Want a simple way to jazz up your poetry teatime? You might think that placemats are a feature of dinner parties and five-course meals. But placemats are actually a simple and fun decoration that will add color and variety to your table.
Below are five ideas for simple DIY placemats that you can make with common household supplies. If you’d like to turn this into a longer, more elaborate crafting experience, follow the links at the bottom of the post. So grab some art supplies, find a placemat you like, and start crafting!
Wrapping paper placemat
- Supplies: large pieces of wrapping paper, scissors, sharpie, clear packing tape
- Cut the wrapping paper in a placemat-sized rectangle. Decorate if desired with sharpies. “Laminate” using strips of packing tape and trim the edges.
- If you’d like to get fancy and make permanent placemats, use a laminator (your local copy shop should have one).
Food stamped placemat
- Supplies: colored paper, vegetables (potato, celery, romaine lettuce, lemons, apples, etc.), acrylic paint, rubber band (optional), paintbrushes
- Chop your vegetable into the desired shape for a stamp.
- Roses: Use celery or lettuce. Tie the whole bundle about halfway up using a rubber band and chop a little ways below the rubber band. Mix rose-colored paint, dip, and stamp! Inspiration: beautiful veggie stamps on Passion for Paper and Print
- Watermelon: Chop the potato in quarters. Mix red paint and stamp semicircles with the potato. Then, paint a green rim around the edge and black dots for seeds. Inspiration: watermelon print from Best DIY Projects
- Lemon or orange: Slice a lemon in half, dip in paint, and stamp on paper. Inspiration: DIY wall inspiration from ArchitectureNDesign
- The options are endless. Look around online for more sources of inspiration, or find a vegetable, chop it in an interesting shape, and see what it can do!
Butcher paper tablecloth/placemat
- Supplies: Large piece of butcher paper big enough to cover the table, sharpies or markers or crayons
- Tape the butcher paper to cover the table. Mark rectangles for each person’s place. Let the kids each decorate their own “placemat”!
- Inspiration: Kraft paper ideas on Julie Ann Art
“Woven” paper placemat
- Supplies: several pieces of different colored construction paper, scissors
- Follow the instructions and images on this post from Mess for Less.
Contact paper reversible placemat
- Supplies: Contact paper (could use clear packing tape or even press n’ seal plastic wrap in a pinch), colored paper, ribbon (optional), scissors
- Cut two pieces of contact paper to placemat size. Lay one out on a flat surface, sticky side up. Use a ribbon to make a “frame,” if desired Cut the colored paper into small pieces in whatever shapes you like--hearts, leaves, snowmen, lightbulbs, dinosaurs, or rocket ships. Press the paper onto the contact paper. When you’re satisfied with how many shapes you placed, lay the second piece of contact paper on top, sticky side down. Press both sheets together, making sure to push out any air bubbles. Trim the edges.
- Inspiration: this post from One Art Mama and this post using fall leaves from Candace Creations
If you’re looking for more complex placemats for older kids, check out the following tutorials. You may need to pick up specialized supplies at craft stores. No sewing, knitting, or crocheting skills required.
- Chalkboard placemat from Mom Favorites
- Woven coasters using yarn and cardboard from Fab Art DIY
- Felt puzzle placemat using this pattern on Pinterest (no full directions available, so it’s a challenge!)
