How to Make Halloween Placemats

Getting in the mood to celebrate Halloween requires some household decorations. Creating Halloween place mats is fun for the whole family. Each family member can create their own place mat or you can let the children of the house design them all. Either way, this craft is family friendly and will last for years to come.

Things You'll Need

• Construction paper or Poster Board
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Stick ons
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Laminator machine
• Laminating paper

Instructions

1. Get out a piece of construction paper or a piece of poster board. You can choose from orange, black or white. Use white if you have a lot of things to add to your place mat and you don't want the background to be too dark. Cut the construction paper or poster board in to a rectangle that is big enough to hold your plate and silverware. Use a ruler to help you get straight lines.

2. Paint your Halloween scene on to the construction paper or poster board. You can paint a haunted house or a creepy moon. Don't worry about the little details because you are going to add them on later. Just paint the scene you want to capture for the holiday. Set your place mat aside so that it has enough time to dry. If you want to speed up the process put it near a fan.

3. Add stick ons to give the scene some details. A couple of ideas include a black cat walking across the street or a pumpkin sitting on the stairs to the haunted house. You will find a wide array of Halloween stickers at crafts stores such a Michael's or A.C. Moore. You should even be able to find them at your local department stores as well. You may want to check out the scrap booking aisle. Use these stickers to give your Halloween scene more detail.

4. Place your Halloween scene in a sheet of laminating paper. Then, put your place mat through the laminating machine. This will accomplish two things: It will protect your place mat from food and drink spills, and it will allow you to use the place mats for several years to come. The laminating paper acts as a preservative and it wipes off easy with a damp wash cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use stamps if you have any. Anything that has a flat surface will work well on these place mats.

• Lay out some newspapers to protect your work area surfaces.

• Wear a smock or apron to protect your clothes from the paint. Paint can ruin clothes and doesn't come out easily.

• Assist children with laminating machines that use heat-based laminating so that they do not burn themselves.