Can you believe we are already into another New Year?! Once the Christmas decorations come down, a new “clean slate” brings the opportunity for change and, oh, how I love that!! Once our dining was cleared, I wanted to create a simple table setting for the New Year. Today, I am sharing the easy and elegant inexpensive centerpiece I created to get us through to Valentine’s Day.

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Easy and Elegant Inexpensive Centerpiece

For the new year, I love using blacks and golds for this festive time of year. Plus, this color palette fits so well with the decor in our dining room (black, golds, and whites). Don’t you just love a clean slate?!

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Having just come off of a very busy and expensive season that is Christmas, NOT spending much money was the name of the game here. Admittedly, I have a very large collection of clear glass cylinders (from The Dollar Store!) that I have used for multiple parties. I will show you a few ways of how I have used them for other functions at the bottom of this post (stay tuned!).

Finding creative ways to feature candlelight can really add a custom touch to table settings. I love using floating candles. They come in a variety of colors and/or you can tint the water. You can also add fillers to the water for added flair. Flowers…herbs…stones…marbles…etc.

Flowers for the Centerpiece

One of my go-to flowers for making homemade arrangements is hydrangeas. Their fluffy girth offers a lot of impact for very little cost. For these three arrangements, I bought four sets of three hydrangeas to create this look. White hydrangeas are so simple and elegant and it doesn’t take an expert to arrange them!

Arranging them requires little to no effort or time. And, “they say” that if you put a penny in the water, they will last longer. One day, I must do that experiment to see if it really works!

Cost of this Elegant Centerpiece

Eight glass cylinder vases…$1 each.

Eight white floating candles (I buy them in bulk here)…$1 each.

Three medium glass cylinder vases (I bought mine from Hobby Lobby)…$6 each.

Four sets of three hydrangeas (from Trader Joes)…$6 each.

TOTAL COST: $58 (actually, it was really only $24 for me because I already own all of the cylinder vases and candles that I reuse often).

Other ways I have used cylinder vases and floating candles

For our son’s Black and White Outdoor Backyard Graduation Party, I used them all the way down the center of the main dining table. This worked out so well because the water weighed down the vases in case of the sweeping winds we experience here in Colorado, especially in the afternoons. They are great for outdoor entertaining!

Black and White Outdoor Graduation Party

A few weeks after our son’s graduation party, I co-hosted a Bridesmaid’s Luncheon in Dallas for a very special young lady who is so happily married now.

For this delightful luncheon, I also featured floating candles and cylinder vases amongst the gorgeous flowers to help add some visual space and lengthen the centerpiece. Are you seeing a pattern here?!

Blush Pink and Gold Bridesmaid’s Luncheon

If you enjoy entertaining, I really recommend acquiring a collection of cylinder vases in a variety of sizes. There are so many amazing uses for them. Should I count the ways?! Here is another case in point…

For the buffet tables for this Modern Rustic Bridal Luncheon that I also hosted this summer, I splattered sets of the candles randomly throughout the tables. Not only did they provide a great way to fill in holes on the table, but it also tied all the serving areas and tables so nicely and simply. Simple is good, right?!

Modern Rustic Bridal Luncheon

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When I started this blog, one of my goals was to show you ways that you can entertain easily, stylishly and without breaking the bank. After all, I need my “bank” for funding my shoe and handbag collection! Hopefully, you are seeing some inspirations for creating an easy and elegant inexpensive centerpiece.