If you're like me, you've got tons of old flower vases floating around your house. Anniversaries, birthdays, just-because, just-because-he-did-something wrong — whatever the reason, you've been the recipient of beautiful bouquets and the vases that go along with them.

So instead of putting them in a garage sale or — worse — pitching them, reuse them.

We asked two floral shops and three home stores to create centerpieces using a clear glass cylinder. We also found a few ideas paging through magazines.

Here are some tips:

• Fall inspired: Fill the vase with a bag of acorns ($6). Insert gold, red and orange Sorghum Sprays ($2.50 each). Designed by Carrie Grabin, manager at Pier 1 Imports, in St. Louis. Total $23.50.

• Twinkle effect: A bag of fall potpourri fills this vase with a strand of minilights. To complete the look, the designer added feathers to complement the colors in the vase. Designed by Vickie Jeude at Terra in St. Louis. Total: $59.99.

• Go Cards! Red and white is the theme of this vase filled with filler vase crystals, baseball ornaments, baseball yo-yos, moss and flowers. Or choose your own hometown favorites — Orioles, anyone? Created by Melissa Wall at Hobby Lobby. Total: $44.46

• Bamboo scene: Bamboo wraps this vase filled with sea shells, artificial Oncidium orchids and a yellow bird. Decorated by Kenary Park Florist in St. Louis: $19.95.

• Swimming fish: Pour in a bag of colorful gravel accents ($4.99) at Petco. Add water and a colorful Betta fish ($3.99) at Petco. Total: $8.98

• Roses are orange: River rock fills the bottom with natural birch branches. Designed by Renee Nelson at The Flower Co., 110 Columbia Centre, Columbia, Ill. Total: $19.95.

• Bathroom ambience: Pour bath salts ($4.98) into the bottom of the vase at Pier 1 Imports. Add a short candle ($3) from Pier 1 Imports, to create a hurricane lamp. Total: $7.98

n Kids favorite: Package of multicolor tissue paper ($1.37) at Hobby Lobby. Wad up a sheet of tissue paper loosely, and place in the bottom of the vase. Repeat this step two more times. Next, take a sheet of tissue paper and grab from the middle and place into the vase. Repeat this step four to six more times. Total: $1.37