Driftwood

• Collect a piece of driftwood from the beach or purchase one that will fit in the center of your table. You can keep the driftwood natural or coat it with a layer of polyurethane to add a touch of shine. Drill 1-inch holes along the top of the wood as it sits on your table so you can add candles. Tea lights are a nice choice for this project; just drill the holes deep enough for the tea lights to fit. If your driftwood centerpiece will not sit evenly, add small round dowels on the base wherever you need support. You can find dowels at your local craft store; paint them to match your driftwood and glue them on with craft glue. For driftwood pieces with tallish branches, hang crystal prisms for added design interest.
  
  

Copper Candelabra

• You can create your own candelabra centerpiece for your table with soft copper tubing and a round metal plate from the hardware store. To make a 16-inch tall candle holder, you'll need one 15-inch section of copper tubing, three 20-inch sections of copper tubing, and one metal plate that's 4 inches in diameter. Soft copper tubing bends easily, so you can shape the stand for this homemade centerpiece with your hands. Make three "S" shaped braces by bending each end of each 20-inch length of tubing around a large can. You can use any type of can with a 4 to 5 inch diameter. Attach the three "S" braces around the 15-inch section of tubing so that the bottom section of each "S" sits on the table and the top section rests against the 15-inch copper tubing. You can use strong craft glue like clear liquid nail or E6000 to attach the "S" braces to the center tubing. When the glue is dry and your centerpiece stands on its own, attach the round metal plate to the top so you'll have a place to sit a candle. Paint the centerpiece to match your décor, and wrap strands of crystal prisms around the center or dangle crystal prisms from the bottom of each "S."
  
  

Painted Ornament Centerpiece

• Consider filling a glass bowl with hand-painted glass ornaments for a holiday centerpiece. You can purchase clear glass ornaments and glass paint at the craft store to create unique marbleized ornaments. All you have to do is squirt a few different colors of glass paint inside the ornaments, swirl the paint around and sit it upside down in an egg carton to dry. Glass paint is translucent and the colors blend together inside the ornament to create interesting designs. Fill a decorative glass bowl with crumpled tissue paper and cover the top with ornaments so that it looks as if the bowl is filled with ornaments. Place the display in the center of your holiday table for a homemade centerpiece that will intrigue your guests.