Wood Cookie Place Cards

Here's a rustic idea to bring more autumn bounty to your Thanksgiving table. For place cards, use wood cookies! I always think it's a good idea to bring the outside in when dressing a table. There's nothing better than fresh flowers or green foilage or Fall leaves or . . . wood.

To make your wood cookie place cards, you need just a few items: chalkboard paint, sponge paint brush, circle or oval stencil and wood cookies. You can buy wood cookies at your local craft store, home improvement store or just look in your yard.

With your stencil, position the circle or oval shape on your wood cookie and trace with a pencil. Then, fill in your shape with the chalkboard paint. I find it is easier to first trace and then paint. When I try to hold the stencil and paint, I always seem to shift the stencil or the paint bleeds through the sides creating messy edges.

Once the chalkboard paint is dry (give it an hour or two), lightly rub chalk over the surface to condition.

With a damp cloth, clean the chalkboard finish. You may need to do this step a couple of times. And, you're done! Write your guests' names with chalk and decorate their place settings. Also, you could use a larger wood cookie and write on it "Give Thanks" or "Gathering" for a centerpiece. Just use a plate easel to hold the larger wood cookie sign in place.