Place Cards Craft For Special Meals

One way to show family and other guests how much you value their visit is to set a distinctive table for the meal you have invited them to enjoy. Setting a formal or even an artsy table speaks your love and care. Making individual name place cards is an easy craft that adds an extra-special touch.

Dinnerware does not have to be fine china. It can be an eclectic mix of antique ware or even daily ware. Centerpieces and tablescapes will always stand the test of time, and decorative napkins and napkin rings are delightful whether they are traditional or imaginative.

Including place cards in your settings is an attractive and useful detail that often surprises and always delights diners at a nicely set table. You can include children in the process of making them, or print off elegant cards in a blink. Whatever your style, consider making cards that have a significant purpose.

We like to design cards that have the diners' names with a small menu, then inside or on the back we also add a Scripture verse that fits the occasion. At Christmas, for instance, the verses might include the prophecy of Jesus’ birth from Isaiah, as well as verses from Matthew or Luke’s record of the events.

A birthday celebration could have verses of blessing to each guest. Resurrection Sunday would have verses confirming our confidence in Christ's atoning work. Even patriotic holiday picnics can be enhanced with place cards because it is important for a family to be thankful for their national heritage.

For several reasons, we had part of our family in a week earlier than Thanksgiving Day this year. Because everyone would be eating turkey in various other locations the next week we decided to have a roast beef meal with trimmings. Keeping the meal simple suited everyone, but we wanted to highlight the season with name place cards on a festive table.

I simply photographed part of a Thanksgiving decoration from Hobby Lobby that had the words “Give Thanks” on it, and then positioned it on a postcard template. However, a template is not necessary. The photograph could simply be placed on a document page.

Putting a textbox for each person’s name and a textbox for the menu beside the photograph allowed me to use decorative edge scissors to cut out the front of the place card. Mine needed to be a little bigger than the back piece.

Using the back of the template allowed me to make a smaller card for the back of the place card. (Again, a template is not necessary since a textbox smaller than the front piece in could be positioned on a document page to put the verse.) Arranging each of the chosen verses in the center of the textbox and choosing Old Copperfield for my font was quick work.

A computer is not necessary, though, since each one of these place cards could be hand made with all of the scrap booking and card making supplies that are readily available in so many stores. I actually had a printer glitch and wound up taking my project to the local Kinko's for quick printing!

First, some tips:

• Using either card stock or regular weight paper is fine for this name place card project’s front and back pieces because the easel inside the place card is made of card stock.

• My measurements are not a rule. You may want to adjust measurements to suit your project.

• The front piece of this place card (the decorative photo, name, and menu) is 5 1/4” wide by 4” tall.

• The back piece (the verse) is 4 1/2” wide by 3 1/4 tall.

• The inside easel is 1 1/4” wide by 2 1/2” long. Be sure to use a coordinating color of card stock for this piece of the project.

• You will need decorative edge scissors, double faced tape, and the front, back, and easel pieces.

1. About half way down the back of the front piece lightly write “top” in the center of the back and draw an arrow beside the word “top” pointing to the top. Do the same with the back piece (the verse piece). In the photo my written "top" is a little high--thankfully not too high.

2. Fold the easel piece in half lengthways, firmly creasing the fold.

3. Put a strip of double-faced tape on one side of the easel piece then position it in the center of the back piece, matching the open bottom with the back piece's bottom. Press in place.

4. Place a strip of double-faced tape on the back of the verse piece, centering at the top, and on the easel’s up side.

5. Center the verse piece on the taped easel piece, holding the taped top up until the bottoms are evenly placed. Press top in place.

6. Store flat until you are ready to use your name place cards.

7. Stand in plates for use before giving thanks.

8. A view of the easel taped inside the place card front and back pieces.

We used the following verses on our place cards:

I bow down and give thanks to Your Name for Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted Your name and Your Word above all things. Psalm 138:2

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High; to declare Your steadfast love in the morning and Your faithfulness by night. Psalm 92:1

Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; a song of praise is fitting. Psalm 147:1

I will praise the Name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving! Psalm 69:30

Through Jesus let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His Name. Hebrews 13:15

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart rejoices, and with my song I give thanks to Him. Psalm 28:7

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High. Psalm 7:17

From the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, small and great. Revelation 19:5

Now that I think of it, I wish I had created a bottom for the easel this time and taped a nice mint candy inside it. At least you can do that now! :)

Most of the time our guests like their name place cards with verses so much that they want to take them home at the end of the evening. That, of course, makes us very happy!

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