We have a tradition in my family that I believe probably started because of something like this: my mom would be trying to cook Thanksgiving dinner in the early morning and my sister and I would be very excited, bothering her and fooling around in the kitchen. She probably said “why don’t you go and make some place cards for everyone who’s coming over and set them at the table.” Since we both loved crafts, I’m sure she were excited by this new idea.
Ever since that magical year, a handmade custom place card has welcomed guests to my mom’s Thanksgiving table. Luckily my mom saved many of the past examples which I’m sharing in today’s post!
Some place cards were definitely made by little kid minds, such as the versions seen above in typical Thanksgiving designs. They even contain family nicknames, like “Eggy” named for my dad Ed, as called by my younger cousins.
Others showcased our ability to work with computer graphics for those quick fix years.
This particular design was probably the last of the ones I made, as I was probably 24 when I made these, a little too old, in my opinion, to work on this childlike tradition. (I had younger cousins who should’ve taken it over by this time!)
The next few years my mom stepped in with a few designs, including a braille version made with her machine at work, a Martha Stewart Crafts twig and leaf napkin ring, and the labeled mini pumpkins she grew in her own garden, as seen in the above photo from 2010.
Last year, my little cousin Liam had a go at it, making the crayon filled tags attached to a piece of cornbread made by his mom, my aunt Melissa. I hear he’s been requested for another year of designing before my little nephew, Blake, will take over the roll. Can’t wait to see what’s at the table when we head to my mom’s house today!
Here’s another DIY idea where you turn kids art into creative place cards!
This is such a sweet tradition. I love that you can watch time pass through the placecards style. Thanks for sharing at the Foodies and Crafties Soiree!