Thanks to Sculpey/Polyform Products for sponsoring today’s post. All opinions are honestly my own.
Believe it or not, we only have about three weeks until Thanksgiving here in the United States! I wanted to make some special place cards to use on our dinner table using some real leaves as a template, so I decided to get started on making them while there are still leaves on the trees to use! These aren’t only for Thanksgiving, of course, you can use them any day throughout the fall that you happen to be hosting a special dinner.
Here’s how I created them and you can too!
Materials:
Sculpey clay in assorted fall colors
Real leaves
Acrylic roller
Clay tools or plastic knife
Paint pen {or alphabet stickers}
Foil lined baking sheet
Step 1: Collect leaves in the sizes and shapes you want for your place cards.
Step 2: Roll out your clay.
I use an acrylic roller and place my clay on top of nonstick foil for this step. Roll it to about 1/4″ thickness. If you choose to use a regular rolling pin, just make sure it’s one that’s set aside for craft purposes and doesn’t come into contact with food. Although Sculpey is non-toxic, you should keep it separate from utensils you use when cooking.
Step 3: Gently press your leaf onto the clay and cut around it.
I like to use a clay tool, but if you don’t have one, a plastic knife can do the job. Once the leaf is cut out, you can gently bend, fold, or curl parts of it to make it look more realistic.
Step 4: Bake your leaves.
Follow the instructions on your clay packaging. Mine took 15 minutes at 275 degrees on a foil lined baking sheet.
Step 5: Write a name on each leaf.
Use a paint pen to write each guest’s name on one of the place cards. If you don’t love your handwriting, you can use alphabet stickers or stencils instead.
Once each leaf is labeled with a guest’s name, they’re ready to place on the table whenever it’s time for dinner!
You can make all your place cards the same color and shape if you like, but I enjoyed the variety of making each one unique.
I particularly liked the way the ones made from Sculpey Premo! Accents Metallic Clay turned out…the shimmer added a little extra sophistication.
What do you think? I think they’re so festive and chic at the same time, and they couldn’t have been easier to make. The whole process, including baking, took less than half an hour, which is great for me since I always have more to do than I have time to do it! Is this a project you might try for your Thanksgiving table?
Christie says
Cute place cards! I love this. Such a creative idea, Amy!
Christie
The Closet by Christie
dancers4life says
Thanks, Christie! So glad you stopped by today!