diy: cheap & easy placecard holders

 

yesterday i came across the. most. adorable. placecard holders ever. you know that squealy noise i like to make over white ceramic bunnies? yes, that is the noise i made. check 'em out:

{from bhldn.}

it got me immediately thinking that i could diy these babies. i went to the dollar store and found some mini foam bunnies, and gleefully came home to dip them in white paint and glitter. it was soo not good. they ended up looking like some evil pock-marked self-aware marshmellow experiment. so i'm going to have to shell out actual money and buy these. (unless my mom happens to read this and be looking for birthday ideas...)

the good news is, while the wheels were turning on how to not make ceramic mini bunnies, i happened across a whole bunch of reeeally easy, really cheap, really doable things that will actually hold placecards. here are nine of my favorites:

1. toy animals.

our schoolroom mascot, jaws the tiger, is wearing a construction paper banner adorned with black sharpie and affixed with double sided tape. what is easier than this? it wouldn't have to be restricted to a vintage circus party (though that would be adorable). i think a varied menagerie of these little guys in an all white tablescape would be very modern and unexpected. 

2. a teacup.

just write a name on a slip of paper and set it in a vintage tea cup. short on teacups? the goodwill is not. to fake calligraphy, i used a fine point sharpie pen and scribbled out a name as fast as i could. then i went back over the down strokes to make them fatter.

3. dip-dyed wooden block.

of all my suggestions, this one will require the most craft prowess, but it is still ridiculously simple. see the tutorial at design for mankind. this idea could also translate for a baby shower or first birthday party- simply paint an alphabet block all-white.

4. scrabble letters.

and we just found something even easier than taping a banner to your kid's toy. thank you, sarah at boxwood clippings for this gorgeous photo and great idea. (check out the rest of her beautiful post and thanksgiving tablescape!)

5. fruit.

write on a piece of fruit with a metallic sharpie...and done.

6. binder clip.

so cute and simple. are you sensing a theme here? i told you these were going to be reeeally easy. from spotted and hearted.

7. fortune cookie.

the slit in the center of the cookie automatically holds paper. i dipped this one in glue and then gold glitter, but plain looked equally appealing. if you do go this route, just make sure to use the edible variety of glitter, or warn your guests not to eat them. 

8. action figures.

 perfect for the 7 year old boy or the comic book nerd in your life.

9.pinecone.

this sublime table setting was spotted at a place for us blog. you can leave a pinecone as is, or roll it in glue and then glitter (or sugar- i've done that and it looks like beautiful sparkly snow). your name card will nestle right in.

so there you go. nine super easy, practically free ways to show off a placecard that anyone can do.