Metallic Fall Leaf Place Cards

Let’s just take a minute at this time of year to appreciate all the gorgeous Fall foliage- Ahh, those colors!! The change in color to announce the season is something I desperately miss here in Texas. So many great memories when my boys were little and rambunctious. Just like a pack of puppies, they would climb all over each other as they played in the pile of raked leaves. It is those simple pleasures in life, you know?

Anyway, if you are fortunate enough to have real, colorful Fall foliage to decorate your tabletop, consider yourself lucky. Lacking real leaves, I made do with some craft store clearance artificial leaves. Since the artificial leaves were void of the bright happy colors of Autumn, I pulled out some metallic spray paint for some pizzazz and sparkle. Place card holders can easily be made with real leaves, just be sure the leaves are not crunchy. That would be messy.

Add names of your family or guests with permanent marker on the leaves and use at each place setting. Usher in the memories and stories of jumping in piles of leaves while gathered around the table. At the very least, steer the conversation away from health problems or politics this Thanksgiving. There’s one in every family.

Supply List

Leaves, real or artificial
Spray Paint, if desired
Permanent Marker
Print out of names in a fancy font, optional
Newspaper/cardboard/tarp, to use as a work surface while spraying
Clear tape

Instructions

Step1:

Remove artificial leaves from the stem; they are pretty easy to pull off. Or, cut leaves of desired shape and color from the tree because ones on the ground may be too dried out.

Step 2:

Spread leaves out on a piece of paper, or cardboard. I used an old poster board. Put a small piece of tape on the backside of the leaves to hold them in place while outside and spraying. If you are spray painting, make sure to pick a day or time that is not windy. For me, it never fails that as soon as I start spraying, the wind will pick up.

Follow instructions on the can of spray paint. When one side is dry, turn the leaves over and spray the reverse side. Rust-Oleum Metallic spray paint in a rose gold was my color choice because it would match with the Thankful Pumpkin centerpiece that I made a few years back. See the bottom of the post for a link to that project.

Step 3:

While leaves are drying, find a font you like. Type up and print out the names you want to write on the leaves. Some people are really great at free handing fancy text. I would not be one of those people. Fortunately, I can make a decent copy if I have something to look at for a guide. Great Vibes in font size 60 is what I chose because, well, it sounded positive and wasn’t an overly complicated font.

Step 4:

Use the permanent marker to write out the names. Having painted all of the leaves metallic, I knew I had a lot of back ups in case there were any mess ups. That must have given me confidence because I did ok. Also, I was not worried about writing at an angle. The different directions of the leaves gave it a more organic feel to the overall look. I mean, what’s not organic about a bunch of spray painted, artificial leaves with Sharpie on them, right?

Now all that is left is to figure out your place setting. Go super casual or formal and these leaves will hit the mark. Any Thanksgiving table top will look more festive when the little added touches, like place cards, are used. Also, this gives you all the power when working out seating arrangements. Keep those who don’t get along on opposite sides of the table without causing a scene trying to separate them. Something we can all be grateful for. 😉

This addition for Thanksgiving or any Fall table top is so easy and quick to do. Maybe it’s just me, but having a festive table scape helps motivate me to get excited for the hours of cooking in the kitchen. Notice that Percy made the dinner list? Thankfully he can’t read because, although he will be in attendance, that pup will not be sitting at the table with us. Those in our family know he will be patiently waiting at my husband’s side. Although Chris proclaims to not care about the dog, he is the one that sneaks Percy a bite of turkey every year. May your holiday traditions-whatever they may be- help to make your house a home!