Tablescaping DIY; Place Card Holders, What, Where, and When

December 27, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

Everything you need to know about place card holders

Place card holders are a great way to add a personal touch to your dining event. They can also be used to help direct your guests to their seats. Here is a guide on how to create and use place cards for your next dining event and where you can find them.

Tips on setting up the table for a dinner party with place cards

Start by designating one end of the table as the head of the table. This is where your guests will sit who are hosting the party. Next, determine where each guest will sit. If you have an even number of guests, simply put them in pairs and alternate their placement around the table. For more information about this Valentine’s Day place card holder and this Valentine’s Day tablescape please click here.

If you have an odd number of guests, place the extra person at the head of the table. Once you’ve determined where each guest will sit, it’s time to start setting up the place cards. More information about this stacked dice place card holder and this Playing Card Tablescape here.

While you are looking for place card holders keep in mind that whatever you find can sometimes be painted another color if needed. This metal pine tree place card holder was black when I bought it but Hubby painted it forest green for me. More information about this pine tree place card holder and this Winter Pine Trees tablescape here.

If you’re making your own place cards, print out each guest's name on a small card and then attach it to the front of their respective place card holder. More information about this Black Widow Spider place card holder and this Black Widow Spider tablescape here.

Alternately, if you’re using pre-made place cards, all you need to do is take out each card and set it in front of its corresponding seat at the table.

Place card holders provide formality and personalization

At a dinner party, guests are typically assigned seats according to their relationship to the host. This practice helps create a sense of formality and order at the table. It also ensures that everyone has an opportunity to converse with one another. Placing guests in assigned seats also allows the host to control the conversation by seating people who they want to talk to together. The easiest way to nudge your guests to sit where you want them is to literally put their names on the table. A simple gold place card holder is a good addition to your tablescaping collection. Read more about this place card holder and Old Country Rose Tablescape here.

From formal wedding to personal

To take the edge off of getting forced to sit in your assigned seat, I love the idea of making place card holders into favors. Although I don't often do this for the tablescapes I post on my blog (since I like to reuse my place card holders). Making place cards into favors is a great way to show your guests how much you appreciate them coming to your house. You can either make simple place card holders out of materials like paper or metal, or get creative and make something more elaborate like a miniature photo album or bookmark. At the last wedding I attended the wedding place cards were all custom chocolates that each guest could take to remember the big day. Sometimes themed party favor boxes can be used as place card holders to help carry out your theme. This simple decorated box can be written on or a place card can be leaned against it. More information about this place card holder and this 4th of July Celebration Tablescape here.

How to find place card holders

There are many different ways to make or find place card holders for your next event. Here are a few ideas to get you started. This palm trees place card holder is actually a group of two small plastic trees that I purchased online from a party supply site. I am constantly looking for small items that I can use as place card holders even though they weren’t made for that function. Also when I have a theme in mind I do a google search for the theme and the word place card holder and often something pops up that I can use. If you're looking for something elaborate, you can find creative place card holders online or in specialty stores. Some popular places to find these holders include wedding stores online, craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s, and online retailers like Etsy and Ebay. I love looking for vintage place card holders because they are so unique. For more information about this place card holder and this Palm Trees Summer Tablescape, please click here.

A simple clear crystal glass place card holder is a great addition to your place card holder collection. I like them because they pick up the color of the tablecloth when you don’t have a place card holder that is the right color. This was a special Waterford Crystal St. Patrick’s Day Tablescape that I created. More information about this place card holder and that tablescape here.

This crystal box place card holder can also be used as the base for a small item to sit on. More information about this small Santa that I used as a place card holder and this Santa on a Christmas Tablescape that it was a part of here.

Write-On place card holders are available and can easily be reused over and over. More information about this write-on pumpkin place card holder and this Pumpkins on a Fall Tablescape here.

I found these colorful butterflies online. They are not really place card holders but they have wires on the back that I bent into a stand for them. I knew the place card would slide in front of the antennae. More information about these butterfly place card holders and this Butterflies on a Spring Tablescape here.

These plastic black cat place card holders are magnetic. Such a clever design, it looks like they just cut a small plastic cat in half and glued a magnet to each side. More information about this black cat place card holder and this Black Cat Halloween tablescape here.

There are so many wonderful place card holders available for your tablescapes and they can add so much to the illustration of your table theme. This music stand place card holder is one of my favorites. More information about it and this Musical Tablescape here.

To see over 260 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

If you live in Southern California join our Facebook tablescaping group Southern California Tablescapers BTS Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/440356398581157 We are planning a gathering for tablescapers in January in the Los Angeles area..

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week, please check back!

A New Year's Eve Tablescape

December 24, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

About this time last year I thought of an idea for a New Year’s Eve tablescape. I spent most of the year trying to pull it all together with no success so I ended up with this tablescape. Will try the other idea again another year, sometimes it takes that long to gather things together. I found this black maxmill Jacquard Waving Pattern tablecloth on Amazon a few years ago and I liked it so much that I bought it in three other colors. I bought matching napkins for a few of them too. If you look closely you can see the wavy pattern on the fabric. My phone camera struggled with this tablescape. The black looks dark blue in a few of the photos and some of the gold is washed out a bit. The white celebration sign came from Grandin Road online several years ago.

These gold and white salad plates were made by The Pampered Chef and I found them at HomeGoods a few years ago.

These simple white porcelain dinner plates were made by Ralph Lauren and I found them at HomeGoods several years ago when I first started tablescaping. You definitely need a simple white dinner plate in your tablescaping collection.

I found these gold chargers at Crate and Barrel a few years ago. Crate and Barrel never disappoints me, their products are well made and great quality.

This gold plated flatware set was a gift from Hubby a couple years ago. I had bought a cheap set of gold flatware several years ago. It was poor quality and the gold started flaking off. You get what you pay for! We found this set on major sale at Macys. It is made by Wallace and is called Mikasa Duchess Gold. I love the design on the handle.

The polyester black napkins match the tablecloth and they came from Amazon a few years ago. The hammered gold colored napkin rings were made by DII and I bought them on Amazon several years ago.

I found these gold colored place card holders on Amazon a few years ago. They were made by Gray Bunny. A simple gold place card holder is good to have in your tablescape collection.

These goblets are the tallest and largest goblets in my tablescaping collection. The black glass one came from Z Gallerie several years ago. It was called Onyx. They are eleven inches tall and the glass is thin and delicate. I bought them in white as well. The clear and gold goblet on the right also came from Z Gallerie, a few years ago. It is a very large goblet in size. The gold swirl on the clear glass is in a higher position on some of the other goblets. You can see this in some of the other photos.

I found the hourglass at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. The black sand is a good match for this table setting. It is sitting on a wood stand that I bought at Pier 1 a few years ago. The stand was a natural wood color but Hubby painted it white for me to use on one tablescape and then black for a few other tablescapes. I added a gold bead garland and a gold necklace of mine to the table for additional interest.

These Booker bronze black candle holders came from Pottery Barn a few years ago. They are versatile because they can hold a taper candle or a pillar candle. I added a gold taper candle and scattered small gold bells around the candle base.

This is the New Year’s Eve tablescape that I did a few years ago. (Truth be told, I like it better than this one.)

To see over 270 different tablescapes that I have created please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my new Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas Facebook group for lots of tablescaping inspiration! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape and Table Settings Ideas or click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2553689988183392

Don’t miss the Tablescape How-To tab at the top of my blog for DIY tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week, please check back!

Gingerbread on a Christmas Tablescape

December 17, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I did a Gingerbread Christmas tablescape a few years ago with some of the same elements that are on this table setting but I changed out some of it for this tablescape. I bought the polyester bright Kelly Green tablecloth on Amazon last year. You can see the earlier tablescape that I did here.

Susan Winget Gingerbread Plate

These appetizer or tidbit small Gingerbread plates were made by Certified International. The design on the plates was copyrighted by Susan Winget. I have some of her other Christmas design plates and I love some of her designs. The plates came in a set of four with two girl Gingerbread people and two boy Gingerbread people. The set was called Holiday Magic. I can’t remember where I bought them.

Fiesta Shamrock Salad Plate

I added an extra plate to this plate stack because I wanted the colors to alternate in a certain pattern. This small Fiesta salad plate in the color Shamrock is their smallest plate size in the older plate design. It measures 7 1/4” across. The newer Fiesta plate design Bistro has a smaller plate that measures 6 1/2”. Fiesta plates come in a few different sizes so you need to make sure you know what size you are buying.

I bought this red melamine salad plate at Crate and Barrel online with a matching dinner plate a few years ago.

Fiesta Shamrock Dinner Plate

This is the Fiesta dinner plate in Shamrock green. It matches the small salad plate on this plate stack. I bought them online from Macy’s several years ago.

This is another plastic charger from Dollar Tree, bought last week, that Hubby painted Christmas red for me. I wanted a simple red charger for this table and this one works perfectly.

Milano Red Flatware Ginkgo International LePrix

This flatware is Milano Red Ginkgo International LePrix. I have had this set for years but it is still for sale. Not sure where I bought it. I use it several times a year on tablescapes.

I found these metal gingerbread napkin rings online at Mercari online a few years ago. The red and green plaid napkins came from HomeGoods several years ago. I love the red and green plaid pattern, it is perfect for a Christmas tablescape.

I found the gingerbread boy and girl place card holders at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. There is just something so festive and cheerful about gingerbread people!

Mosser Arlington Hunter Green Goblet

I am using my favorite red glass goblets on this tablescape. They are Waterford’s Marquis Brookside goblets. I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago. There were twelve available and that seldom happens there. I bought them all! You can find them on the secondary market from time to time. I have been looking for a darker green glass goblet for quite a while and I finally decided to buy these green glass goblets made by Mosser. They are a bit shorter than I like but I love the color. The pattern is called Arlington and the color is Hunter Green. I bought them online at Everything Kitchens. I have the same color and pattern in an iced tea so I will be able to use the two together sometimes.

I found this Gingerbread cookie jar online at Mercari online a few years ago. It was originally bought at T J Maxx and it was made by Potter’s Studio. I love the icing and the bow design, and the happy face! The gingerbread man is sitting on a red Rhodes stoneware drink dispenser stand from Pottery Barn. I bought these stands in a few colors several years ago to use when I need to add height to a centerpiece. I scattered a gingerbread garland that I found on Amazon a few years ago to the centerpiece. The garland, green goblets, and the chargers are the only new elements on this tablescape, I already had everything else.

I added some gingerbread salt and pepper sets to fill in some space on the table. I found both sets on Ebay several years ago. I often add small salt and pepper sets to a themed table for more interest.

I love gingerbread decorations at Christmas time!

To see 260 tablescapes that I have created including 15 different Christmas tablescapes, please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Tablescape Ideas group! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape Ideas. Don’t miss my Tablescaping How-To section at the top of this blog post for more tablescaping tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week so please check back!

A Peppermint Christmas Tablescape

December 10, 2022 by Beth Wilson in Tablescapes

I have had my list of themes for all my tablescapes for this Christmas season for several months but when I saw this really inexpensive tablecloth on Amazon a few weeks ago, one theme on the list got bumped to next year to add this Peppermint themed table setting to this year’s list because I really liked the design on this tablecloth.

A Cute World Market Peppermint Plate

These peppermint appetizer or tidbit plates are such fun. They came from World Market online last year. I always check World Market at holiday time because they often have cute plate designs that are inexpensive.

Although the peppermint design on the smaller plates is different from this salad plate peppermint design they work well together. These salad plates are labeled The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., York, PA. I think I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago.

10 Strawberry Street Black Dinner Plate

These black porcelain dinner plates are some of the first plates that I bought when I started tablescaping. I knew I would need a basic black dinner plate from time to time. They were made by 10 Strawberry Street and the pattern was called Black Classic Porcelain. I bought them at HomeGoods several years ago. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying dinner plates here.

Dollar Tree Spray-Painted Chargers

I didn’t like the shade of any of my red chargers for a tablescape I was working on last year so Hubby went to the Dollar Store and bought six chargers and spray-painted them the perfect red color for me. We have done this before and it is an inexpensive way to create a charger that is the perfect color for your tablescape. To read about what you should be considering when you are buying chargers click here.

I bought this frosted white flatware on sale online at Wayfair several years ago, it was made by Cambridge. It is 18/0 so the fork tines are a bit sharper than I would like but I really liked the frosted color. Frosted flatware is popular right now and a Google search will turn up several different patterns and colors. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying flatware here.

I can’t remember where I found the peppermint striped napkins, I have had them for several years now. The black and white Merry napkin rings came from Kirkland’s online last year. There are four different font designs that say merry on this set of napkin rings. I like the simple black and white design.

I found these ceramic peppermint place card holders at Target online last year. They were made by Transpac. They were meant for this tablescape!

I think these red glass goblets came from Crate and Barrel last year. I had been looking for some simple red goblets and grabbed these when I saw them online. Now I wish I had ordered more of them. The goblet on the right with the black bowl and clear stem was made by Classic Touch and it is called V-Shaped Water Glass, Black With Clear Stem. I bought them at Houzz online a couple years ago. You can read my blog post about what to consider when you are buying goblets for your tablescaping collection including the goblet colors that I use most often here.

These Raz Imports Cone Peppermint Trees came from Amazon a few years ago. I think they are a great addition to this Peppermint Christmas tablescape.

I really like using red and black on a tablescape especially with the addition of white. You can see a cozy Christmas Eve tablescape that I did last year using these colors here.

To see 260 tablescapes that I have created including 14 different Christmas tablescapes, please click here. If you are on Facebook, join my Tablescape Ideas group! Just click on the Facebook Search box at the top of the page and type in Tablescape Ideas. Don’t miss my Tablescaping How-To section at the top of this blog post for more tablescaping tips and tricks.

I put a new tablescape on my blog every week so please check back!