Do it Yourself Centerpiece Ideas

A centerpiece can be anything from a simple decoration on a coffee table to an elaborate decoration on a wedding reception table. Do-it-yourself centerpieces give you all the artistic appeal of a store-bought item, but doing the labor yourself helps cut costs. Besides, creating your own centerpieces adds a personal touch to every decoration.

Pumpkin Vase

Turn a large pumpkin into an earthy vase to create a centerpiece for the fall season. Cut the top from the pumpkin, scoop out the guts, and wipe clean to create the vase. Arrange a flared bouquet with sunflowers, dried wheat and pussy willow branches. Slide the bouquet into the pumpkin and place on your dining room table.

Elegant Branches

A centerpiece doesn't have to be elaborate to be elegant. Stick with something simple, such as a branch with spring buds or a cluster of long, ornamental grass. Clean a large, thin, clear glass vase. Fill the vase 1/3 full with small, round, clear glass decorative stones. Slide the branch or grass cluster into the stones until it stands upright in the vase and place on your coffee table.

Candy Boxes

Invest in clear plastic boxes in assorted sizes to create a colorful DIY centerpiece. Place three to five lidless boxes in the middle of each table. Fill each box with a different type of candy, such as jelly beans, mints, chocolate drops, gum drops and gumballs. Sprinkle colorful confetti between and around the boxes to help tie the candy colors together.

Floating Candles

Bring the beach into your home with a twinkling centerpiece for your kitchen table. Fill a large glass bowl 1/4 full with seashells. Fill the bowl 3/4 full with water. Place three to five, seashell-shaped, floating votive candles in the bowl. Place the bowl in the middle of the table and light the candles. Place one votive candle in a small glass holder on each side of the bowl. Light the candles so that the light from the lower votives sparkles up through the water to mingle with the light from the floating votives.

Layered Fruit

Get creative with colorful fruits to create a centerpiece with a cheerful, yet modern, appeal. Clean a large, tall, clear glass vase. Fill the vase almost to the top with alternating layers of fruit, such as cranberries, lime wedges and lemon wedges. Fill the remaining space in the vase with cold water to help preserve the fruit. Place the vase on the table as is or place alternating lemon and lime wedges across the rim like you would a drinking glass.

Balloon Bouquet

Fill balloons with helium at a local store and you're ready to create a floating centerpiece for a dinner party. Select six to 12 balloons to fill with helium and tie each one with a long ribbon. Fill a small plastic baggy with 1/2 cup of sand and tie the top closed. Place the baggy in the middle of a large square of wrapping paper. Pull the wrapping paper up and around the bag, bunching it together at the top. Wrap the balloon ribbons around the bunched paper to secure the balloons to the weighted bag.