Thanksgiving Table DIY Place Card Leaves

As a child, it was the presents and festivity of Christmas. As a teenager, it transferred to the lovestruck Valentine’s Day. And now, as the hostess and mom of three, Thanksgiving is easily my favorite holiday. Since we were first married, we have been the hosts for the feast! My husband and I share the cooking responsibilities (he’s a master at the turkey, and I serve up a mean cornbread). And our kids always want in on the action, too. This year they’re in charge of setting the table and decorating the feast so we decided to make some special place cards.

Using fall leaves from the backyard, air dry clay, and a gold leaf marker, the kids and I created beautiful place card leaves. These were simple for small hands and got a lot of wows from the rest of the family!

To make yours, roll out white air dry clay. We used a play dough rolling pin to make it easy for everyone to do it themselves. Roll the clay so that it is even and about a quarter of an inch think. Using a leaf with a simple shape (like an elm or sycamore), roll the same clay with the leaf on top. Press as you roll to make sure to get all the veining pressed into the clay. Trim off the excess clay and smooth the edges with your fingers.

Let the clay dry overnight, making sure to turn over the leaves carefully and dry the backside.

Next, take a goldleaf marker and paint the top and side surfaces. We found markers very easy to work with for this projects and fun to use for tracing over the lines on the leaf. The paint will dry almost instantly, and your leaf place card is ready to use!

These are not recommended for food, but they do make a great focal point on your dinner plate or across the center of the Thanksgiving table. The veining comes through beautifully, making these kids creations a timeless family heirloom to bring back out every Thanksgiving.