Football-Inspired DIY Centerpieces

Looking to stand out on gameday? Be the talk of your next tailgate with these awesome football-inspired centerpieces. Switch out the colors to show pride for your favorite team.

By: Abigail Barnes

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SCORE Covered Soup Cans

Remove the labels, and clean and dry five empty soup cans, then cover them with black-and-white striped paper. Cut out large colorful letters to spell "SCORE," then cut out the same letters – larger ­­– from a second color. Sandwich the letters on a lollipop stick, affixing them with hot glue. Lastly, add the letters and a small bunch of flowers to each can.

Championship Vintage Trophy

Sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to go. Fill a small vintage trophy with paper shred to match your team's colors and place a small spray-painted football on top.

Fresh Flower Bud Vases

Purchase regular balloons in your team color and cut the "neck" portion of the balloon off. Stretch the remainder of the balloon onto the bottom of any small glass vase, then fill it with water and coordinating flowers. Add a small hang tag or some matching ribbon for a finishing touch.

Football-Shaped Paper Lanterns

Purchase a pack of football-shaped paper lanterns. Add tissue paper tassels to the bottom of the lanterns, and hang above your table.

Colorful Covered Beer Bottles

Choose any number of empty beer bottles, remove the labels and wrap them with jute string ­­­­­­— occasionally spot gluing to keep it in place. Add ribbon in your team colors, and hot glue toy footballs around the bottlenecks. Insert baby’s breath or other floral greens to a couple of the bottles to add some flair.

Paper Mache Piñata

Buy or make a small football piñata. Then, place it atop a piece of synthetic turf on a cake stand or other platter. Finally, surround your piñata with fun candies in your team colors.

The Field-Goal-is-Good Wooden Crate

Cover a box or crate with synthetic turf. Fill 3/4 of the box with rice or dry beans and add fresh fruit — in your team colors — to top it off. Download this PDF kit and print it on card stock. Cut out the paper football and the goal posts, and use a hot glue gun to attach them to lollipop sticks or kitchen skewers. Insert the sticks into the box, and then cut out the field graphics and glue them to the synthetic turf on the box front.

Football-Stick Favor Bags

Purchase a few colorful paper favor bags in your team color at your local party supply store. Insert a small glass or mason jar into each, and tie some matching ribbon around the outside to hold it in place.

Football-Filled Vintage Locker

Fill the bottom of an old locker or wire basket with mini footballs. Cut small triangles out of paper in your favorite team colors. Then, sew them together in a row and hang them on the side of the locker. Finally, add a large football to the top opening of the locker to make it stand out.

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