Where The Lone Star State Meets The Puget Sound
A Fine Mesh Of Two Great Styles

Monday, August 29, 2011

Card Tricks


While browsing past posts I came across a few photos of place cards and I decided
it would be fun to share some of my ideas and a few tips and techniques.
Place cards are such a nice added touch to a table setting. 

They can be simple or involved, depending on the mood you are setting and how much
time you have to spend making them.



Remember this one? A classy little touch, wouldn't you say? Well~ I made this
and all that I am going to show you using my computer along with these~


It's so simple! 
All of my cards were done with Microsoft Word using the business card format.
I type one name per business card. Make sure to choose a pretty font. I like
Vivaldi but there are so many to choose from!


Here is a screen shot for you. I think I had to use 95 for font size! I also centered my text.
After I print them out I simply break them apart at the 'perfs'.

Alternately, you can print them on colored card stock and cut them out with a paper cutter.
But it is still a good idea to use the Microsoft Word Business Card as your template.

Here are some of my best ideas~
These first two are super-quick.
You could even do these last minute!


For a summery look I embellished the card with a delicate ribbon.
I like using the starfish to showcase the name.


A fun idea~ Angle the corners 
on one end of the card
to create the shape of a tag.
Then punch a hole for the ribbon.
I always keep a variety of ribbon on hand
but ribbon is entirely optional.


Here I went for a little drama. I printed the names on 
card stock and then cut the cards to fit the tag.



This was a little over the top, but it certainly adds flair!



These are really fun but they are involved!
I bought little flower pots; the tiny ones.
I used a very little amount of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint {Ochre}
When they were dry I planted each pot with 1/2 of a small Corsican Mint.
Two small plants will fill 4 little pots.
The card was embellished with
dried berries and tied onto a wooden skewer.
The mint smells wonderful!
And best of all, you can give each guest
their own little personalized plant to take home.

Even when we just invite one couple for dinner,
I almost always make place cards of one style
or another.
To me it is a special way to personalize
your guests' experience in your home. 
With the computer and a pretty font your cards
will look almost as if they were done by a calligrapher.

I hope I've given you a few good ideas for your next dinner party or luncheon!
The possibilities are limited only to the
depth of your imagination.
Enjoy!

I'm linking to Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life. If you enjoy beautiful table settings
then you will love reading Marty's blog today.

Thanks for stopping by Northwest Texas!

     Dana

4 comments:

  1. I love this idea. That is so creative and the way you've embellished the cards is wonderful. Each one is so different and so pretty. Thanks for the inspiration and for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty

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  2. Dana,
    Even if my name were not shown in some of your sample place cards I would have loved this entry! I always enjoy seeing your table settings; they are so creative and lively. It's fun to see the different china pieces & accessories you use to capture an ambiance. My BH&G magazine arrived yesterday & your mini-mint plants with name cards tops the olive ones shown in their story on pages 35/36. Kudos!

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  3. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement! Your blog is AMAZING!!!

    My favorite sample is the grey tag with the paper flower. Classy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tags are very simple and attractive you may make some card holder like these tags.
    Plastic VIP Cards
    Plastic Discount Card

    ReplyDelete