Turn Two Plastic Bowls Into A Glowing Floral Centerpiece

When you pull plastic bowls out of the cupboard, chances are, you're thinking of them as holders of fruit salad or a home for corn chips and bean dip, not as the base for a glowing floral centerpiece. And yet, when you bring crafty tools, like a glue gun, some faux florals, and a few different kinds of lights, into the mix, the bowls morph from fruit salad containers into something more beautiful — illuminating even. With a few inexpensive items, they become affordable centerpiece for your next shindig — these glowing orb centerpieces fit into fun tablescape ideas for every occasion or as your everyday table decor.

Since you're going to be gluing the plastic bowls together to make this DIY centerpiece, you want bowls that are both decorative and cheap — decorative because they're the foundation of the centerpieces, and cheap because once the DIY is done, you won't use them as bowls again. These R-kay plastic serving bowls work well for the project. The whole set will put you back less than $20. Aside from the price advantage, going with a multi-pack resource like this means you can make more than one centerpiece. This is a bonus if you're decorating a long table and need centerpieces on the table from end to end. You can also check out Dollar Tree for decorative plastic bowls — you'll need two for each centerpiece.

Battery-operated string lights plus a Luminessence flameless candle from Dollar Tree put the glow in this DIY candle centerpiece. Batteries will be required for those. A small vase or a large glass gives the flameless candle a home at the top of the centerpiece. Green floral foam, faux flowers and greenery, and a glue gun are the final pieces that you need to put this DIY together.

While there are many options for beautiful dining table centerpieces, this one starts with two plastic bowls, the rims of which you'll glue together to create a round, globe-like shape. To put the string of lights inside of the rounded centerpiece, you'll need to bore a hole through the center of the top bowl with the end of the glue gun. It's hot enough that it'll melt a hole through the plastic bowl. Feed the string of fairy lights through the hole, leaving the battery pack outside of the centerpiece.

Secure the green floral foam to the top of the centerpiece using a little glue. Then, cut the floral stems and greenery to the right length, and press the stems into the foam, creating a full floral display on top of the centerpiece. The flowers you choose help convey the theme of the arrangement. For example, colorful faux fall leaves and Glicrili miniature cattails signify an autumn theme. Or swap out the cattails for Dollar Tree pumpkin picks for Halloween. Leave a hole in the arrangement in the center if you want to add a battery-operated candle — place a glass or small vase on top of the green foam, and drop a flameless candle into it. 

To make the lights inside the bowls glitter even more, add clear floral marbles from Dollar Tree to the bottom bowl. Marbles are a common vase filler, and they'll reflect more of the light, making this centerpiece a lovely way to decorate your home with candles and flowers. To pull this off, put the glass marbles into the bottom bowl before you seal the two bowls together. Once the marbles are sealed inside the two bowls, you'll finish the steps as usual.