I like to add creative placecards as a way to make the ordinary items – extraordinary. This is one of my favorite ways to make my clear dinner plates take on a little bit of personality while at the same time marking where I want my guests to sit.
I found the clear glass dinner plates at my local thrift store for 60 cents each. They also sell them at dollar stores.
Measure the center recessed diameter on the back of the plate. Create an image on your computer to fit into that diameter and print it out on your printer. Use a compass spread open to the diameter and make a circle on the right side of your printed image. Carefully cut out the circle with scissors.
Lay the circle where your plate is going to go at each placesetting. Here I made each guest’s monogram.
Center the glass plate on top. You now have a cool new look to your plate and a placecard, too.
For a fun and festive look – use a different color for each letter in the names of your guests. Place on a colorful tablecloth.
There is no linit to what you can place under the plates – a photo of each of your guests can be fun. If you can get a baby picture of each of your guests beforehand you can make the placecards with or without their names. Without the names is a fun way to get the conversation started when you sit down at the table – everyone will have to guess who is who to figure out where they are supposed to sit.
These are only a few of the types of images you can place under the plates. They don’t have to be a computer images – how about a pretty leaf in the fall or a circles cut out from a scrap of your favorite wallpaper or giftwrap. Look around your home and in your computer files for ideas of fun images to place under the plates the next time you have family and friends over for dinner.
