No matter how fabulous the turkey dinner, it’s the table setting that’s first going to wow your guests. Candles, harvest flowers and luxe linens are sure to impress, but adding personalized place cards will take your Thanksgiving-dinner decor to the next level. (They’ll look equally stunning at a fall dinner party or grown-up Halloween party.)
You’ll need
6 white mini pumpkins
Dish soap
Tea towel
Metallic gold craft paint
1/2-inch foam pouncer
Small paint brush
2 6-by-6-inch pages of craft foil paper in gold stripe
6 chalkboard stickers
Chalk
Step 1. Select six white mini pumpkins that are roughly the same size. Ones with smooth flesh, free of bumps and blemishes will also be easier to paint. When you get them home, wash the pumpkins with warm soapy water, rinse and gently pat with a towel. Wait at least 20 minutes before you begin painting, to ensure they’re completely dry.
Step 2. Set up the paint supplies on a covered work surface. Squeeze a small amount of paint onto a tray. (The bottom of a rinsed paper coffee cup works perfectly for this.) Dab the pouncer in the paint, covering the end of it evenly, then gently press onto the first pumpkin to make a dot. Repeat until the pumpkin is covered in a pattern of evenly spaced polka dots. Repeat with the remaining pumpkins. Allow the paint to dry about 15 minutes; apply a second coat to each dot for more saturated colour.
Step 3. To make the name cards, cut each piece of paper into thirds to give you six pieces. Count the stripes and divide by three to give you three even strips. Use the lines as a guide to help you cut them in straight sections.
Step 4. Place a chalkboard sticker on the right side of each strip of paper, using the stripes to help you centre them vertically. Carefully write your guests’ names in chalk.
Step 5. Put a name card in the middle of each place setting and set a mini pumpkin on the left (blank) side. Alongside your best china, glassware and a harvest centrepiece, you’ve got all the trimmings for a memorable feast.