Custom Placemats

Don't you love it?  A beautiful tablescape based on placemats that I made from an old Cavallini & Co. calendar!

I love to dress up the kitchen by using a tablecloth.  It is a wonderful way to add a splash of color and can really breathe life into the room. 

The table in your kitchen is the design equivalent of the couch in your family room.  Being able to change tablecloths to suit your mood is like being able to reupholster your couch when ever you want to - the effect can be that dramatic.

That said, one splash of milk from the cereal bowl can spoil the look of a cloth and make you wonder why you tried at all.  So...

I've made myself (and you can too!) some paper placemats out of an old but beautiful calendar.  I trimmed the day/date section and the torn spiral bound edge off and suddenly had a picture suitable for framing. 

I bought a roll of clear contact paper at the hardware store and covered each picture (a process I affectionately call "plasticizing") with a plastic barrier - just unroll a bit of contact paper, line it up on the edge of the picture and slowly unroll as it makes contact with the picture.  Smooth out the bubbles as you go and then trim off the excess.  Cover the back of the paper image too, which will ensure greater longevity. Repeat that process a few more times and the result will be a set of custom placemats. 

My table looks gorgeous and actually eating there is no longer a problem.  Voila!