WRMK :: Thanksgiving Place Cards
Hello friends! This is the time of year when family and friends gather to spend time together and eat a lot of big meals! Today on the blog I’ve got some nifty ideas for table place cards with a fall décor theme featuring some key tools from We R Memory Keepers.
For each of the settings, I used leaves as part of my theme because they’re quintessential autumn and I can’t use enough leaves in my projects at this time of year! To begin, I die cut several different styles and sizes in various cardstock colors ranging from off-white to pale mint, to charcoal gray and black. You’ll also notice I didn’t stick to a classic fall color scheme; it’s easy enough to change the colors to warmer hues if you’d prefer a more traditional fall look.
One of my first thoughts when it came to this project was how to personalize the seating assignments. As much as I wish I had gorgeous calligraphic handwriting, I simply don’t. Then I thought of the Word Punch Board, which allowed me to easily spell out any name or phrase I wanted.
I considered different ways to display the place cards, shying away from the standard folded card and opting for the leaf shape or a tag tied onto some part of the place setting. I love the look of a tag displayed with the silverware, so I have a couple options that way. Each setting I’m sharing today is pretty simple, because when you’re cooking for a house full of people, and you have several seat assignments to make, you don’t need them to be highly complicated.
On the first setting, I punched the name right onto the leaf. This took a bit of maneuvering because my die cut leaf is curved and the punch board is straight, but the end result was worth it! To achieve the curved word, I punched one letter at a time and I removed the tray from the board, flipping it upside down so I had a better idea of the letter placement. I also started in the middle with the ‘R’ to be sure the word would be centered. I punched the R, then the A’s, and then the S and H. These little tricks helped the process go smoothly and quickly.
I layered the name leaf with a solid black leaf; the contrast in cardstock colors helps the punched-out word to be seen. I tied the leaf duo to a set of utensils with jute twine, adding a swatch of lace underneath and a single--real--eucalyptus leaf to the top. The final touch was another die cut leaf in a different style tucked under the cutlery; I cut that leaf from some Crate Paper Merry Days paper. This place setting can be easily styled up or down, too, depending on the mood of your entertaining. Omit pieces like the lace and the add-on leaves for a simpler do; choose satin ribbon instead of jute and add some stitching to the name leaf for something fancier.
Another option for the utensils is this tag. Instead of a name here, though, I used a favorite phrase—GIVE THANKS—punched into more CP Merry Days paper. This style works great when you’re allowing your guests to choose their own seats, but still want to dress up your table. I punched the words on 2 thin strips of patterned paper and connected them with a length of brown glitter tape. I adhered the note onto blush pink card stock and set an eyelet on the end with my Crop-A-Dile tool.
The back of the tag is blank, so this is a fun opportunity for your dinner guests to write down something they’re thankful for.
I tied it to the utensils with rose gold shimmer twine and added a short branch of eucalyptus under the tag, propping it up off the plate. You can choose your own phrase or tag style, but this one is nice for recording gratitude and/or memories.
Another, more versatile way to use the Word Punch Board on your Thanksgiving place cards (or tags, if you’d rather), is to use the letters you’ve punched out to spell the names of your guests. This is a great option for longer names or more complex shaped place markers.
This super-simple set up is just a trio of die cut leaves (one of them is stamped, too), and glitter tape letters. Glitter tape is an awesome medium to use with the punch board because you omit the timely step of gluing each itty-bitty alpha onto the tag. American Crafts makes my favorite glitter tape and I used it here in the Brown Sugar shade to spell EMILY.
Another eyelet and some jute twine tied to this pumpkin stem, and this easy seat assignment is complete. Switch out the colored fabric pumpkin for real mini pumpkins for a more natural table setting.
Speaking of natural place settings, I got extra-creative and incorporated a pomegranate into my last sample. This came about because our neighbors have an overflowing pomegranate tree and they were generous to give us a grocery bag full of them! The bright red adds amazing color to the table and sticking a trio of leaves into the stem makes for another easy decoration.
I used the punched glitter alphas again, this time in Chestnut tape. The red fruit and simply spelled-out names are perfect for Christmas decorating, too. Use star or pine tree die cuts in place of the leaves for a festive feeling.
Whether you’re going all out with a fancy tablescape and assigned seating, or keeping things more casual, I hope you’ve found these place cards pretty and functional. The Word Punch Board is such a handy tool for personalization, and I’ll certainly be choosing one of these styles for my own Thanksgiving table this year!
For each of the settings, I used leaves as part of my theme because they’re quintessential autumn and I can’t use enough leaves in my projects at this time of year! To begin, I die cut several different styles and sizes in various cardstock colors ranging from off-white to pale mint, to charcoal gray and black. You’ll also notice I didn’t stick to a classic fall color scheme; it’s easy enough to change the colors to warmer hues if you’d prefer a more traditional fall look.
One of my first thoughts when it came to this project was how to personalize the seating assignments. As much as I wish I had gorgeous calligraphic handwriting, I simply don’t. Then I thought of the Word Punch Board, which allowed me to easily spell out any name or phrase I wanted.
I considered different ways to display the place cards, shying away from the standard folded card and opting for the leaf shape or a tag tied onto some part of the place setting. I love the look of a tag displayed with the silverware, so I have a couple options that way. Each setting I’m sharing today is pretty simple, because when you’re cooking for a house full of people, and you have several seat assignments to make, you don’t need them to be highly complicated.
On the first setting, I punched the name right onto the leaf. This took a bit of maneuvering because my die cut leaf is curved and the punch board is straight, but the end result was worth it! To achieve the curved word, I punched one letter at a time and I removed the tray from the board, flipping it upside down so I had a better idea of the letter placement. I also started in the middle with the ‘R’ to be sure the word would be centered. I punched the R, then the A’s, and then the S and H. These little tricks helped the process go smoothly and quickly.
I layered the name leaf with a solid black leaf; the contrast in cardstock colors helps the punched-out word to be seen. I tied the leaf duo to a set of utensils with jute twine, adding a swatch of lace underneath and a single--real--eucalyptus leaf to the top. The final touch was another die cut leaf in a different style tucked under the cutlery; I cut that leaf from some Crate Paper Merry Days paper. This place setting can be easily styled up or down, too, depending on the mood of your entertaining. Omit pieces like the lace and the add-on leaves for a simpler do; choose satin ribbon instead of jute and add some stitching to the name leaf for something fancier.
Another option for the utensils is this tag. Instead of a name here, though, I used a favorite phrase—GIVE THANKS—punched into more CP Merry Days paper. This style works great when you’re allowing your guests to choose their own seats, but still want to dress up your table. I punched the words on 2 thin strips of patterned paper and connected them with a length of brown glitter tape. I adhered the note onto blush pink card stock and set an eyelet on the end with my Crop-A-Dile tool.
The back of the tag is blank, so this is a fun opportunity for your dinner guests to write down something they’re thankful for.
I tied it to the utensils with rose gold shimmer twine and added a short branch of eucalyptus under the tag, propping it up off the plate. You can choose your own phrase or tag style, but this one is nice for recording gratitude and/or memories.
Another, more versatile way to use the Word Punch Board on your Thanksgiving place cards (or tags, if you’d rather), is to use the letters you’ve punched out to spell the names of your guests. This is a great option for longer names or more complex shaped place markers.
This super-simple set up is just a trio of die cut leaves (one of them is stamped, too), and glitter tape letters. Glitter tape is an awesome medium to use with the punch board because you omit the timely step of gluing each itty-bitty alpha onto the tag. American Crafts makes my favorite glitter tape and I used it here in the Brown Sugar shade to spell EMILY.
Another eyelet and some jute twine tied to this pumpkin stem, and this easy seat assignment is complete. Switch out the colored fabric pumpkin for real mini pumpkins for a more natural table setting.
Speaking of natural place settings, I got extra-creative and incorporated a pomegranate into my last sample. This came about because our neighbors have an overflowing pomegranate tree and they were generous to give us a grocery bag full of them! The bright red adds amazing color to the table and sticking a trio of leaves into the stem makes for another easy decoration.
I used the punched glitter alphas again, this time in Chestnut tape. The red fruit and simply spelled-out names are perfect for Christmas decorating, too. Use star or pine tree die cuts in place of the leaves for a festive feeling.
Whether you’re going all out with a fancy tablescape and assigned seating, or keeping things more casual, I hope you’ve found these place cards pretty and functional. The Word Punch Board is such a handy tool for personalization, and I’ll certainly be choosing one of these styles for my own Thanksgiving table this year!
Leaf Dies:
(Turning Leaves) The Stamp Market
Glitter Tape: American Crafts Brown Sugar, Chestnut
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper Merry Days
Cardstock: Luxe Superfine White, Luxe Glass, Luxe Blush (Paper Source), Smoky Shadow (Papertrey Ink)
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~Rebecca