Hello Fellow Photo-loving Friends,
Today I was on Great Day St. Louis (a local morning show) sharing ideas on how to integrate photos into holiday table settings. Click below for the 3.5min clip.
I had more ideas to share than we had time to cover on the show, so I figured I’d post the details here.
By the way, you don’t have to be crafty to do these projects. Anyone (kids included) can do these.
back of place cards
front of place cardsPLACE CARDS: fold card stock in half, putting name & embellishment on one side and affix a photo to the other side with double-sided tape. These are great conversation starters & when they’re photos of YOUR family, YOUR trips, YOUR garden, YOUR pet, YOUR Disney adventure, etc. then you are really bringing a part of yourself to the table setting.
NAPKIN RINGS: slice a 4X6 photo to capture the best part of the photo. Then attach it in a circle with a craft brad or office fastner. Clip a name to it and it can double as a place card.
napkin rings (photos of Lilah in Door County)
napkin ring (photos of Norway) w/name attached
WINE CHARMS & JUICE COVERS: simply trace the bottom of a wine glass over the best part of your photo, cut it out and double-tape it to the glass bottom. For the juice boxes, use fun photos that feature your kids. Maybe even add googlely eyes (a favorite in our home)!
wine “charms” on bottom of glass
juice box covers with googlely eyes
photos attached to apples with push pinsCENTER PIECES: Just add the photos into whatever style center piece you already have in mind. One easy tip I’ll share is that you can use push pins to attach the photos to fruit, squash, or the base of pillar candles. Remember to cover your back when you use photos, meaning that you may want to back photos together to avoid patches of white that will be visible from another angle. Another tip: use the photo cards that come in the mail to you from friends and family. Not only are the cards attractive, but it’s as if you’re including a wide range of friends in the fun of your holiday table.
the foundation of the center piece: apples
holiday cards attached to apples with push pins
A FEW MORE TIPS (but these aren’t rules, because there are no rules! You can be traditional or silly or anything in between):
- use photos that are handy, otherwise you’ll be picking & choosing photos well into the new year (for example, pick one album from your online service to get developed AND DON’T EDIT IT, or develop whatever is on your digital camera RIGHT NOW w/o editing, or use the photos that come in the mail on greeting cards)
- keep it simple (these photos will be very hands-on, so they may not last after their debut; this isn’t a scrapbook or a piece of altered art.)
- less is more (crop photos to capture the best parts AND JUST INCLUDE ONE OR TWO OF THESE PHOTO-IDEAS; you want to make it personal, not overstimulating)
- work with what you’ve got (let the photos work into your decorating style and color choice for the holidays).
Photos are a wonderful reminder of the true gifts of the season: friends and family, memories and traditions, joyous smiles…
