Woman Uses Pool Noodle To Make Gorgeous Christmas Table Centerpiece On A Budget

Many of the best uses for foam pool noodles have nothing to do with swimming. For example, there's a pool noodle hack that firms up couch cushion filling and another that keeps bed sheets from coming untucked. Pool noodles are a budget-friendly alternative to floral foam, so they're handy for creating vase-based arrangements, botanical wreaths, and more. The foam provides shape and structure to a range of different designs, plus a snug hold for any stems you push into it. These benefits helped Instagram user @ashleymariesavage make an impressive yet inexpensive holiday centerpiece brimming with lush greenery, bright red ornaments, and shiny gold candlesticks. In addition to racking up more than 21,000 likes, this creation seems to have inspired dozens of followers to create their own versions. The best part of all? You can make one, too.

To make this style of table centerpiece for your Christmas decor lineup, you'll need one foam pool noodle, five candlesticks of different heights, LED taper candles to place in the candlesticks, faux poinsettia flowers, a few types of artificial greenery, a hot-glue gun, a cutting tool such as a craft knife, and zip ties or rubber bands. You may also want to gather bows to decorate the candlesticks, Christmas ornaments to nestle in the greenery, and other embellishments to make the centerpiece your own.

To craft your own festive centerpiece, bend your pool noodle in half and slice it apart at the midpoint. Set the two halves parallel to each other and set up the candlesticks in the gap, making sure to leave the same amount of space between each pair. Then, bind the noodle pieces together with zip ties or rubber bands. Push the stems of your faux flowers and greenery into the foam, encouraging them to pop out of the centerpiece at different angles. Keep adding florals until none of the foam is showing. Hot-glue ornaments onto the greenery, making sure to distribute them evenly throughout your creation, and affix bows to the candlesticks. Finally, add candles, dim the lights, and bask in the glow of your new centerpiece.

Though @ashleymariesavage used scarlet velvet bows and round red ornaments to decorate her centerpiece, don't be afraid to express yourself through your own style choices. You might select a different color palette, opting for white poinsettias instead of red ones and wooden candlesticks rather than metal ones. You could incorporate pops of color with striped candy canes or sprigs of crimson-berried holly. If your dining room has a modern farmhouse look, you may want to use burlap bows in place of velvet ones. Or, experiment with the ornaments. Swapping the balls for bird figurines could add some woodsy whimsy, while trading them for crystal snowflakes might give the centerpiece a more elegant look. You can also capture this type of icy beauty by turning thrift-store glassware into a Christmas tree illuminated with fairy lights.