, especially when there's booze involved. The great thing is it creates varying heights, which is super important in creating a centerpiece and creating visual interest.

I interspersed those candles with more evergreen (noble fir, in case you're curious, is my favorite type of tree), blinged out pomegranates, and chrome and hammered copper pinecones.

Since my dining room table table is teensy -- as is my dining room -- instead of placing the arrangement on a runner, I used a large Oaxacan wool placemat as the base. But you can use whatever you like: placemats, a festive charger, seconds from a fabric store, or even some used fabrics from Goodwill.

Again, use what you've got and if you're lucky, you'll have some cash leftover to get yourself something this holiday too. Because let's be real, you've been a good kid this year.