How to Make a Leaf Placemat
Homemade place mats are an easy way to personalize the dinner table. They can also serve as keepsakes or party favors for guests. In this variation, autumn leaves create a colorful visual display. With easily accessible materials and lots of room for creativity, leaf place mats can also be a craft project for kids to enjoy as part of preparing for a family gathering or holiday celebration.
Things You'll Need
- Autumn leaves (in as many colors and shapes as you can find)
- Construction paper or poster board
- Glue
- Clear contact paper or a laminator (see Resources)
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Spread the leaves out in a single layer on newspaper and allow them to dry out completely overnight.
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2
Cut the backing material (construction paper or poster board works well) into the shape you want for your place mat. You can choose a circle or a rectangle, or for Thanksgiving choose a large leaf, a turkey, a cornucopia or a pumpkin; but the possibilities are endless.
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3
Cut a piece of contact paper large enough to cover one side of the backing material with an extra inch or so on all sides, and peel the backing off. Carefully lay the backing material over the contact paper and press down firmly. It's easiest to start at one end of the backing and roll it onto the contact paper, smoothing as you go. Alternatively, you can skip this step and also skip step 5 and put the project through a laminator after you have completed step 4.
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4
Arrange the leaves in a pattern over the backing material and then gently glue them in place. This is to keep them from moving when you finish encasing the place mat; you do not need to worry about gluing all the edges down.
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5
Repeat step 3 to cover the leaf side. This time, lay the contact paper, sticky side down, on top of the leaves. Press down so the sticky side of the contact paper adheres firmly to all the leaves. Press the outer overlapping edges of contact paper together.
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6
Press the layers firmly together. Make sure all bubbles and wrinkles are smoothed out and then trim the edges with scissors.
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Tips & Warnings
Using a rolling pin to smooth the contact paper may be helpful.
An adult might want to complete steps 3 and 5, as it may be difficult for small children to keep the contact paper from wrinkling and sticking to itself.
