Quick and Easy Christmas Crate Centerpiece
Create a quick and easy Christmas centerpiece with an old wood crate. Here’s how!
Christmas decorating can be long process. Yes, it’s fun, but who doesn’t love the idea of whipping together a cute centerpiece quickly and easily? If you’ve got an old wooden crate hiding somewhere, it’s time to get it out and whip up a Quick and Easy Christmas Crate Centerpiece. You’ll be ready for the Holidays in no time!
Today’s post is part of our monthly Pinterest Challenge, hosted by Cindy at County Road 407. This month we’re all designing with a Christmas crate or basket theme. If you’re stopping be from White Arrows Home, I’m sure you loved Kristin’s Woodland Christmas Crate, it fits her lodge home perfectly!
Our inspiration pic is a Christmas crate arrangement done by Jennifer at The Grace House Interiors. Her entire Christmas home tour is lovely.
First, Let’s Take a Look at the Design Elements…
- wooden crate
- 2 decorative tall trees, one taller than the other
- evergreen sprays with white snow tips
- red berries
Not too many elements, yet it’s a perfect centerpiece for an entry or a coffee table (maybe a little tall for a dining table).
For this challenge, I’m making a centerpiece for our kitchen, the first room I’m decorating for Christmas! See how easy it is to achieve when you start with an old wooden crate. Bonus…if you need to move it, you simply pick it up and set it somewhere else!
Quick and Easy Christmas Crate Centerpiece
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First, Clean and Revive Your Old Wooden Crate
I recently picked up this old wood crate with Minnesota graphics at a vintage shop. Some handyman had turned an old crate into a tool caddy by screwing on a triangle to either end and cutting a notch for a rustic handle. Perfectly wonky and unique; that’s why it called to me!
Obviously it had been used in the garage; it was quite greasy and dirty on the inside. And the rustic-ness was great, but I don’t want to get splinters when I’m decorating. I lightly sanded the edges and corners with my palm sander (I like THIS one for smaller hands). Then I scrubbed it up with my favorite de-greaser (you can get it HERE). Once dry, I brushed on a coat of my go-to poly (get it HERE) to seal and make it easier to clean. It also brings out the beautiful character of the old wood.
Now it’s pretty enough for a centerpiece!
How to Start Your Centerpiece
Start by choosing 2 Christmas trees that aren’t the same height. The crate should be about 1/3 of the overall height of the finished arrangement. Notice the height balance in the inspiration pic.
Adjust the heights of your trees by placing books in the wooden crate. They won’t show once you get all the rest of the foliage in.
I chose 2 bottlebrush trees in a pretty aqua and gray, which matches perfectly with the fabric on our cozy loveseat and chair. Even though these trees are new, they’re definitely vintage-inspired.
Tuck Evergreen Foliage Coming Out of Wood Crate
Use 3 evergreen sprays as a base. Place them so they come out of the middle, angling towards the opposite corners. I added the foliage layers in this order:
- evergreen sprays(3)
- white tipped evergreen sprays (2)
- red berry snippits (2)
- pinecone sprays (2)
- white yarn poms (2)
- red cardinals (2)
Once I got all the foliage layers in, it seemed a little dark. The white poms brightened everything up and looked like 2 snowballs tucked in.
Adding a couple of red cardinals brought life to the arrangement. And since this centerpiece is right by our big kitchen windows where we get to enjoy the birds, it will blur the inside/outside line.
See how you can just keep adding layers until you get the look you want? Quick and easy; this took about 10 minutes, seriously!
Enjoy your Quick and Easy Christmas Crate Centerpiece
I tucked a store-bought cross-stitch runner underneath and placed a stack of Christmas magazines next to it. Now all I need is to get out a beautifully fragrant candle for a little glimmer.
Making a centerpiece in an old crate is so easy and cute!
Since this centerpiece is on a coffee table, it should look good from all directions. Just keep in mind where you are placing your arrangement, if it will be up high, down low, etc.
See how quick and easy it is to arrange a fun Christmas centerpiece when you use an old wooden crate? My version has similar elements to our inspiration picture, yet fits the style of my home. That’s whats so fun about these challenges; seeing everyone’s unique versions!
If you’re hopping in order, visit The Farmhouse Life next. You’ll be oohing and ahhing over Kori’s historic farmhouse in New Hampshire. (and check out her IG while you’re over there; her reels are hilarious;) Have fun seeing all the Pinterest challenge ideas!
Hope you enjoyed a Quick and Easy Christmas Crate Centerpiece! If you’d like more vintage-inspired wooden crate ideas, see ” Easy and Fun Ways to Decorate with Vintage Wooden Crates”. And become an Insider down below to keep the ideas and inspiration coming!
Pin, Share, and enjoy the Rest of the Inspiration!
Christmas Crate or Basket Pinterest Challenge
Sharing at these lovely parties:
This is so charming, Lora! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Your welcome:)
I love your tool crate. I bet you don’t return it to the garage! So many great uses for it. I adore your vignette. The bottle brush trees are perfect in it!
Yep, this one is never going back to it’s grungy lifestyle again;)
Lora I love your creative take on this challenge with the beautiful colors and unique flea market style look! It is always so fun to see what you come up with! The tool box crate is awesome and I love the little cardinals too.
So fun hopping with you as always! Merry Christmas!
Definitely enjoying all the Christmas lights throughout the house this time of year! And fun to decorate with all the wonderful vintage treasures I’ve been finding this year:) Thanks, Amber!
I love how you created your display in an old wood toolbox. How fun and creative is this. Such a pretty vignette and I adore the blue tree
Thanks, Marty! Yes, that blue tree is my favorite;)
Lora, your arrangement is so precious! I love that you added the cardinals and white pom poms. I wish I had thought of something like that for my box, too. Thanks for the good ideas! I’ll bet that handyman had no idea how pretty his tool caddy could be! I really enjoyed your photography, too.
Thanks for the sweet compliment, Crissy:) Always a challenge getting the right angles, etc! It was such a fun hop; great insp pic and great ideas!
Lora, what a super cool box ~ toolbox. It’s a wonderful addition to any Christmas vignette. Happy Holidays and best wishes to you.
Thanks, Carol!
That cardinal and berries really made it like no other, It’s a beautiful centerpiece, have a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Marlene! A little birdy always makes everything better;)
Lora, I love, love your toolbox and how you decorated it, but those little cardinals stole my heart! So sweet!
I had such fun participating this month with you all in the Pinterest Challenge! Looking forward to next time! 🙂
Niky & The House on Silverado
Thanks, Niky! So glad you could join us:)
I love old crates and tool boxes! Great post Lora!
Me, too, Jennifer! Thanks:)
Aaaaahhhhh!!!!! I love your tool box! The way you decorated it is adorable! Always love what you do. Thanks so much for joining us. You keep me on my toes! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
You’re a wonderfully gracious host of these hops, Cindy! That’s why they’re so popular-19 of us today; wow! Happy Thanksgiving to you, too! Gonna be a mellow one around here.
Adorable. I love that tool caddy. The trees are so cute.
I don’t have any vintage bottle brush trees, but I sure do enjoy the new ones:)
Great tip on using the poly to seal the old wood and it really gives it more character. Love the arrangement with bottle brush trees and Cardinals. What a pretty combination!
Thanks, Michelle! I really like how the combination of textures turned out:)
Lora, your bottle brush Christmas trees are a perfect twist to the wooden ones in the inspiration photo! Love your ‘tool’ crate too! Perfect for this Pinterest Challenge!
Thanks, Julie!
What a cool crate! I can picture a guy hauling around with all sorts of tools inside it. I wonder what stories it could tell! Adding the cardinal to your greenery is the perfect pop of color! I love what you did this month.
Thanks, Paula:) Adding a little bird is the cherry on top. But I was thinking some twinkle lights might be nice, too…
Such a charming vignette Lora! I adore the wee red cardinal you added. I am so inspired!
Thanks, Laura! I love seeing them outside the window, too. Better fill my feeder:)
I love everything about this crate! You did sucha. great job! Thanks for the inspo and have a great Thanksgiving!
Thanks, Kori!
Lora,
I love that vintage crate you used today. It’s all so beautiful.
So happy to be on the challenge with you.
Rachel
Happy to be hopping with you, too, Rachel! Always fun to find another vintage lover;) Thanks!
Hi Lora, I love your crate and the Cardinals. Looks so cozy! Like Christmas in a crate! Happy Thanksgiving! laura
Thanks, other Laura:)