On this thread is an adorable sunflower Marcia did which used the center of the plate, if that's what you're referring to.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sunflower

You can nip them into pieces and use for borders, blades of grass, as an outline for a circular focal, people always find interesting uses for them. save some interesting colored ones-one day you will say "AHA!"

I thought the footer was the actual thicker rim that runs in a circle on the underside of a bowl, cup, plate. All of the ceramic within this circle is the footer as well? You don't use it?
It is thicker in the center, and on smaller ones once I got the curved part off, there wasn't much left. I took a yellow plate today, took off the circle and made a sun. The thin pieces from the rim will be the sun's rays. I can't take credit for that idea. When I cut the first cut the plate didn't cooperate and I got a thin slice - aha, sun rays.

I hope this link below works. Candace Clough did the most amazing mosaic called (I think) Chick Chick Chicken! and check out the footers! Before I saw her work, I used to throw them away but after seeing this, I started saving them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Candace Clough's Chickens

Oh and meant to add, the circular area within the footer -- if the plate has a design in the center -- is called a focal. So when you nip a plate, you will have the circular center, then the footers (the thicker circular raised area on the bottom of the plate) and then the rim pieces.