Three Fun Ways to Reuse Your Graduation Tassel

My tolerance is limited toward objects that aren't useful. So my cap and gown went in the back of my closet, and my high school diploma and tassel went into a box. I eventually gave away my cap and gown to a student who graduated from my school after me. But I couldn't bring myself to part with the tassel.

If you have a tassel that you don't want to part with, consider some of these fun ways to reuse your graduation tassel.

Use it as a light or fan pull. Attach it the chain on a light or ceiling fan fixture. Make sure all the strings are secure before you start yanking on it. If you don't like the idea of seeing your tassel swinging in the middle of the room, attach it to a bulb in a closet.

Create a shadowbox. Depending on the size and depth of the shadowbox you use, you can also include other graduation memorabilia, such as your cap, a photo or collage of photos, a graduation program, your diploma, or your formal graduation announcement. To read a helpful article on making a graduation shadowbox, click here.

Make a tassel pillow. You can use a pillow you buy from the store or sew a custom pillow yourself. The easiest pillow to sew is the square pillow. Cut two equal squares of cloth from the fabric and place the right sides of the two pieces together. You will be looking at the inside of the pillow. Sew straight lines along three sides about 1/4" from the edge of the fabric. Now turn the fabric right side out. You can stuff the pillow either with a pillow form, which gives the pillow more firmness and shape, or with stuffing, which makes the pillow softer. Close up the last edge.

To attach the tassel to your pillow, sew a coordinating button in the middle of the pillow's front. Choose a button that will lie flat against the fabric. "Hang" the loop of your tassel over the button and gently tug so the loop is nudged firmly between the button and the pillow.