One of my favorite parts of setting a table, is creating a fun place card. We don’t usually have more than eight people around our table, so I’m able to make the space more special with personal cards. I was smitten with these pumpkins right away, but didn’t know how to work them into our decor…until I decided to use them as place cards for our Thanksgiving Table!
Aly at It Happened Like This had the pumpkin idea, but since I couldn’t find much of a tutorial, I thought I’d show you my play-by-play. Start by cutting out a whole mess of circles from paper. Mine are 6″, but only because it’s the size of the round spoon rest I grabbed as my template. I think smaller ones would also be too cute!
Since I need six placecards, I opted for only seven circles per pumpkin. More circles would make for a fuller pumpkin, but I didn’t want to be still cutting out circles while the turkey was being served! Fold each circle in half, with the image side facing in.
One-by-one, glue the circles on top of each other, aligning them at the fold. I used a basic glue stick.
Cut the tip off one end so the pumpkin will have a base to sit straight.
Then join the two exposed sides and glue together. Now you can stand it up.
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| Sorry for the super-bad pic…I get going too fast and forget to photo each step! |
With a dab of hot glue, affix a petal-shaped base to the top. I simply cut mine out of paper (free-hand if you couldn’t tell by the expert shape.)
For the stems, wet strips of brown paper bag with water, and form to the shape you like. Once the paper is dry, glue it to the top. Wetting the paper isn’t necessary, but I found it gives the stems a more rustic, authentic look.
I played with several different ways to add the name, but in the end, kept it simple with a small leaf.
They are cute decor, while waiting for their turn at the big meal, too.
I haven’t decided how I’ll set the table for Thanksgiving yet, but I threw together a little place setting to see how the cards would work.
They add fun dimension and height, and I love the shape from overhead.
I love them, and the playful touch they bring to the table. Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? How’s your tablescape coming along?
UPDATE: Here are the placecards in action on our Thanksgiving Table!
Here’s a peek at last year’s Thanksgiving Table:
And the custom word clouds I made as placecards:
