Wedding decorations get a second chance

Since I spent lunch hour after countless lunch hour scouring Goodwill for containers for my DIY dried flower centerpieces, I haven't been able to give up my collection of vases. I just worked too hard to find them.

So, with the Christmas decorations gone and our big wooden dining room table looking a little nekkid, I got crafty and stayed true to my mildly ghetto ways in the process.

I took wo matching vases and filled them with leftover rice that also made an appearance in the wedding centerpieces. Then, I topped them off with left over votives.

A quick rummage through my bag of clothes destined for Goodwill revealed a sweater whose sleeves I sacrificed in the name of table decor (and no, I didn't donate a sleeveless sweater to Goodwill, I'm saving the scraps for some yet to be determined project).

I pulled two mini trifle dishes from our cabinet and plopped in two oranges, which are blissfully on sale this time of year. I tossed all this stuff on the table in a square/checkerboard set-up.

The result?
A centerpiece that echos the coziness of winter and reminds me that warmer weather isn't too far off. Plus, it was free and gave me an excuse to reuse my beloved thrift-store wedding scores.

How'd you battle post-holiday table nudity?