DIY Photo (or Place Card!) Holders

Let’s say you just moved to a new job and you love your cubicle neighbors, but your desk is a little sterile.  Or, maybe you like to display holiday photos and switch them out on a seasonal basis, but frames make the job more tedious than you’d like.  Oooh, OR, you LOVE parties and like to set out a gorgeous table but you know diddly squat about place cards and how to incorporate them into your tablescape.  Not to worry: this DIY is going to save the day.

Presenting: this easy, sweet photo or place card holder.

Get your hands on these supplies:

* one inch square wooden blocks

* mini clothespins

* your favorite glue (a glue gun would be the quickest, but mine just bit the dust!)

* washi tape

* metallic permanent marker

* for place cards, cut up some card stock and grab a felt pen

(Pst- I wanted to keep these holders very, very simple for those folks who like easy and quick.  I had two additional ideas that I think would look amazing: glitter and metallic paint.  If you have the time for drying, I think they’d turn out beautifully!)

For the two holders shown, you’ll just need to do two simple things.  The gold holder is made by coloring each side of the wooden block with the metallic permanent marker.  The red polka dot holder is some cute washi tape covering each side of the wooden block.

Once you’ve created all your blocks (by either wrapping with washi or coloring), affix a mini clothespin to the block with glue.  You’ll be gluing down one of the handle sides, like so:

Wait a bit for your glue to dry and you’re all set!  All you need to do it open the clothespin slightly, slide in your photo (or place card) and set the block wherever you’d like.

(This is one of my very favorite photos of my mom and my two oldest sisters.  Isn’t it a cute one?)

To make place cards, I cut up a grid-patterned index card and wrote the name on with a felt-tipped pen.  I created the metallic border on the paper with the edge of the same permanent market I used to color the block.  Just put some scrap paper under the place card and run the tip of the marker over each edge of the card.

If you do make these cute blocks for a table, consider sending your guests home with them as a small favor!  I would print a card with a sweet saying that will make it easy to display on a desk or bedside table.  OR use a photo of the two of you as the place card- I’d certainly want to take that memento home!