It just occurred to me that besides getting the food together for my Thanksgiving meal, I'm going to want my table to look nice. I am fortunate to have nice dishes from wedding gifts, but beyond that my table is looking a little sparse. To start, what will cover my table?
Tablecloth v. Placemats
For my Thanksgiving, I'm going to go with placemats, for a few reasons. 1. I do not have a tablecloth that is big enough for my table when it is extended. 2. I might have to use more than one table, and I certainly do not have 2 tablecloths. 3. My meal is going to be pretty casual and I think cute placemats will work better for my style.
That said, I only have 4 placemats, and I'm expecting 10-12 guests. I've always meant to get more placemats... it just somehow always fell to the bottom of my list. :) So, with a few days left, what to do for more placemats? I could buy some, but that wouldn't be very frugal. I could probably buy some super cheap ones for the same cost as I can make them, but I'd rather have placemats that are exactly what I want and can use for many years to come. After trolling the internet for an embarrassingly long time, here are the best (easiest & cheapest but still cute) placemats to make.
1. Double-sided fabric placemats. by
Centsational Girl
2. Easy no-sew paper placemats. (I would highly recommend laminating them, and you could also use pieces of fabric instead of paper, which could also be laminated.), by
Thoughtfully Simple
I think I'm going to opt for the double-sided fabric ones. I won't have to buy much fabric because I've got a lot of it already, and I like the idea of getting two different placemats in one. I think I'm going to do one side a solid neutral color- ivory or taupe perhaps, and the other side printed fabric. I'll post pictures and final costs once I make some!
What are you putting on your table? Anything DIY?
I have recently been reminded of the glory of Dollar Tree (27th & Iowa) after a visit last weekend. I found a lot of great stuff there, including dried & fake flower bundles (lookit my centerpiece!), nice crackers, gourmet hot sauce, and great-looking metallic fabric placemats. All priced at $1! So I was able to get a dozen great placemats for Thanksgiving for $12 (cheaper than making them myself), plus 3 bundles of dried and fake flowers that I used for my centerpiece. (The vase is one I inherited from my Grandma Velma.)
