DIY Papel Picado Thanksgiving Place Cards

Is anyone else in shock that Thanksgiving is already next week?! I couldn’t believe it yesterday when I looked at the calendar. Time, please slow down!

Luckily, I have an adorable, Thankgiving-perfect project for you inspired by all the paper garlands I saw in Mexico: papel picado place cards, perfect for adding some festive flair to your holiday table!

Papel picado means “cut paper” in Spanish. The ubiquitous tissue paper garlands are made using a punch, so to keep this DIY authentic I took the same route, employing two different sized hole punches to create a lacy effect.

This DIY is super simple and can be used for any celebration, not just Thanksgiving. The best parts: you most likely already have most of the project supplies at home and we’ve created a template you can save and print to create these exact place cards for Thanksgiving or any upcoming celebration. You can find that template at the bottom of this post. 😉

Ready? Let’s dive on in!

YOU’LL NEED:

• Cardstock in your choice of colors (we used this pack from Michael’s)
• Papel picado place card template (see printable file at the bottom of this post)
• ⅛” round hole punch
• 1/16” round hole punch
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Pencil
• Eraser
• Gold paint pen
• Ruler
• Two paper clips

Start by folding one sheet of colored paper into four quarters. Open up the second fold and cut the once-folded paper in half. Set aside one of the halves for later.

Cut out template and trace shape onto the other folded paper half then cut out the traced shape, resulting in two separate place card fronts.

Stack the two place card fronts with the template on top and secure with paperclips. Use the ⅛” round punch to punch the 12 larger holes in the design and the 1/16” punch to punch the smaller holes. This stack of three pieces of paper is about all the punch can take at once without leaving marks on the paper, but feel free to experiment with a larger stack if you’re using thinner paper such as printer weight.

Once you’re done punching, you’ll have two decorative place card fronts for two separate place cards. Set one aside and work on one at a time.

Remember the other folded paper half we set aside in the beginning? We’ll now use that to create the stands for the two place cards. Keeping the paper folded, measure and cut a 4” x 4.75” rectangle resulting in two separate rectangles when cut. Draw a line across the narrow side of each rectangle at 2.75” up from the bottom. Fold each rectangle along this line. Set aside one of the folded rectangles.

Apply glue stick to the outside of the smaller flap, then place the papel picado place card front on top lining up the bottom of the scalloped edge with the longer bottom of the back flap. Press down to secure and trim any excess paper from the sides of the stand portion of the place card.

Repeat until you have enough place cards for all your guests. Use a paint pen to write your guests’ names along with the word “Gracias” or however else you would like to decorate the place card. Feel free to get creative drawing flowers, swirls or anything you’d like!

PRINTABLE PLACE CARD TEMPLATE – Simply save this to your computer by right-clicking on the photo and selecting “Save As”, then print file at 100% scale:

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Feel free to leave any questions about this DIY below. Wishing you and your families a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Peace, love & neon,
Marisa