Pots and Picks

• Use small, terracotta plant pots for the base of your centerpieces. These reasonably priced pots can be found at hobby and garden shops. Spray paint the pots in a school color. Add graduation themed stickers to the pots after the paint dries. Place a small circle of florist's foam or clay in the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with gift wrap shreds in a coordinating color. Hot glue large, scrapbooking graduation cutouts back to back on several wooden fondue picks. Push the picks down into the florist clay or foam to complete the centerpiece.
  
  

Glasses and Candles

• Find large, clear goblets, wine glasses or ice cream dishes with stems and a large base; these can often be found at dollar stores. Use the glasses or dishes upside down. Place school colored flowers, gift wrap shreds or plastic graduation figures under the glass. Tie coordinating ribbon bows around the stems. String large, school color beads onto chenille stems then make a ring of the beaded stems large enough to rest on the edge of the glass or dish base. Several small dots of hot glue will secure the beaded circle to the glass base. Inside the beaded ring, set a small, school colored candle.
  
  

Cones and Balloons

• Purchase a large, florist's foam cone. Cut school colored tissue paper into 2-inch squares. Grasp the squares in the center and pick up, bunching the rest of the square up from the center as if you are making a tiny flower. Use crafter's sequin pins to attach the tissue paper bunches to the foam by pushing the pin through the base of the tissue paper where you pinched it and into the foam. Cover the foam cone with the tissue paper bunches. Stick large graduation hat stickers, back to back, onto wood toothpicks and stick these into the foam cone at various intervals. Tie one or two, large, helium balloons in a school color to the foam cone with coordinating ribbon.