With fall just around the corner, I’m sharing my easy DIY for Thanksgiving Place Cards. But they’re not just exclusive to Thanksgiving – use them for any dinner party this autumn! Have you ever used real wood paper before? It’s one of my favorite crafting materials and I’ve been using it for almost a decade now! My favorite thing about this paper is the texture and variety of natural colors it comes in.
Real wood paper (also called wood veneer paper) is super easy to work with. The paper is really thin, like a sliver of bark, so it’s a breeze to cut with scissors. You can hole punch it too and write on it – though I think paint pens or opaque gel pens work best with it. If you have a Cricut machine, this is a really cool material to work with too (I’ll post some Cricut projects with this material too!)
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DIY Thanksgiving Place Cards
Materials
- Real Wood Paper (variety pack)
- Pencil
- Scissors
- 1/8″ hole punch
- Gold & White Twine (for a touch of sparkle!)
Steps
- Cut out fall shapes using different shades of the real wood paper. I used 3 colors of paper and cut out acorns and oak leafs. For the acorns, I cut out the tops with a dark shade of paper and the bottoms with a light shade.
- Write guest names on the place cards using a white gel pen.
- Using a 1/8 hole punch, make holes at the top of the place cards.
- Loop twine through the holes. As I’ve shown, tie the twine around rolled up napkins.
Simple, effortless and natural! Your table setting presents as thoughtful by going the extra mile to create these handmade place cards. It’s the littlest things that elevate the whole experience for guests and create a party to remember!
More Thanksgiving Activities for Kids
This is a great craft for kids to make and way to get them involved in setting the table for Thanksgiving. And speaking of kids setting the table for Thanksgiving, I have to share this gorgeous Thanksgiving book, At Our Table, written by my super talented, colleague, Patrick Hulse. Apart from the beautiful illustrations of America’s cultural diversity, what stands out to me most about this book is Patrick’s personal story of why he wrote this book.
Inspired by his grandmother’s yellow Thanksgiving tablecloth, he focuses on his cherished memories of gathering together at his grandmother’s table. I love how Patrick mentions the challenges and complexities around celebrating Thanksgiving today and allowing things to change when they need to with the more we learn and grow. What an honest and refreshing take for bettering ourselves and society. What’s more, Patrick has an educator’s guide for discussing the complexities around Thanksgiving with children.
Love incorporating natural wood into crafting? Check out my craft tutorial on wood burning ornaments for handmade Christmas gifts.
Manal Aman originally shared this craft on marthastewart.com in 2016. All ownership rights: Manal Aman.
