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Place these cards on a table outside your reception venue so the guests can each find their own personalised card with their table number on it. The buttons can be colour coordinated for each table, if you prefer.
You will need:
- colourful fabric remnants
- A4 cardboard (thin enough to go through your printer)
- button sets,to cover
- scissors
- safety pins
To make:
1 Print the table numbers and guests’ names on the cardboard. Keep the information at the bottom of the card so that when it’s folded double there is enough space at the top for the button badge.
2 Cut your fabric remnants into circles – the fabric circle must be twice the size of the top section of the button. Place the top section in the centre of the fabric circle. Fold the fabric over the serrated edge as smoothly as you can. If the fabric is too bulky to fold, work running stitches around the outer edge of the circle and pull them in over the button.
3 Place the back button plate over the top section and snap the two pieces together. if it is difficult to do this with your fingers, use a pair of long-nosed pliers.
4 Fold the card in half. Make a small hole through the front piece of the card, in the centre just below the fold. Insert the button shank through the hole and secure on the inside of the card with a safety pin.
Crane table numbers
Make an origami crane for each guest with his or her name and table number on it. Design numbers on your computer, or see if you can find suitable stamps. Attach the numbers to the middle of sosatie sticks using a glue gun, then stick the origami crane at the top of the stick.
String it up
The embroidery thread leads the guests to their table number.
You will need:
- 6mm SupaWood (ours is 400 x 600mm)
- universal undercoat paint in the colour of your choice
- paintbrush and paint tray
- graph paper
- coloured cardboard for table numbers
- embroidery thread in each colour
- thick double-sided adhesive tape (the sponge type)
- spray glue panel pins hammer
To make:
1 Have your Supawood cut into a board large enough to fit everyone’s names on it, or use two boards.
2 Paint the board with universal undercoat and leave it to dry. Apply two or three coats of paint in the colour of your choice and leave to dry.
TIP: Choose a paint colour that the cardboard number circles will stand out against, but that also goes nicely with the rest of your décor.
3 Work out where each guest’s name should be and use a program such as excel to type in your guests’ names. Colour in the cells to match the corresponding cardboard table number circles.
4 Spray glue on the back of the graph paper and stick it onto the board – this will help you to work out where to hammer in the panel pins.
5 Cut the cardboard numbers for your tables. We cut circles, but you can also cut squares or rectangles, if you prefer. Arrange them on your board.
6 On your graph paper, mark exactly where you must hammer in the pins next to the guest list – make a mark for each name. Also mark where the panel pins must be placed at the midway points and next to the circular table numbers (there doesn’t need to be one table-side pin for each name – you can play with how the threads are tied, as we did).
7 Now hammer panel pins in at the markings – use a wood offcut as a guide to ensure they are all hammered in to the same depth. Pull off the graph paper when done.
8 Take the first colour thread, make a firm double loop around the first guest-list pin and join it to the correct table pin. Tie another double loop and cut off the ends.
TIP: Place a drop of glue on the loops to prevent the ends from coming undone.
9 Complete the entire board in this way then stick the printed-out guest list and table numbers neatly on the board. We used thick double-sided sponge tape for the table numbers so that they stand away from the board a little.
Words and images: Ideas magazine
