24 March 2010

recycled woven placemats

Here's another placemat idea. My sister made this mat for me, woven from strips of magazine pages. That means you can pick the colors, text, photos you like, and blend them all together to make custom placemats for your table. How about one with spring flowers? Or cupcakes? Or bacon? Let the kids help and they can design their own!
Brittney, my sis, told me how she made it so I could pass it on to you:
  • Cut 1.5" strips, lengthwise, from magazine pages.
  • Fold the strips in half, again lengthwise, and secure with double sided tape (a tape runner works really well for this).
  • Weave strips together until you reach your desired size. Secure strips at edges with more double sided tape, if necessary.
  • Fold some lovely tape (Brittney used this tape, a gift from me!) over the edges, to finish them and keep everything neat.
  • Brush two coats of Mod Podge over the whole thing. (Let it dry between coats and before you flip to the other side.)

That's it! At least, I'm pretty sure. I trust that Brittney will let me know if I missed anything. :)

I currently have my mat sitting under my cutting mat on my desk. It's the perfect size, it provides a little more slip resistance, and it looks pretty.