Swap Flowers For A Green DIY Bouquet Like Fixer Upper's Joanna Gaines

Holiday gatherings often happen around the holiday table, be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other large meals where you celebrate the season in style. The centerpiece can take center stage, with stories, wine, and joy exchanged over it. The perfect holiday centerpiece, however, does not have to cost a fortune to put together in flowers and supplies — but may be as close as your own backyard. HGTV and the Magnolia Network's Joanna Gaines shows us on Instagram how she uses simple greenery harvested from her yard to make stunning centerpieces with a few great tips on organizations.

This inexpensive yet beautiful nature-themed DIY centerpiece idea takes advantage of the natural world and brings it inside. It also feels both casual and formal at the same time, as well as a little wild and lush compared to more structured and fussy arrangements. This makes the idea as perfect for a small gathering of casual friends as it is for a formal dinner. It also makes great  Christmas dining room décor all season long. You can use any planter to hold your greenery and combine it with other simple centerpiece elements like votive pillars and table candles for a chic holiday centerpiece. Add some twinkle lights to your arrangements for a lovely glow that will make your dinnerware sparkle.

To effortlessly follow Gaines example, start by harvesting greenery from places in your yard. Options include reeds and willows, bush trimmings, fall hearty plants, and vines. The more variety you have the more full and varied your arrangements will be. Gather a lot of different natural textures, including more woody stems and leaf sizes and shapes. You can also bring in seed pods, berries, pine cones, and pussy willows as part of the vase arrangement. Choose greenery in a range of greens, from lighter pale greens and deeper evergreens to saturated greens that add depth and dimension. 

Use your favorite large vase to place them in with some water to last longer (or like Gaines does, nest a smaller watertight case in a larger decorative pot or bowl). If possible, use a bit of chicken wire mesh tucked inside to keep branches and greenery in place so they aren't falling over. Gaines' tutorial includes her love of asymmetrical arrangements, usually involving a taller element, like a tree branch or bough, on one side, along with draping and overflowing elements around the base of the arrangement so it flows onto the table. Make one large arrangement or make several small ones for the length of your holiday table.