Thanksgiving Place Card Ideas from the Hardware Store

Spruce up small terracotta pots with green and purple metallic spray paints. Plant lavender in the purple pots and rosemary in the green pots, write guests names on small plant sticks in each one. Alternating colors, place a pot at every guest’s spot. Bonus! These will double as party favors.

You won’t even need to pick up a pen with this one. Purchase a residential house letter to match the first initial for each guests’ name. Using twine or ribbons, tie it to a rolled napkin at each place setting. See more about folding napkins.

Skip the formal white tablecloth this year and opt for butcher paper instead. Cover the whole table with the paper. Mark out a square for each place setting with thin black electrical tape. Above the square, place another strip of tape and write the guest’s name above it in a large graphic font or paint it on with stencils.

Put on your sculptor’s hat to shape 18 gauge copper wire into quirky turkeys—the goofier the better. Start the turkey by making an oval shaped “ball” for the body, a smaller “ball” for the head, and a big fan shaped loop for the tail feathers. Wire it all together, place the turkey on the plate, and slip the place card through the tail feathers.

Purchase a package of tea light candles ($16.86/100 at HomeDepot.com) and copper mesh sheeting. For each place setting, write the guest’s name on a card with a black marker. Cut a square of the copper sheeting, large enough to fold in two and fit the place card. Attach the shimmery place card to the tea candle with twine or place the candle on top of the card if you prefer. Place each one of these on top of the salad plate and light the candle right before guests sit. Watch them be amazed at the glow and shimmer. They would look perfect with this table setting.