view of napkins tied with jute twine and a clay leaf place card

diy clay leaf place cards

DIY Leaf Place Cards for the Holidays

I hope your fall has been lovely so far.  The weather is just starting to turn here in NC.  I have to say, I love the weather here compared to Seattle.  We never experienced so much sun day after day!  Today, with Fall weather on my mind, I’m making you these DIY leaf place cards for the upcoming holidays.  These place cards are little clay leaves inspired by nature (hello, fall!) and painted in a beautiful gold color to elevate them for elegant dinners and parties.  

view of napkins tied with jute twine and a clay leaf place card

You’ll love my secret for getting those fancy leaf edges from your clay too – read on to find out how I do it.

These place cards can be used time and time again, just change out the name tag for each new guest.  

I hope you enjoy this craft!  

Materials:

  • Gold Paint
  • PaintBrush
  • Air Dry Clay
  • Flat Screwdriver
  • Rolling Pin
  • Toothpick
  • Leaves from Outside
  • Jute Twine
  • Wax Paper
  • Cardstock
  • Pen for Writing 

Instructions:

Step 1:  Roll our your Air Dry Clay

rolling out air dry clay

Grab a ball of air-dry clay and with slightly wet hands, roll it out using your rolling pin.  You want it to be about ¼ inch thick.  If you make it too thin, it will be too fragile and crack.  

Step 2:  Make a Leaf Imprint

leaves imprinted in clay

Take your leaf, and lay it on top of your clay.  Using your rolling pin, roll carefully over the leaf several times, creating an imprint of the leaf onto the leaf.  

Step 3:  Cut your Leaf Out

cutting out leaves from clay

Here’s where the magic happens!  You should see a beautiful leaf imprint in your clay.  Take a flat screwdriver and make little divots on the side of your clay leaf, where the leaf would naturally have edges.  

a leaf cut out of clay with a hole for hanging

Do this all the way around, and then carefully remove your leaf.  Using a toothpick, make a hole in the top of your leaf.  This will be for tying your jute twine later.  

close up view of clay leaf

I take the leaf in my hands and slightly bend it to give it a more natural leaf shape, but you are welcome to keep it flat too.  Place your leaf on wax paper and allow it to air dry naturally for a couple of days.  

Step 4:  Paint your Clay Leaves

painting clay leaves gold

After your leaves dry, take a paintbrush and gold paint and lightly brush a few coats on the top and sides of your clay leaf.  Set them aside to dry.  

Step 5:  Tie on a Nametag

view of gold painted clay leaves

Our leaves are looking beautiful!  Now, all we need to do is cut a small tag of cardstock and write the guest’s name on it.  Use a hole punch to cut a hole in the cardstock.  Tie this to your leaf by threading your jute twine through the hole we created in the leaf in Step 3.  

napkins tied with jute twine and clay leaves with names

Simply beautiful!  

I like to tie my cloth napkins with jute twine, and then tie the clay leaf name tag to it.  

napkins tied with gold clay leaves and name tags

How pretty and unique are these!?  I’m sure you will get some comments from your guests.  And they will feel so special sitting at this elegant dinner with you.  

As I said earlier, you can reuse these DIY leaf place cards.  Once you get the hang of making one leaf, the rest don’t take long.  You can also try this project with different shaped leaves, such as maple leaves.  

napkins tied with jute twine and clay leaves with names

My daughter and I foraged for some leaves together.  She happened to find the pretty ones I ended up using.  Thanks, Hannah! 

Grab the kids and make this a family project.  It’s a great craft to do around the holidays.  

karen signature

~ See More of Karen’s Tutorials ~


karen from decor hintHello!  I’m Karen, the creator of the Home Decor and DIY Blog: Decor Hint. I’m a Native of the East Coast, but I currently live in beautiful Seattle with my hubby, our two wonderful children, and our spunky wheaten terrier.

You can usually find me with some sort of craft in one hand and a coffee in the other. And I’m always rearranging furniture or moving lamps from room to room. I have a passion (read: obsession) for decorating, DIY, and gardening. In short, I love making my house into a home.

Like many, I’m inspired by what I see in home decor magazines, but I’m not so inspired by the price tags.  Consequently, I love finding and creating beautiful budget-friendly home decor items. In a head to head competition, I bet you’d never know the difference between the designer items and my DIY creations!  Many of my DIY projects focus on sewing, crafting, upcycling and organizing. Some of my favorite projects have been making pretty wreaths, sewing my own tassel hand towels, and crafting these trendy wood bead garlands. I can’t wait to inspire you and spark your creativity through my DIY projects.

You can always connect with me on Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram.

If you liked this tutorial, you’ll love these fall tablescape ideas:

21 Beautiful Fall Tablescapes - Decorating Your Table for Fall

Want to make a quick and easy fall centerpiece? Maybe you want to get the kids involved and go on a nature hike to collect pretty leaves.

Quick Fall Leaves Centerpiece

Quick Fall Leaves Centerpiece

I’m looking forward to cooler weather and the beautiful color of fallen autumn leaves. How about you? Today I have a super quick and easy fall leaves centerpiece you can whip up to decorate your home for autumn. Seriously, this will take five minutes (plus a nice walk outside to gather leaves.)

Granted, our leaves haven’t turned yet, but you know I’m anxiously awaiting them!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Optional: You can use a drinking glass or candy jar and use foil to raise it higher.

Instructions:

Go out for a hike and collect colorful fall leaves. I was lucky to find these buttery-yellow gingko leaves.

And around the corner, a beautiful pile of Japanese maple leaves were ready for me to scoop up.

Center the smaller vase inside the larger one. Begin filling the space between the two vases with leaves.

Continue adding leaves until the interior glass vase is hidden.

Insert battery-powered candle into center vase. (If using a real candle, do not leave it unattended, and make sure your leaves are not super dry.

Turn on the candle and enjoy the glow.

You can make another quick and easy fall vase by cutting the sleeve off an old sweater and wrap it around another vase or votive holder. Insert another battery-powered pillar candle and set it out with your Quick Fall Leaves Centerpiece!

Set out your beautiful fall centerpieces and get ready for the cozy time inside on cold nights.

Anyone else looking forward to cool weather, hot chocolate, and curling up under the blankets to watch movies?

Let’s add a little hand-lettered touch to your front door with this adorable wooden fall pumpkin sign that you can make in no time!

How to Make a Hand-Lettered Fall Pumpkin Sign

Hi, it’s Amanda from Domestically Creative again with another easy DIY project. Today I’m sharing how I made this adorable hand-lettered pumpkin sign that hangs on our front door for fall. Don’t let all of the steps and photos scare you away from making your own fall pumpkin sign! This project is very simple and only took me about 15 minutes to make. Heat up your glue gun and let’s get started!

Overhead view of supplies

Materials:

Instructions:

Step 1 – Create the design

The first step is to create a hand-lettered design for this fall pumpkin sign. You can create it in one of two ways. If you feel confident enough to hand-letter your own design, draw it out on a sheet of paper to the same size it will be on the pumpkin. If you are doubting your artistic lettering skills, create a digital design using fonts on your computer and print it out to the right size. Either way will work for this simple fall door decor.

"hello fall" hand-lettered design

Step 2 – Transfer the design

Turn the paper over and shade over the back with a pencil. Aim for dark and full coverage so that the graphite can transfer in the next step.

shading over back of design with pencil

Flip the paper back over and place it on top of the wooden pumpkin. Using a pencil, trace over the design using firm pressure. This will transfer the design onto your pumpkin!

tracing over design with pencil to transfer onto pumpkin

When you pull up the paper, you should be left with a light pencil outline of your design.

close up of transferred "hello fall" design on pumpkin

This is the same method used in this reversible pedestal sign!

Step 3 – Paint on the design

Using an oil-based paint marker, go over the design, and fill in any necessary areas. Since this fall pumpkin sign will be hanging on the front door, using oil-based paint will protect it from fading or running.

white wooden pumpkin with hello fall written on it

Step 4 – Make the bow

Tie a simple two-loop bow with a wired edge ribbon, just like tying your shoes! Fluff up the loops and center knot of the bow until it looks nice and full.

buffalo check bow next to pumpkin sign

Optional Step: Fold the tails of the bow in half length-wise. Use scissors to cut out a triangle from the wired edge at the bottom of the tail.

Step 5 – Attach the bow

Attach your bow to the pumpkin with some hot glue. Another option is to use a thin gauge wire and wrap that around the stem of the pumpkin. Either way will work!

Step 6 – Attach a ribbon for hanging

Since this fall pumpkin sign will be hanging on the front door, I added a small ribbon to the back of it using a staple gun. First, cut a piece of ribbon slightly longer than the width of your pumpkin.

staple gun attaching ribbon to hang pumpkin sign

Then staple one end of the ribbon to just inside the left edge of the pumpkin. Repeat this for the other side and end of the ribbon. You will be left with a loop in the middle to hang your new pumpkin sign from.

Overview of stapled on ribbon to the back of wooden pumpkin

Step 7 – Hang on the front door

You’re finished! Hang up your new fall pumpkin sign on the front door (or any place in your home) and enjoy!

Finished hello fall pumpkin sign with buffalo check ribbon hanging on blue front door

What design will you put on your own hand-lettered fall pumpkin sign?

Love it? Don’t forget to pin this project for later!

I’m Amanda, and I am the creator and voice behind the food and DIY blog, Domestically Creative. What started as a place to share updates with friends and family after we moved from Illinois to Tennessee and then to Texas, turned into a passion for finding creative and frugal ways to feed us and decorate our homes.

I have always had the “make it myself” attitude and I’m not afraid to bust out the power tools or get creative when it comes to decorating our home on a budget. You can usually find me scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales looking for my next makeover (like this litter box cabinet), or dreaming up ways to make our new house feel more like home. My most recent project was giving my home office a much needed facelift. Some of the plans included creating a fun inspirational accent wall and adding pegboard to store my craft hoards.

I currently call Missouri home, where I live with my husband, dog, and 2 cats in a pretty dull, late 90’s split level. My husband and I both love to travel the U.S and recently purchased a small travel trailer to tag along in our journeys. In our free time together we can usually be found working together on a home project, exploring a new place, or just lounging with our pup, Delilah.

I’d love for you to connect with me on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

See all of Amanda’s tutorials HERE.

Have the kids taken over your kitchen table or island? Need somewhere to let the kids get creative? Today I am going to show you how to make a simple DIY kid’s craft table (or desk). Let’s get building.

Build a DIY Kid's Craft Table

DIY Kid’s Desk and Craft Table

If your children are going to be home this fall for distance learning or you just want a spot they can call their own, then it is time to get a space ready for them!! This DIY Kid’s Craft Table is the perfect size for whatever your child will need and it is small enough to fit in a spare corner in your home. Let’s make it!

I made this particular table for a client and it measures 30”h x 43”w x 23”d but you can modify these measurements to fit your needs. Of course, the quality of lumber you use is your choice but I used clear pine from my local big box store because it paints better than using common pine boards. It may be more expensive but the boards tend to be straighter, it saves time on sanding, and I feel it yields a better-finished product. It doesn’t matter what wood you use as long as you love it.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Tools:

Cut list and pocket-hole placement:

  • 4- 2×2 @ 29 ¼”
  • 2- 1×4 @ 38” (3 pocket-holes in each end)
  • 2- 1×4 @ 18” (2 pocket-holes in each end)
  • 1- 1×4 @ 19” (2 pocket-holes in each end)
  • 3/4”x 43”x 23” birch plywood

Step 1: Sand table components

  • I know it seems odd to start with this step but trust me when I tell you it is much easier to sand these boards before they are in place. Depending on how rough your lumber is, begin using 60-80 grit sandpaper and incrementally work your way up to 220 grit sandpaper.  I chose to use clear pine found at my local big box store so I was able to start with 120 grit sandpaper, which cut down my sanding time. This makes the extra money spent, well worth it!

Step 2: Assemble both table sides

  • Sandwich one 1 x 4 x 18” (apron) board between two 2 x 2 x 29 ¼” (leg) boards. Pocket-holes should be facing up.
  • To add a little detail, place a ¼” piece of scrap beneath the 1×4 board to inset it slightly. This will create a shallow reveal looks nice and also gives you a little grace because now the three boards don’t have to be flush to the same surface perfectly.
  • Clamp the legs and apron boards together and join them using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket screws.
  • Repeat these steps for the other side of the table.

Step 3: Attach the front and back table aprons

  • With both side components standing on their sides sandwich a 1 x 4 x 38” (apron) board between them, again placing a ¼” board beneath the apron to inset it slightly.
  • Align the top of the 1×4 with the top of the side components.
  • Clamp and attach using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket screws.
  • Carefully flip the piece over and repeat the above steps to attach the second 1 x 4 x 38” apron board.

Step 4: Attach center support

  • Attach the center support using wood glue and pocket screws between the two 1 x 4 x 38” boards centered in the middle.

Step 5: Clean up

  • With a putty knife or chisel gently remove any glue squeeze out and sand smooth.

Step 6: Edge banding

  • Once the plywood top is cut to size you will need to edge band to cover up the unsightly edges. I won’t go over all of the steps here but if you are new to edge banding please check out this tutorial on How to Finish Raw Plywood Edges.

 

Step 7: Finish

  • Time to paint or stain and topcoat!! My client wanted this piece painted white, so I chose a premium latex paint and used a water-based topcoat to protect the paint and prevent yellowing of the finish in the future.

Step 8: Attach the top

  • Place the tabletop on a flat surface (bottom side up) and center the base over the top upside down.
  • This plan allows for a 1” overhang of the top on all sides of the table base.
  • Using the pocket-holes that are shown in the diagrams below, attach the top with 1 ¼” pocket screws.

    • Note: Normally I would not recommend attaching a tabletop using pocket screws IF that top were made of solid wood because of wood’s tendency to expand and contract. However, this top is made of plywood and the amount of expansion and contraction that will happen over time is negligible and should not affect the structure of the table base.  If you are uncomfortable using pocket-holes to attach the top then feel free to attach it in some other way, such as with figure-8 fasteners or Z-clips.

Flip it over and admire your handy work!! Isn’t this DIY Kid’s Craft Table adorable?!

Check out my latest blog post about building a DIY Folding Craft/Sewing Table! This table is large enough for any craft project but folds down when you don’t need it. Perfect for anyone with a small space but large crafting ambitions!

Hi! I’m Kristen, from In Her Garage, and I am a self-taught woodworker and DIY fanatic from Minnesota where I live with my husband and our two daughters. Between being a wife, mom, and registered nurse, I try to make as much time for DIY as possible. My love for building came after our family built our current home in 2015. After we moved in, we needed furniture, and instead of spending massive amounts of money to order the items we wanted I decided that I would build them myself. I started with a buffet table plan from the fabulous Ana-white and quickly set out to remodel my entire home office.

Since then I have started a side business building furniture for the people in my community. I love hearing my clients talk about the pieces they wish they had whether it be a rustic buffet table, a one drawer side table, or a toy box and then making it a reality for them. While starting my small business it made perfect sense that I would document my building journey so I simultaneously launched the In Her Garage blog and I love sharing my plans, tips, and tricks.

 

I am so glad that you found me here and please feel free to connect with me on PinterestInstagram, and Facebook to see what I am working on right now.

 

If you enjoyed this tutorial and are looking for other cute ideas for kid’s desk or craft table check out these two fun projects. Both of these could be great projects you could do with the kids to keep the fun going.

Creative Block Desk & Art Utensil Holder

create_art_block_holders_sm

Creating a Chalkboard Desktop.

How to Make a Chalkboard Surface Desk | Pretty Handy Girl

Today I’m showing you how to add some greenery to your home in the form of these cute hand-lettered mini chalkboard planters. You can plant any type of plant you wish, but cacti and succulents would be my choice!

Hand lettered mini chalkboard planters

Hand-Lettered Mini Chalkboard Planters

Hey there, It’s Amanda from Domestically Creative back again with another simple DIY project. Today we’re making these adorable hand-lettered mini chalkboard pots! I’m including two different methods for making these planters. This project is intended for indoor use, but I’ll include steps to use (and materials) for outdoor use as well. It may seem like a silly thing to state, but chalkboard paint and chalk marker will fade, crack, and peel when exposed to the elements. You may be thinking to yourself, why even use chalkboard paint and marker, to begin with? Well, the whole point of a chalkboard is that you can change it! Let me show you how to make your own hand-lettered mini chalkboard planters.

3 hand lettered chalkboard planters with various succulents and cacti

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Step 1. Cleaning terracotta pots

Before painting each terracotta pot, it’s essential to clean them well. Just use soap and water and rinse. Let the clay pots dry completely before moving on to the next step.

freshly washed terracotta pots ready for paint

Step 2. Painting terracotta pots

Give the outside of each pot 2-3 coats of chalkboard paint, letting it dry in between coats. If the surface feels rough to the touch, lightly sand with 320 grit sandpaper in between coats. Don’t paint the inside of the pot.

chalkboard paint clay pots

Step 3. Prep the chalkboard surface

This step may not seem important, but it is! If you ever want to change up your chalkboard designs or lettering then you always want to season a new chalkboard surface before use. To do this, take a piece of chalk (using the side of the chalk), cover the entire surface in chalk.

prepping chalkboard pot surface with chalk

Wipe the chalk off with an eraser or a dry cloth. You’ll be left with a surface that looks like it’s been used! This helps prevent ghosting, which is what happens when you erase chalk or chalk marker and are left with an outline of what was there.

prepped chalkboard surface of pots

Step 4. Personalize with chalk marker

Now it’s time to have some fun! Practice your hand-lettering skills with a chalk marker and personalize the pots however you wish! These pots feature the words “grow”, “stay alive”, and “don’t succ” since I knew I’d be planting cacti and succulents.

lettering "grow" on chalkboard planter

Tips for hand lettering:

Practice on a piece of paper first to get the size and layout just right. Pick the marker up after each stroke of the letter, which is a different concept than what you learn with cursive. If desired, go back in and thicken up the downstrokes to create a brush lettered look!

If you are interested in learning more about hand-lettering, check out my blog Designs by Amanda Kay for free practice sheets and tutorials!

hand lettered pots finished

Step 5. Plant!

If you are going to be planting succulents or cacti in your mini chalkboard pots, be sure to use an appropriate potting soil! Fill about 3/4 of the way up with soil, tuck in each plant, and then fill in with soil around the roots. Water lightly and place them in a sunny area in your home.

top down view of succulent in planter on decorative plate

Using These Chalkboard Pots Outdoors?

The steps will be similar, but the products used will vary. First, you’ll want to choose an outdoor acrylic paint instead of chalkboard paint. Outdoor acrylic will hold up to weather better, and won’t fade when sealed. There will be no need to prep the surface with chalk, so just skip that step! Use an oil-based paint marker for lettering (water-based markers or chalk markers will fade in the sun or run in the rain).

One important extra step is applying a sealant. Using a polycrylic top coat will protect the paint from cracking, chipping, and fading in the sun. Keep in mind that the terracotta pots will lose their moisture-wicking capabilities when painted and sealed.

close up of stay alive planter with cactus

My mini chalkboard planters live in my office where the plants get plenty of light throughout the day! Plus they add a nice touch of greenery to my creative space.

mini chalkboard pots in craft room

What part of your home could use a set of these hand-lettered chalkboard planters?

Love this tutorial? Don’t forget to pin for later!

I’m Amanda, and I am the creator and voice behind the food and DIY blog, Domestically Creative. What started as a place to share updates with friends and family after we moved from Illinois to Tennessee and then to Texas, turned into a passion for finding creative and frugal ways to feed us and decorate our homes.

I have always had the “make it myself” attitude and I’m not afraid to bust out the power tools or get creative when it comes to decorating our home on a budget. You can usually find me scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales looking for my next makeover (like this litter box cabinet), or dreaming up ways to make our new house feel more like home. My most recent project was giving my home office a much needed facelift. Some of the plans included creating a fun inspirational accent wall and adding pegboard to store my craft hoards.

I currently call Missouri home, where I live with my husband, dog, and 2 cats in a pretty dull, late 90’s split level. My husband and I both love to travel the U.S and recently purchased a small travel trailer to tag along in our journeys. In our free time together we can usually be found working together on a home project, exploring a new place, or just lounging with our pup, Delilah.

I’d love for you to connect with me on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

See all of Amanda’s tutorials HERE.